STRATEGY
OF STRUCTURE TOEFL
Purpose of a questions to
determine the structure or determine what the most appropriate response for the
complete lack of matter . Therefore, by observing carefully will know the short
comings and what is needed to complete it . Here you need to identify the
components of the sentence. That is , which is the subject (noun ) , predicate
(verb ) , object (noun ) , adverbs etc
Consider
each answer is available , choose the most appropriate to complete the sentence
in question.You have to pay attention to each answer in the answer choices ( A
) , ( B ) , ( C ) , and ( D ) . By looking carefully you will soon find out
which one is the right choice to fill the gap in the sentence in question . Of
course you need to equip themselves with adequate grammar abilities . So it is
advisable to study grammar books
Never
eliminate an answer choice just look at the answer without seeing the phrase
about In general , each answer choice is true when it stands alone . An answer
choice is right or wrong will be known once it is inserted into the sentence .
·
Skill 1 :
Subjects And Verbs
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. An object of the preposition or an
appositive can be mistaken for a subject, while a participle can be mistaken
for a verb. 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. 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 are related to subjects and verbs; perhaps the sentence is
missing either the subject, or the verb, or both; perhaps the sentence has an
extra subject or verb. A preposition is followed by a noun or pronoun that is
called an object of the preposition. If a word is an object of a preposition, it is not
the subject.
Example :
The boy
______________ going to the
movies with a friend.
a.
He is
b.
He always was
c.
Is relaxing
d.
Will be
This sentence has a
subject (boy) and has part of a verb ( going ) ; to be correct, some from of
the verb be is needed to make the sentence complete. Answer (A) and (B) are
incorrect because the sentence already has a subject (boy) and does not need
the extra subject he. Answer (C) is incorrect because relaxing is an extra verb
part that is unnecessary because of going. Answer (D) is the best answer; will
be together with going is a complete verb.
·
Skill 2 : Object Of A Preposition
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.
Example 1:
(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.
Example 2:
With his friend …………
found the movie theater.
a.
Has
b.
He
c.
Letter
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: Present Participles
Present participles
can-cause confusion in the Structure section of the TOEFL test because a
present participle can be either an adjective or a part of the verb. A present
participle is the – ing form of the verb. It is part of the verb when it is
preceded by some form of the verb be.
(I)
The train is arriving at the station now. (Arriving is VERB) In this sentence, arriving
is part of the verb because it is accompanied by is. (II) The train
arriving at the station now is an hour late. (Arriving is ADJECTIVE)
In this sentence, arriving
is an adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompanied
by some form of be. The verb in this sentence is is.
The following example
shows how a present participle can be confused with the verb in the Structure
section of the TOEFL test.
Example : The film ____ appearing at the
local theater is my favorite.\
a.
Now
b.
Is
c.
It
d.
was
In this example, if you
look at only the first words of the sentence, it appears that film is the
subject and appearing is part of the verb. If you think that appearing 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 appearing is not
part of the verb. You should recognize that appearing 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, film, and a complete verb, is,
so this sentence does not need another subject or verb. The best answer to this
question is answer (A).
·
Skill 4 : 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 the 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.
(I)
The mailman has left a letter in the mailbox. (Left is VERB)
(II) The letter left in
the mailbox was for me. (Left is ADJECTIVE)
In the first sentence,
the past participle left is part of the verb because it is accompanied by has.
In the second sentence, left is an adjective rather than a verb because it is
not accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, was, later in the
sentence). The following example shows how a past participle can be confused
with the verb in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.
Example :
The bread _____ baked
this morning smelled delicious.
a.
Has
b.
Was
c.
It
d.
just
In this example, if you
look only at the first few words of the sentence, it appears that bread is the
subject and baked 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 the verb
smelled. You will then recognize that baked is a participial adjective and is
therefore not part of the verb. Answers (A) and (B) are incorrect because baked
is an adjective and does not need a helping verb such as has or was. Answer (C)
is incorrect because there is no need for the subject it. Answer (D) is the
best answer to this question.
·
Skill 5:
Coordinate Connector
Many sentences in
English have more than one clause. (A clause is a group of words containing a
subject and a verb.) 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, or so between the clauses.
Ø
The sun was shining
and the sky was blue.
Ø
The sky was blue,
but it was very cold.
Ø
It may rain tonight,
or it may be clear.
Ø
It was raining
outside, so I took my umbrella.
In each of these
examples, there are two clauses that are correctly joined with a coordinate
connector—and, but, or, or so—and a comma (,). The following example shows how
this sentence pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL
test.
Example :
I forgot my coat, ____
I got very cold.
a.
Then
b.
So
c.
Later
d.
as a result
In this example, you
should notice quickly that there are two clauses, I forgot my coat and I got
very cold. This sentence needs a connector to join the two clauses. Then,
later, and as a result are not connectors, so answers (A), (C), and (D) are not
correct. The best answer is answer (B) because so can connect two clauses in
this manner.
