TOEIC Word Families Part 2: High-Frequency Word Form Traps
This page is Part 2. If you want the main guide to choosing word forms under pressure, start here first: TOEIC Word Families: Choose the Right Form Under Pressure.
This page goes deeper into common TOEIC word-family traps: effect / affect, efficient / efficiency / efficiently, approve / approval / approved, applicant / application / applicable, and decide / decision / decisive.
The new policy had a positive effect on sales.
The new policy will affect sales next quarter.
The team improved operational efficiency.
The team worked more efficiently after the update.
Core TOEIC rule: Similar-looking words are not enough. Ask what the blank needs to do: name a thing, show an action, describe a business thing, or describe how an action happened.
The 7-second choice
When the answers look similar, do not start with meaning. Start with the nearby signal.
Trap one: effect vs affect
This is one of the easiest traps to miss because the spelling is similar and the meaning is close.
The change had a positive effect on productivity.
The change will affect productivity next quarter.
The advertising campaign was highly effective.
Fast check: effect is often the thing or result. Affect is often the action. Effective describes a business thing, plan, method, or campaign.
Trap two: efficient, efficiency, efficiently
These words often appear in business contexts about systems, operations, teams, production, and workflow.
The new software improved office efficiency.
The new software created a more efficient workflow.
The team completed the task more efficiently.
Fast check: efficiency is the thing or result. efficient describes a thing. efficiently describes how the action happened.
Trap three: approve, approval, approved
TOEIC often uses this family in requests, proposals, budgets, applications, and management decisions.
The manager will approve the request tomorrow.
The project requires final approval.
The approved budget will be announced on Monday.
Fast check: after will, check the action form. After words such as final, written, or manager’s, check whether the sentence needs the thing: approval. Before a business thing, approved may describe it.
Trap four: applicant, application, applicable
This family is common in hiring, forms, eligibility, rules, and procedures.
Each applicant must submit a résumé.
All applications must be submitted by Friday.
The discount is applicable only to online orders.
Fast check: an applicant is a person. An application is a document or request. Applicable means something fits a rule, case, or situation.
Trap five: decide, decision, decisive, decisively
This family appears in management, meetings, proposals, and business outcomes.
The committee will decide next week.
The final decision will be announced soon.
The manager took decisive action.
The team responded decisively to the problem.
Fast check: decision is the thing. Decide is the action. Decisive describes a thing or person. Decisively describes how an action was done.
Trap six: perform, performance, performer
TOEIC uses this family in employee reviews, business results, machines, systems, and events.
The machine can perform several functions.
The employee’s performance improved this quarter.
The company recognised its top performer.
Fast check: perform is the action. Performance is the result, work quality, or event. Performer is a person or organisation doing well.
Common TOEIC business signals
Small words around the blank matter
Word-family traps become easier when you stop staring at the answer choices and look at the nearby words.
The new policy had a positive ___ on employee morale.
Signal: a positive ___ → thing or result.
Answer direction: effect.
The new policy will ___ employee morale.
Signal: will ___ → action.
Answer direction: affect.
Quick TOEIC check
1. The new schedule had a positive ___ on staff productivity.
2. The new filing system improved office ___.
3. The project requires final ___ from the director.
4. Each ___ must bring two forms of identification.
Fast-reader mistake
Fast readers often treat similar word-family choices as a vocabulary problem. But TOEIC usually gives the answer through sentence structure and nearby signals.
Bad shortcut: “I know this word family, so I’ll choose the one that sounds right.”
Better shortcut: “Does this blank need a thing, an action, a description, or a how-word?”
Why this mistake returns under pressure
Under time pressure, effect and affect, or efficient and efficiency, can look almost the same. The safer move is to cover the answer choices mentally and read the words around the blank first.
One-second tool
Use this shortcut:
After a / the / final / positive → check for a thing: effect / approval / decision / efficiency.
After will / can / should / to → check for an action: affect / approve / decide / perform.
Before a business thing → check for a description: effective / efficient / approved / applicable.
Near an action → check whether a how-word is needed: efficiently / decisively / effectively.
Final takeaway
TOEIC word-family traps are not solved by memorising one word at a time. They are solved by reading the blank’s job.
Name the job, choose the form, and move on.