STRUCTURE STRATEGY FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN THE TOEFL TEST
The second section of
the TOEFL test is the Structure and Written Expression section. This section
consists of forty questions (some tests may be longer). You have twenty-five
minutes to complete the forty questions in this section.
Structure (questions 1-15) consists of fifteen
sentences in which part of the sentence has been replaced with a blank. Each
sentence is followed by four answer choices. You must choose the answer that
completes the sentence in a grammatically correct way.
GENERAL STRATEGIES
1. Be
familiar with the directions.
The directions on every TOEFL test are
the same, so it is not necessary to spend time reading the directions carefully
when you take the test You should be completely familiar with the directions
before the day of the test.
2. Begin
with questions I through 15.
Anticipate that questions I through 5
will be the easiest. Anticipate that questions 11 through 15 will be the most
difficult. Do not spend too much time on questions 11 through 15.There will be
easier questions that come later.
3. Continue
with questions 16 through 40.
Anticipate that questions 16 through 20
will be the easiest. Anticipate that questions 36 through 40 will be the most
difficult. Do not spend too much time on questions 36 through 40.
4. If
you have time, return to questions 11 through 15.
You should spend extra time on questions
11 through 15 only after you spend all the time that you want on the easier
questions.
5. Never
leave any answers blank on your answer sheet.
Even if you are not sure of the correct
response, you should answer each question.There is no penalty
for guessing.
STRATEGIES FORTHE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS
1. First
study the sentence.
Your purpose is to determine what is
needed to complete the sentence correctly.
2. Then
study each answer based on how well it completes the sentence.
Eliminate answers that do not complete
the sentence correctly.
3. Do
not try to eliminate incorrect answers by looking only at the answers.
The incorrect answers are generally
correct by themselves.The incorrect answers are generally incorrect only when
used to complete the sentence.
4. Never
leave any answers blank.
Be sure to answer each question even if
you are unsure of the correct response.
5. Do
not spend too much time on the Structure questions.
Be sure to leave adequate time for the
Written Expression questions.
The following skills will help you to implement
these strategies in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
SENTENCES
WITH ONE CLAUSE
Some sentences in English have just one subject and
verb, and it is very important for you to find the subject and verb in these
sentences. In some sentences it is easy to find the subject and verb. However,
certain structures, such as objects of prepositions, appositives, and participles,
can cause confusion in locating the subject and verb because each of these
structures can look like a subject or verb. The object of the preposition can
be mistaken for a subject.
Therefore, you should be able to do the following in
sentences with one subject and verb:
1. Be
sure the sentence has a subject and a verb
2. Be
careful of objects of prepositions and appositives when you are looking for the
subject, and
3. Be
careful of present participles and past participles when you are looking for
the verb.
SKILL 1: BE SURE THE
SENTENCE HAS A SUBJECT AND A VERB
You know that a sentence in English should have a
subject and a verb. The most common types of problems that you will encounter
in the Structure section of the TOEFL test have to do with subjects and verbs:
perhaps the sentence is missing either the subject or the verb or both, or
perhaps the sentence has an extra subject or verb. The following chart oudines
what you should remember about subjects and verbs:
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Example I :
____ was backed up for miles on the freeway.
a. Yesterday
b. In
the morning
c. Traffic
d. Cars
In this example you
should notice immediately that there is a verb (was), but there is no
subject. Answer (C) is the best answer because it is a singular subject that
agrees with the singular verb was. Answer (A), yesterday, and
answer (B), in the morning, are not subjects, so they are not correct.
Although answer (D), cars, could be a subject, it is not correct because
cars is plural and it does not agree with the singular verb was.
Example II :
Engineers____ for work on the new space program.
a. Necessary
b. are
needed
c. hopefully
d. next
month
In this example you
should notice immediately that the sentence has a subject (engineers), and
that there is no verb. Because answer (B), are needed, is a verb, it is the
best answer. Answers (A), (C), and (D) are not verbs, so they are not
correct.
SKILL 2: BE CAREFUL OF
OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS
An object of a
preposition is a noun or a pronoun that comes after a preposition, such as in,
at, of, to, by, behind, on, and so on, to form a prepositional phrase.
(After his exams) Tom will take a trip (by boat). This sentence
contains two objects of prepositions. Exams is the object of the
preposition after and boat is the object of the preposition by.
An object of a preposition can cause confusion in the Structure section of the
TOEFL test because it can be mistaken for the subject of a sentence.
The following chart
outlines the key information that you should remember about objects of
prepositions:
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Example :
With his friend _____ found the movie theater.
a. Has
b. He
c. Later
d. when
In this example you
should look first for the subject and the verb. You should notice the verb found
and should also notice that there is no subject. Do not think that friend
is the subject; friend is the object of the preposition with, and
one noun cannot be both a subject and an object at the same time. Because a
subject is needed in this sentence, answer (B), he, is the best answer.
Answers (A), (C), and (D) are not correct because they cannot be subjects.
SKILL 3: BE CAREFUL OF
APPOSITIVES
Appositives can cause
confusion in the Structure section of the TOEFL test because an appositive can
be mistaken for the subject of a sentence. An appositive is a noun that comes
before or after another noun and has the same meaning. The following chart
outlines the key information that you should remember about appositives:
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The following example
shows how an appositive can be confused with the subject of a sentence in the
Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
____, George, is attending the lecture.
a. Right
now
b. Happily
c. Because
of the time
d. My
friend
In this example you
should recognize from the commas that George is not the subject of the
sentence. George is an appositive. Because this sentence still needs a
subject, the best answer is (D), my friend. Answers (A), (B), and (C)
are incorrect because they are not subjects.
SKILL 4: BE CAREFUL OF
PRESENT PARTICIPLES
A present participle is
the -ing form of the verb (talking, playing). In the Structure
section of the TOEFL test a present participle can cause confusion because it
can be either a part of the verb or an adjective. It is part of the verb when
it is preceded by some form of the verb be. The following chart outlines
what you should remember about present participles:
|
The following example
shows how a present participle can be confused with the verb in the Structure
section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
The child ____ playing in the yard is my son.
a. Now
b. Is
c. He
d. was
In this example, if you
look at only the first words of the sentence, it appears that child is
the subject and playing is part of the verb. If you think that playing
is part of the verb, you might choose answer (B), is, or answer (D),
was, to complete the verb. However, these two answers are incorrect
because playing is not part of the verb. You should recognize that playing
is a participial adjective rather than a verb because there is another verb
in the sentence (is). In this sentence there is a complete subject (child)
and a complete verb (is), so this sentence does not need another subject or
verb. The best answer here is (A).
SKILL 5: BE CAREFUL OF PAST PARTICIPLES
Past participles can cause confusion in the
Structure section of the TOEFL test because a past participle can be either an
adjective or a part of a verb. The past participle is the form of the verb that
appears with have or be. It often ends in -ed, but there
are also many irregular past participles in English. (See Appendix F for a list
of irregular past participles). The following chart outlines what you should
remember about past participles:
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The following example shows how a past participle can
be confused with the verb in the structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
The
packages____ mailed at the post office will arrive Monday.
a. Have
b. Were
c. Them
d. just
In this example, if you look only at the first few
words of the sentence, it appears that packages is the subject and mailed
is either a complete verb or a past participle that needs a helping verb.
But if you look further in the sentence, you will see that the verb is will
arrive. You will then recognize that mailed is a participial
adjective and is therefore not part of the verb. Answers (A) and (B) are
incorrect because mailed is an adjective and does not need a helping
verb such as have or were. Answer (C) is incorrect because there is
no need for the object them. Answer (D) is the best answer to this
question.
SENTENCES WITH MULTIPLE CLAUSES
Many sentences in English have more than one clause.
(A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.) Whenever you
find a sentence on the TOEFL test with more than one clause, you need to make
sure that every subject has a verb and every verb has a subject. Next you need
to check that the various clauses in the sentence are correctly joined. There
are various ways to join clauses in English. Certain patterns appear frequently
in English and on the TOEFL test. You should be very familiar with these
patterns.
SKILL 6: USE COORDINATE CONNECTORS CORRECTLY
When you have two clauses in an English sentence,
you must connect the two clauses correctly. One way to connect two clauses is
to use and, but, or, so, of yet between the clauses. The
following chart lists the coordinate connectors and the sentence pattern used
with them:
The following example shows how this sentence
pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
A
power failure occurred,____the lamps went out.
a. Then
b. So
c. Later
d. next
In this example you should notice quickly that there
are two clauses, a power failure occurred and the lamps went out. This
sentence needs a connector to join the two clauses. Then, later, and next
are not connectors, so answers (A), (C), and (D) are not correct. The best
answer is answer (B) because SO can connect two clauses.
SKILL 7: USE ADVERB TIME AND CAUSE CONNECTORS
CORRECTLY
Sentences with adverb clauses have two basic
patterns in English. The following chart lists adverb time and cause connectors
and the sentence patterns used with them:
The following chart lists the adverb contrast,
condition, manner, and place connectors and the sentence patterns used with
them:
The following example shows how this sentence
pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
____
was late, I missed the appointment.
a. I
b. Because
c. The
train
d. Since
he
In this example you should recognize easily that
there is a verb, was, that needs a subject. There is also another
clause, I missed the appointment. If you choose answer (A) or answer
(C), you will have a subject for the verb was, but you will not have a
connector to join the two clauses. Because you need a connector to join two
clauses, answers (A) and (C) are incorrect. Answer (B) is incorrect because
there is no subject for the verb was. Answer (D) is the best answer
because there is a subject, he, for the verb was, and there is a
connector, since, to join the two clauses.
SKILL 8: USE OTHER ADVERB CONNECTORS CORRECTLY
Adverb clauses can express the ideas of time and
cause, as you saw in Skill 7; adverb clauses can also express a number of other
ideas, such as contrast, condition, manner, and place. Because these clauses
are adverb clauses, they have the same structure as the time and cause clauses
in Skill 7. Study the following examples:
I will leave at 7:00 if I am ready.
Although I
was late, I managed to catch the train.
In each of these examples, there are two clauses
that are correctly joined with adverb connectors. In the first sentence the
adverb condition connector if comes in the middle of the sentence. In
the second sentence the adverb contrast connector although comes at the
beginning of the sentence, and a comma (,) is used in the middle of the
sentence.
MORE SENTENCES WITH MULTIPLE CLAUSES
As we saw in Skills 6 through 8, many sentences in
English have more than one clause. In Skills 9 through 12, we will see more
patterns for connecting the clauses in sentences with multiple clauses. Because
these patterns appear frequently in English and on the TOEFL test, you should
be very familiar with them. The following chart lists the noun clause
connectors and the sentence patterns used with them:
The following example shows how these sentence
patterns could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
____was
late caused many problems.
a. That
he
b. The
driver
c. There
d. Because
In this example there are two verbs (was and caused),
and each of these verbs needs a subject. Answer (B) is wrong because the
driver is one subject, and two subjects are needed. Answers (C) and (D) are
incorrect because there and because are not subjects. The best
answer is answer (A). If you choose answer (A), the completed sentence would
be: That he was late caused many problems. In this sentence he is
the subject of the verb was, and the noun clause that he was late is the
subject of the verb caused.
SKILL 10: USE NOUN CLAUSE CONNECTOR/SUBJECTS
CORRECTLY
In Skill 9 we saw that noun clause connectors were
used to introduce noun subject clauses or noun object clauses. In Skill 10 we
will see that in some cases a noun clause connector is not just a connector; a
noun clause connector can also be the subject of the clause at the same time.
The following example shows how this sentence pattern could be tested in the
structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
____was
on television made me angry.
a. It
b. The
story
c. What
d. When
In this example you should notice immediately that
there are two verbs, was and made, and each of those verbs needs
a subject. Answers (A) and (B) are incorrect because it and the story
cannot be the subject for both was and made at the same time.
Answer (D) is incorrect because when is not a subject. In answer
(C) what serves as both the subject of the verb was and
the connector that joins the two clauses together; the noun clause what was
on television is the subject of the verb made. Answer (C) is
therefore the best answer.
SKILL 11: USE ADJECTIVE CLAUSE CONNECTORS CORRECTLY
An adjective clause is a clause that describes a
noun. Because the clause is an adjective, it is positioned directly after the
noun that it describes. The following chart lists the adjective clause
connectors and the sentence patterns used with them:
The following example shows how these sentence
patterns could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
The
gift____selected for the bride was rather expensive.
a. Because
b. Was
c. Since
d. which
we
In this example you should notice quickly that there
are two clauses: gift is the subject of the verb was, and the
verb selected needs a subject. Because there are two clauses, a
connector is also needed. Answers (A) and (C) have connectors, but there are no
subjects, so these answers are not correct. Answer (B) changes selected into
a passive verb; in this case the sentence would have one subject and two verbs,
so answer (B) is not correct. The best answer to this question is answer (D).
The correct sentence should say: The gift which we se-lected for the
bride was rather expensive. In this sentence gift is the subject of
the verb was, we is the subject of the verb selected, and the
connector which joins these two clauses.
SKILL 12: USE ADJECTIVE CLAUSE CONNECTOR
SUBJECTS CORRECTLY
In Skill 11 we saw that adjective clause connectors
were used to introduce clauses that describe nouns. In Skill 12 we will see
that in some cases an adjective clause connector is not just a connector; an
adjective clause connector can also be the subject of the clause at the same
time. The following chart lists the adjective clause connector/subjects and the
sentence patterns used with them:
The following example shows how these sentence
patterns could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
____is
on the table has four sections.
a. The
notebook
b. The
notebook which
c. Because
the notebook
d. In
the notebook
In this example you should notice immediately that
the sentence has two verbs, is and has, and each of them needs a
subject. (You know that table is not a subject because it follows the
preposition on; table is the object of the preposition.) The only answer
that has two subjects is answer (B), so answer (B) is the correct answer. The
correct sentence should say: The notebook which is on the table has four
sections. In this sentence notebook is the subject of the verb has,
and which is the subject of the verb is. Which is also the
connector that joins the two clauses.
SENTENCES WITH INVERTED SUBJECTS AND
VERBS
Subjects and verbs are inverted in a variety of
situations in English. Inverted subjects and verbs occur most often in the
formation of a question. To form a question with a helping verb (be, have,
can, could, will, would, etc.), the subject and helping verb are inverted.
There are many other situations in English when subjects and verbs are
inverted, but if you just remember this method of inverting subjects and verbs,
you will be able to handle the other situations. The most common problems with
inverted subjects and verbs on the TOEFL test occur in the following
situations:
1. with
question words such as what, when, where, why, and how;
2. after
some place expressions;
3. after
negative expressions;
4. in
some conditionals; and
5. after
some comparisons.
SKILL 13 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH QUESTION
WORDS
There is some confusion about when to invert the
subject and verb after question words such as what, when, where, why, and
how. These words can have two very different functions in a sentence.
First, they can introduce a question, and in this case the subject and verb
that follow are inverted. The following chart lists the question words and
their sentence patterns:
The following example shows how this sentence
pattern could be tested in the structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
The
lawyer asked the client why____it.
a. did
he do
b. did
he
c. he
did
d. did
In this example the question word why is used
to connect the two clauses, so a subject and verb are needed after this
connector; this is not a question, so the subject and verb should not be
inverted. The best answer is therefore answer (C).
SKILL 14 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE
EXPRESSIONS
After ideas expressing place, the subject and the
verb sometimes invert in English. This can happen with single words expressing
place, such as here, there, or nowhere. The following chart lists
the sentence patterns used with place expressions:
The following example shows how this sentence
pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
On
the second level of the parking lot ...................
a. is
empty
b. are
empty
c. some
empty stalls are
d. are
some empty stalls
This example begins with the place expression on
the second level of the parking lot, which consists of two prepositional
phrases, on the second level and of the parking lot. This sentence needs
a subject and a verb to be complete, and the two answers that contain
both a subject stalls and verb are are answers (C) and (D). The
subject and verb should be inverted because the place expression is
necessary to complete the idea some empty stalls are ......The best
answer is therefore answer (D).
SKILL 15 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH NEGATIVES
The subject and verb can also be inverted after
certain negatives and related expressions. When negative expressions, such as no,
not, or never, come at the beginning of a sentence, the subject and
verb are inverted. The following chart lists the negative expressions and the
sentence pattern used with them:
The following example shows how this sentence
pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
Only
in extremely dangerous situations ______ stopped.
a. will
be the printing presses
b. the
printing presses will be
c. that
the printing presses will be
d. will
the printing presses be
In this example you should notice that the sentence
begins with the negative only, so an inverted subject and verb are
needed. Answer (D) contains a correctly inverted subject and verb, with the
helping verb will, the subject printing presses, and the main
verb be, so answer (D) is the best answer.
SKILL 16 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
CONDITIONALS
In certain conditional structures, the subject and
verb may also be inverted. This can occur when the helping verb in the
conditional clause is had, should, or were, and the conditional
connector if is omitted. The following chart lists the conditional verbs
that may invert and the sentence patterns used with them:
The following example shows how this sentence
pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
The
report would have been accepted____in checking its accuracy.
a. if
more care
b. more
care had been taken
c. had
taken more care
d. had
more care been taken
In this example a connector (if) and a
subject and verb are needed, but if could be omitted and the subject and
verb inverted. Answer (A) is incorrect because it contains the connector if and
the subject care but no verb. Answer (B) is incorrect because it
contains the subject care and the verb had been taken but does
not have a connector. In answers (C) and (D), if has been omitted.
Because it is correct to invert the subject more care and the helping
verb had, answer (D) is correct.
SKILL 17 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH
COMPARISONS
An inverted subject and verb may occur also after a
comparison. The inversion of a subject and verb after a comparison is optional,
rather than required, and it is a rather formal structure. There have been a
number of inverted comparisons on recent TOEFL tests, so you should be familiar
with this structure. The following chart lists the sentence patterns used with
comparisons:
The following example shows how this sentence
pattern could be tested in the structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
The
results of the current experiment appear to be more consistent than____the
results of any previous tests.
a. Them
b. Were
c. they
were
d. were
they
In this example you should notice the comparison more
consistent than, and you should also understand that the results of the
current experiment is being compared with the results of any
previous tests. Because the results of any previous tests is the
subject, only a verb is needed; the best answer to this question is therefore
answer (B). We know that it is possible for a subject and a verb to be inverted
after a comparison, and in this case the subject the results of any previous
tests comes after the verb were.
VERB
TENSES
An understanding of verb tenses is critical when
taking the TOEFL structure. Considering the many tenses there are in any
language, this is not undue emphasis on verb tenses. Though there are many
tenses taht can be tested, and many intricate exceptions, do not become
overwhelmed with the extensive range of the verb tenses. Complete understanding
of verb tenses is a goal, but is not needed to do relatively well on the TOEFL
structure.
Simple
Tenses
1.
Simple Present
·
A general statement of fact
Example : the earth is a sphere.
·
A habitual activity
Example : I always skip breakfast
·
A statement of something existing at the
time of speaking
·
Example :
I hear you
2.
Simple Past
·
An activity begun and completed at a
particular time in the past
Example : I went to college last year
·
After and before clauses
Example : After she left, I went directly to
bed.
They arrived before I did.
3.
Simple Future/be going to
·
Future activity
Example : I will do that later
I am going to do that later
Perfect
Tenses
1.
Present Perfect
·
An activity begun in the past and continued
into the present when used with since or for :
Since + a particular time
For + a duration of time
Example : I have studied Indonesia for ten
years
She
has studied French since 2000
·
A repeated activity
Example : I have read four books this month
·
An activity that happened at an
unspecified time in the past
Example : I have already visited China
·
An activity in a time clause to
emphasize it has been completed before the main clause action begins
Example : I will go to
the movies after I have Finished all my homework
2.
Past Perfect
·
A completed activity before another
activity in the past
Example : the had already left by the time I arrived
3.
Future Perfect
·
An activity to be completed before
another activity in the future
Example : they will have by the time I arrive
Perhaps the most tedious activity of a learner of
English is learning the parts of irregular verbs. For this TOEFL Structure, you
will generally need to select the correct verb tenses. Incorrect verb forms are
occasionally given for problem irreguler verbs, such as rise/raise and lie/lay.
