CBT TOEFL Structure Section Insights and Tips

• Structure Section Composition
  
  
• Structure Section Type Insights and Tips
  
  
  • Sentence Completion
    
    
    • Sentence Structure Grammar Basics
      
    • Type Insights and Test Tips
      
      
  • Error Identification
    
    
    • Grammar Basics
      
    • Type Insights and Test Tips
      
      

This section is meant to measure your ability to recognize "Standard Written English" - the language used in academic textbooks. Here we summarize the composition of the structure section of the CBT TOEFL test as likely encountered today. The Structure Section of the Computer-Based TOEFL is adaptive. You will be given 20 or 25 questions in 15 or 20 minutes. There are two types of questions in this section: Sentence Completion and Error Identification.

• Sentence Completion

  Most questions of this type have four answer choices, and you will choose your answer on the screen by using the mouse and clicking on the answer you think is best.

• Error Identification

  Most questions of this type have four underlined phrases, and you will choose your answer on the screen by using the mouse and clicking on the underlined phrase you think is best.

• Possible New Types

  Even though ETS is making rare use any type other than the above two, some of the questions may have special directions for answering. In such cases, follow the directions which will appear on the screen.

• Sentence Completion

  This part tests your ability to recognize how standard English sentences are formed. The grammar skills focus on sentence types, elements, and structure.

  TOEFL Sentence Structure Grammar basics

  
  
  

  Type Insights and Test Tips

  
  
  
  • Verb: When you analyze a sentence, first identify the verb. The verb names and asserts the action or state of the sentence. There is one verb in a sentence (clause) in standard English.
    
    
    Sample: Unlike fossil fuels, which can be used only once, wind and solar power _____of energy.
    
    ο for renewable sources
    ο the sources are renewable
    ♦ are renewable sources
    ο renewable sources
    
    
    Explanation: There is no main verb in the main (independent) sentence. Thus we need a verb here that is "are renewable sources".
    
    
  • Subject: Once you determine the verb, ask a wh...? question of the verb. This will locate the subject. There is one subject in a sentence (clause) in standard English.
    
    Note: When you try to find out the subject or verb of a sentence, always cross off distracting phrases.
    
    
    Sample: Today _____ of the Earth live on a very small percentage of the Earth's land surface.
    
    ο about two-thirds populated
    ο the population is about two-thirds
    ♦ about two-thirds of the population
    ο of about two-thirds the population is
    
    Explanation: We find the main verb "live". Thus we need a subject here.
    
    
  • Agreement: Agreement is one of the most important grammar points and also one of the most popular test spots. You should particularly pay attention to:
    
    
    • Subject-Verb agreement: The subject must agree with the verb of a sentence in two ways: in number (singular vs. plural) or in person (first, second, or third person).
      
      
      Sample: _____ in the desert is mainly due to the limited supply of desert water.
      
      ο Plants are widely spaced
      ο The spacing of plants is wide
      ο Plants to be spaced widely
      ♦ The wide spacing of plants
      
      
      Explanation: After finding the verb "is", We are sure that a subject is needed here. 'Plants to be spaced widely' has a plural noun that does not match the verb 'is'. Thus, 'The wide spacing of plants' is the only correct one.
      
      
    • Pronoun-Noun agreement: A pronoun needs to agree with the noun in terms of number and gender.
      
      
  • Parallelism: The parallelism principle requires that expressions of similar content and function should be outwardly similar. For example:
    
    
    The enclosed resume indicates that I am interested in writing, editing, and reading.
    
    
    Note: either...or..., both/and, not only/but also, should make the two parts match.
    
    
  • Comparison: Make sure to compare the same things always.
    
    
    Sample: The lenses in an optical microscope bend the light passing through a specimen to form an image of that specimen that is much larger ____ actually viewed.
    
    ο than it
    ♦ than the one
    ο one than
    ο than one which
    
    
  • Tense: Tense is the change in the form of verbs to show whether the time is past, present or future. It is one of the most popular test spots.
    
    
    Sample: Amanda Way's career as a social reformer _____ in 1851 when, at an antislavery meeting in Indiana, she called for a state woman's rights convention.
    
    ο begin
    ♦ began
    ο have begun
    ο to have begun
    
    
  • Voice: Understand active and passive voice.
    
    
    Sample: Geophysicists have collaborated with archaeologists and anthropologists to study the magnetic properties of pottery and fireplaces at sites ______ by early humans.
    
    
    ♦ occupied
    ο occupying
    ο which occupy
    ο were occupier
    
    
    Explanation: We need an adjective clause here. 'by' is used with passive voice only and 'occupied by early humans' constructs a reduced adjective clause.
    
    
  • Sentence Elements: Elements are used to construct a sentence, such as, subject, verb, object, complement, adverbial, appositive, etc.
    
    
    Sample: Unlike the owl, bats cannot see very well, but they do have ____.
    
    ο it hears very well
    ο very good to hear
    ο tearing very well
    ♦ very good hearing
    
    
    Explanation: We need a noun object here. 'it hears very well' is a sentence. 'very good to hear' is not a noun phrase. 'tearing very well' is participle noun phrase. 'very good hearing' is a noun phrase (hearing is a noun).
    
    
  • Subordinate Clause: A subordinate clause does not express a complete idea and cannot stand alone. It may be introduced by a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun.
    
    Note: Please pay particular attention to reduced subordinate clause.
    
    
    Sample: ____ at the turn of the century, the Minnesota State Capitol building is made of white granite and marble.
    
    ♦ Erected
    ο Was erected
    ο To erect it
    ο Erecting it
    
    
    Explanation: We can use an adjective clause here. 'Erected' is the only correct word to construct a meaningful reduced adjective clause.
    
    
  • Conjunction: Conjunctions are words that join clauses together to make sentences, and show how the meanings of the clauses relate to each other.
    
    
    Sample: Protein digestion begins in the stomach _____ ends in the small intestine.
    
    ο while
    ♦ and
    ο how
    ο because
    
    
    Explanation: We need a subordinating conjunction to link two sentences. The co-ordinating conjunction 'and' is the best choice here to join two independent clauses.
    
    
  • Inversion: Inversion involves putting some parts of the sentence before the subject of a clause.
    
    
    Sample: Among the first plants to grow on the land regions of the Earth _____, which in prehistoric times grew to immense size.
    
    ♦ were horsetail rushes
    ο horsetail rushes
    ο horsetail rushes were
    ο and horsetail rushes
    
    
  • Fixed structure: There are some fixed grammar patterns that we need to remember.
    
    
    Sample: Willa Cather considered her novel of life in nineteenth-century Nebraska, My Antonia, ____
    
    ο was her best work
    ♦ her best work
    ο her best work it was
    ο being her best work
    
    
    Explanation: Fixed pattern: Some verbs (consider, make,..) + noun + complement. We need a complement here. All choices except 'her best work' are sentences (reduced adjective clause is a sentence too).
    
    
  
  
  

• Error Identification

  
  
  This part not only tests your knowledge of sentence structure and syntax but also morphology. The grammar skills are more focusing on morphology actually.
  
  

  TOEFL Grammar basics

  
  There are hundreds of rules of English grammar that may apply to TOEFL. It is too much to write a web page here. Our experts are going to write a grammar book special for TOEFL instead.
  
  

  Type Insights and Test Tips

  
  
  
  • Noun: Single or plural noun rules;
    
    
    • We need a determiner for every singular count noun or we need to make the singular count noun a plural noun.
      
      
      Sample: The Architectural History Foundation was established in 1977 to support the publication of important book on architecture.
      
      Explanation: The correct Answer is D. "book" is a singular count noun and can not be used without a determiner. Thus we should use 'books' instead of 'book'.
      
      
    • Some nouns are singular, like,
      everybody, anyone, ..., etc.
      either... or...; neither... nor...; etc.
      collective nouns: the number, the group, the team, ... etc.
      
      
    • Some nouns are always plural.
      
      
  • Verb: Tense (pass, present, future), Voice (active, passive), fixed pattern, etc.
    
    
    • We review lots of the real test items and find out that more than 75% cases an underlined verb phrase is the right answer (wrong grammar). Therefore we should take verb seriously.
      
      
    • Use tense correctly.
      
      
    • Understand and use voice correctly. Note that some intransitive verbs, like evolve, take place, etc. are never used in the passive voice.
      
      
    • Fixed patterns:
      
      
      • Some verbs, like, earn, gave, etc., may take two objects – a direct object and an indirect object (first).
        
        
      • Some verbs, like, make, consider, etc., may have a pattern: verb + noun + complement (pattern). For example, make you leader.
        
        
      • Some verbs, like, be, seem, etc., may have some fixed patterns: be + complement, be + adjective, be + participle, etc.
        
        
        Sample: In pools, goldfish are not just ornamental: since they feed on mosquito larva they are also benefit.
        
        Explanation: The correct answer is D. "benefit" could be a noun or a verb. Here it is a verb. We should use the past participle 'benefited' instead of the original verb 'benefit' to construct a passive voice.
        
        
    • There are much more rules.
      
      
  • Pronoun: A pronoun must refer clearly to a specific noun.
    
    
    • We review lots of the real test items and find out that more than 85% cases an underlined pronoun is the right answer (wrong grammar). It is the highest probability.
      
      
    • Pronouns have to be singular or plural, just like the nouns they replace.
      
      
      Sample: People feel uncomfortable when the humidity rises over 60 percent because perspiration cannot evaporate quickly enough for the body to rid themselves of excess heat.
      
      Explanation: The correct answer is D. Pronouns are used to replace other nouns. 'themselves' is plural and tries to replace 'the body'. Note that 'the body' is a singular noun. Thus, We need to use a singular pronoun instead of a plural one.
      
      
    • Some pronouns can only be used to replace person(s), like he, she, etc.
      
      
    • Subject pronoun: pronouns used as subject or when you are comparing two people in some way. For example:
      
      
      He is taller than I.
      
      
    • Objective pronoun: pronouns used as objects of verbs or prepositions.
      
      
    • Possessive pronoun: The possessive pronoun shows who the thing being referred to, belongs to, or is associated with. For example:
      
      
      My book is on the table. Yours is on the chair.
      
      
      Use who or whom? Who if you would use he; use whom if you would use him.
      
      
    • Reflexive Pronoun: A reflexive pronoun shows that when someone or something affected by an action is the same as the person or thing doing it. For example,
      
      
      She looked at herself in the mirror.
      
      
    • Indefinite pronoun: An indefinite pronouns refer to things or people without mentioning what or who they are. For example,
      
      
      Somebody stole my car.
      
      
  • Determiner: Use determiners (a, an, the) correctly.
    
    
    • Know the difference among a, an, and the.
      
      
    • Remember some special usages of 'the'.
      
      
      Sample: A landmark famous, the Brooklyn Bridge in New Yolk was one of the first woven wire cable suspension bridges ever constructed.
      
      Explanation: The correct answer is A. 'famous' is an adjective or adverb which cannot be used with a determiner 'a'. Thus, we should use 'A famous landmark' instead of 'A landmark famous'.
      
      
  • Adjective: Adjective is a word that modifies (or describes) a noun.
    
    
    • Use the comparative and superlative degree of adjectives correctly.
      
      
    • Some rules:
      
      
      • We should use a number, like, 'ninth' before the superlative degree of an adjective instead of 'nine'.
        
        
      • Basic pattern:
        
        
        the comparative degree of adjective ... than ...
        as + adjective + as...
        etc.

        Sample: Brown rice has great nutritional value than white rice because the nutrient-rice outer layers of the rice kernel are not removed from brown rice.
        
        Explanation: The correct answer is A. 'great' should be corrected to 'greater' to match 'than'.
        
        
  • Adverb: Adverb is a word that modifies (or describes) a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a sentence, etc.
    
    
    Sample: Jupiter is a gaseous planet with an atmosphere composed most of hydrogen and helium.
    
    Explanation: We should use the adverb 'mostly' to describe the past participle 'composed of'.
    
    
  • Preposition: Remember commonly-used preposition phrases.
    
    
    Sample: Because the diamond is the hardest naturally substance, it is used in industry for to cut grinding, and boring other hard materials.
    
    Explanation: The preposition 'for' should be followed by a noun or present participle. We should use 'for cutting' instead of 'for to cut'.
    
    
  • Infinitive: for purpose or future.
    
    
    Sample: Because the atmosphere of Mars is so thin. Wind velocities of several hundred kilometers per hour are required to raised dust particles during dust storms.
    
    Explanation: 'to raised' is a wrong word form. It should be an infinitive for purpose. Thus, we should use 'to raise' instead of 'to raised'.
    
    
  • -ing or -ed: -ing for active and present and future; -ed for passive or past.
    
    
  • Word form: It is also a frequently tested issue.
    
    
    Sample: Located in the center of the continental United States and known for its endless wheat fields, Kansas is one of the nation's leading agriculturally states.
    
    Explanation: We need to use an adjective to modify or describe a noun, like, states. 'agriculturally' is an adverb. We should use 'agricultural' instead.
    
    
  • Word Sequence: Sometimes ESL may test word sequence.
    
    
  • Word Meaning: This kind of test item doesn't occur often. Occasionally all of the answers fit into certain grammar patterns, but only one has the correct meaning.
    
    
  • Don't forget: All grammar rules and tips described in Sentence Completion apply to this section as well.
    
    

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