Useful Phrases for Recognizing Topics in the TOEFL Listening Section

Recognizing what a conversation is about in its first few seconds helps you predict which details matter. This page lists 13 everyday topics, the words that usually signal each one, and the typical situations speakers talk about. Use it as a fast-recognition drill, not as sentences to memorize.

These topics come from everyday and campus life, the kind of material in short conversations and spoken exchanges. They were collected from older TOEFL practice materials, but recognizing a topic quickly helps in any listening task, including Listen and Choose a Response and Listen to a Conversation on the current test.

13 everyday topics and their signal words

1. Haircut

• Signal words: trim, bangs, barber, hairstylist, "take a little off the top"
• Typical situations: a haircut so short he's almost bald, changing a hairstyle so it doesn't cover the eyes, cutting curly hair

2. Getting a ride

• Signal words: pick up, drop off, give (someone) a ride, carpool
• Typical situations: being picked up at the airport, giving someone a ride to the office

3. Clothing

• Signal words: outfit, dress up, formal, casual, dry cleaning
• Typical situations: jeans and a T-shirt being too casual for an interview, clothes still wet just before a concert

4. Plants and light

• Signal words: sunlight, shade, water, pot, wilt
• Typical situations: moving a plant to the window, a bookcase blocking the sunlight, a plant needing fresh air

5. Library

• Signal words: check out, return, due date, reserve, photocopy, study room
• Typical situations: spending the whole day in the library, making photocopies, meeting at the library, returning books, the library being a better place to study

6. Food

• Signal words: overcooked, burnt, fresh, spoiled, recipe, leftovers
• Typical situations: fish that isn't safe to eat, a berry bush that even the birds leave alone, over-toasted bread, overcooked vegetables, bread that might be in the refrigerator

7. Photography

• Signal words: camera, pictures, prints, develop, memory card
• Typical situations: running out of film or storage, photos not ready yet, photos that didn't turn out well

8. Weather

• Signal words: forecast, clear skies, freezing, heat wave, flights canceled
• Typical situations: clear skies for a picnic, cold enough for skating, too much snow to fly, hot enough to need an air conditioner

9. Homework and deadlines

• Signal words: due, deadline, extension, assignment, last minute
• Typical situations: waiting until the last minute, a chemistry test with no time left to study, filling out a financial aid form after the priority deadline, a paper deadline extended to next week

10. Waiting in line

• Signal words: line, queue, wait, crowded, get there early
• Typical situations: reading a magazine to pass the time, reading the same magazine twice, arriving early to avoid the line

11. Illness

• Signal words: health center, appointment, prescription, symptoms, feel better
• Typical situations: needing to see another doctor, a health center that's open until 10, taking the medicine the doctor prescribed

12. Joining a group

• Signal words: join, sign up, member, committee, volunteer
• Typical situations: joining a garden club, finding another committee member as a replacement

13. Relaxing

• Signal words: take a break, unwind, free time, get outside
• Typical situations: joining a club for fun, spending more time outdoors

For a system for capturing details once you've spotted the topic, see note-taking strategies for TOEFL success and the top 10 TOEFL Listening tips.