Common structure-related topics that appear in TOEFL

1. Verb problems—a verb is a word or phrase that expresses action or condition;

can be classified as transitive (needs a direct object to complete its meaning) or
intransitive (doesn’t require a direct object)

Example: Air restricted between the vocal chords makes them _______,
producing sound. (to vibrate, vibrating, vibrate, the vibration)

2. Auxiliary verbs—these are verbs that accompany the main verb and make
distinctions in the meaning of the main verb, samples of these are the be & have
forms and modals (those that show possibility or necessity)

Example: It is generally believed that Thomas Jefferson was the one who
1
had researched and wrote the Declaration of Independence during the
2
months prior to its signing in July 1776.
3 4
(wrote should be written because of had that needs a participle)

3. Identifying the correct noun—a noun is a word that names persons, objects, and
ideas. Nouns can be count nouns (those that can be made plural by –s, -es or an
irregular form, and used in agreement with either singular or plural noun verbs) or
non-count nouns (those that cant be made plural in these ways and used with
singular verbs). Knowledge about count or non-count nouns can help in
maintaining subject verb agreement and to choose the correct adjective
modifiers.

Example: The understanding electricity depends on the knowledge of

1 2 3
atoms and the subatomic particles of which they are composed.
4
Number one should be Understanding of or To understand

4. Pronouns—a pronoun is a word that can be used instead of a noun to avoid

repeating the noun. Can be singular or plural, masculine feminine or neuter, or
first, second or third to agree with the noun to which it refers

Example: The crime rate has begun to decline in New York City due to
efforts on the part of both government and private citizens to curb
________. (them, him, its, it)

The answer is it. pronoun antecedent rule is used. The singular, neuter
and objective antecedent here is crime rate. Them is plural, him is
masculine and c is possessive.
5. Modifiers—can be an adjective or an adjectival phrase..it can also be an adverb
and an adverbial phrase

Example: The data on the winter migration patterns of the monarch

butterfly is very ______________. (interested, interest, interesting, of
interest)

The word to be chosen would be used to describe the noun data.

Interested would be illogical because the scientist, and not the data, would
be interested, interest is a noun and does not fit into the logic/idea of the
sentence. The last option can be used if the sentence doesn’t have the
word very.

6. Comparatives—a word or a phrase that expresses similarity or difference; can

also be a word ending with –er or –est that expresses a degree of comparison
with adjectives and adverbs.

Example: Alligators are about the same color than crocodiles, although
1 2
the adults may be slightly darker with broader heads and blunter noses.
3 4

Than should be as since the phrase ‘the same’ is used with a quality noun.

7. Connectors—a word or phrase that joins words, phrases or clauses. Expresses

relationships between the words, phrases and clauses that it joins. The common
relationhips/connections are cause and effect, contradiction, substitution,
addition, exception, example, and purpose.

Example: It is not clear how much students learn __________ television

classes without supervision and monitoring. (for watching, from watching,
by watch, to watch)

The sentence obviously needs a connector that expresses ‘cause’. ‘for

watching’ and ‘to watch’ express purpose and does not logically fit into the
statement. The third option, by watch, has a verb word and does not
logically fit into the statement

8. Sentence and Clauses—here, an examinee will be asked to distinguish between

a sentence (main or independent clause) and a subordinate or dependent clasue
(that is attached to a sentence)

Example: The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) _____________ by high

school students as a requirement for admission to many colleges. (which
is taken, is taken, taken, is taking)
 ‘Which is taken’ and ‘taken’ are part of subject clauses that would require
a main verb after ‘many colleges’. The last option is an active verb.

9. Point of view—relationship between the verb in the main clause of a sentence

and other verbs, or between the verbs in a sentence and the adverbs that
express time

Example: In 1975, according to the National Center for Health Statistics,

1
the average life expectancy for people born during that year is 72.4 years.
2 3 4

The answer is 4. There is an adverbial phrase in the statement that

indicates a point of view in the past (in 1975). So the word ‘is’ should be
‘was’

10. Agreement—the relationship between a subject and verb (both must be singular
or plural); between a pronoun and a noun/ another pronoun (both must be
singular or plural, or masculine, or feminine or neuter)

Example: Few airports

11. Yuyu
12. Yuyu
13.