(“Beth” and “I” are the appositives)
EXAMPLES:
1. Agathocles, _______________ was exiled twice for attempting to overthrow the aristocratic government.
(A) a tyrant of Syracuse who
(B) a tyrant of Syracuse
(C) as a tyrant of Syracuse, he
(D) whose tyrant of Syracuse
ANSWER: (B) explains who Agathocles was without using a relative pronoun, as answers (A) and (D). (C) gives extra words that confuse the meaning of the sentence.
2. ___________________Vincent van Gogh lived a tumultuous life in the southern part of France.
(A) Despite the famous French impressionist
(B) A famous French impressionist who is
(C) A famous French impressionist
(D) He is a famous French impressionist
ANSWER: (D) gives a subject and a verb – it is an independent clause, not an appositive. Although it explains who van Gogh was, it should be treated as a complete sentence and combined with the next complete sentence by a conjunction. This, however, is not one of the answers, so it is not correct. (A) is a prepositional phrase introduced by “despite” and does not explain who van Gogh was. (B) gives a relative pronoun and that is not necessary. (C) is the correct choice.
EXERCISES: PRACTICE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT “SENTENCE CONTENT”
DIRECTIONS: Choose the best word or phrase which would complete the sentence.
1.___________________reflect the principles of American adolescence during the 1950s.
(The sentence has one main verb, “reflect”, but no subject. It needs a subject.)
(A) Students go to school
(B) Whether the country’s high schools
(C) Why students go to school
(D)The country’s high schools
ANSWER: Only (D) is a subject. (A) is a subject and verb, (B) has an introductory word, “whether”, that makes the subject and the verb “reflect” into a dependent clause, and (C) has an introductory word, as well as a subject and a verb.
2. This ___ the only correct answer on the test.
(“This” is the subject. A verb is needed.)
(A) which
(B) is
(C) being
(D) as
ANSWER: (A) and (D) are not verbs. (C) “being” is not a finite verb and cannot be used as a main verb. (B) is the only choice.
3. The common name applied to large seabirds of the family Diomedeidae _______ the albatross, of which 13 species can be found from the Antarctic region north to the tropics.
("Name" is the subject. A verb is needed.)
(A) to be
(B) being
(C) is
(D) has been
ANSWER: "Applied" and the phrase that follows it describe "the common name», so "applied" is a past participle used as an adjective. It is not the verb of the sentence. "Can be found" is not the main verb; rather, it is the verb of the preposition. So the sentence needs a verb.
(A) and (B) are not verbs. "To be" is an infinitive, and "being" is a participle, not a complete, finite verb. (D) is the present perfect tense. (C) is correct because it is the simple present tense appropriate for definitions.
II. VERB TENSES
An understanding of verb tenses is critical when taking the TOEFL Structure and Written Expression section. Considering the many tenses there are in any language, this is not undue emphasis on verb tenses. Though there are many tens that can be tested, and many intricate exceptions, do not become overwhelmed with the extensive range of the verb tenses. Complete understanding of verb tense goal, but is not needed to do relatively well on the TOEFL Structure and Written Expression section.
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:
EXAMPLES: After she left, I went directly to bed.
They arrived before I did.
3. Simple Future/be going to
– future activity:
EXAMPLES: 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
EXAMPLES: I have studied French for ten years.
She has studied Spanish since 1989.
– 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: They 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 left by the time I arrive.
PROGRESSIVE TENSES
1. Present Progressive
– a planned or intended future event or activity:
EXAMPLE: Jocelyne is leaving for her vacation tomorrow.
– an activity in progress at the time of speaking:
EXAMPLE: Jerry is watching a show on television.
– a general activity in progress during the next day, week, month, or year, though not actually going on at the time of speaking:
EXAMPLE: Claudine is trying to improve her grades.
2. Past Progressive
– a past activity in progress when another activity occurred:
EXAMPLE: At six o'clock last evening, I was eating dinner.
(activity of eating was in progress when six o'clock occurred)
– two past activities in progress at the same time:
EXAMPLE: While I was answering the phone, he was getting the mail.
3. Future Progressive
– a future activity that will be in progress:
EXAMPLE: He will be looking for her tomorrow.
4. Present Perfect Progressive
– duration of an activity that began in the past and continued to the present, and is used with time words, like "since", "for", "all year":
EXAMPLE: He has been travelling all summer.
– duration of a more general activity that began in the past and continued to the present; does not mention time:
EXAMPLE: He has been studying hard.
5. Past Perfect Progressive
– the length of a past activity that was going on before another past activity:
EXAMPLE: When she finally arrived, I had been waiting for her for two hours.
– an activity in progress right before another activity in the past:
EXAMPLE: Her hair was wind-blown because she had been walking in the park.
6. Future Perfect Progressive
– a future activity that has been in progress and is continuing into the future:
EXAMPLE: She will have been looking for the right material for her drapes for three years.
PASSIVE VOICE
If the subject is acted upon, the verb is passive.
To make a verb passive, add the past participle to the form of "be».
The active voice is the preferred form in English because it is more forceful and direct.
EXAMPLE: The Thinker was sculpted by Rodin.
The passive voice is used to emphasize the receiver of the action as the focus of interest.
PRESENT SIMPLE, PASSIVE: They are led.
PAST SIMPLE, PASSIVE: They were led.
FUTURE SIMPLE, PASSIVE: They will be led.
PRESENT PERFECT, PASSIVE: They have been led.
PAST PERFECT, PASSIVE: They had been led.
FUTURE PERFECT, PASSIVE: They will have been led.
SHORT EXERCISE: Find the element in the following sentence where the
passive voice is expressed incorrectly.
The first man-made orbiting earth satellite had launched by the U.S.S.R. in 1957.
| A | B | C | D |
ANSWER: (C) is the correct answer. (Note: Satellites-rockets cannot launch themselves.) The word "by" is your clue to the possible need for a passive voice. (C) is the element of the sentence where the passive voice should be expressed with the verb “was launched.”
III. VERBALS
GERUNDS/INFINITIVES / PARTICIPLES
When taking the TOEFL, you can sometimes tell if a word is a noun or a verb or some other part of speech by just looking at the word. In most cases, however, the test-taker has to see how a certain word fits into a sentence pattern before it can be called a "noun" or a "verb». In the following two sentences, the word "glow" is used in different ways:
Lights glow in the distance.
The glow of the light brightened her face.
"Glow" is a verb in the first sentence because it comes in a verb position in the sentence pattern; but in the second sentence, "glow" is a noun because it comes in a subject position. The position of words is very important. "The dog bit Mary" is very different from saying that "Mary bit the dog». Some words can even be in four positions:
I "lean" in the direction of that opinion. (verb position)
The "lean" of the Tower of Pisa is well known. (noun position)
The "lean" swimmers stood on the blocks. (adjective position)
Remember to eat "lean". (adverb position)
Since position in the sentence is very important, you need to be alert to verbals when looking for subjects and verbs in sentences. Because verbals look like verbs, you must be able to recognize them and not confuse them with verbs. Verbals are infinitives, gerunds, or participles. These are forms of verbs that, when placed in certain positions in the sentence pattern, will act like nouns or adjectives.
The girl was "singing». ("singing" in verb position = main verb used with "was") "Singing" was her hobby. ("singing" in the subject position =gerund)
The "singing" girl won a medal. ("singing" in the adjective position participle)
"To sing" in a theatre was her desire ("to sing" in the subject position = infinitive).
Although nouns (such as book, girl) and pronouns (such as I, she, they) are the most common subjects, gerunds (singing, running, eating) are commonly used for subjects ("Singing" was her hobby). Infinitives (to sing, to swim, to eat) are also used as subjects ("To sing" in a theatre was her desire).
Gerunds and participles look alike because they both end in “-ing” ("The singing cheered him” and “The singing bird sat in the tree”), but the only way to tell them apart is by their position in the sentence.
In these sentences, which are gerunds (subjects) and which are participles (modifiers of nouns)?
The washing machine is new. (participle)
The washing should take about five minutes. (gerund)
Earning money gives a person self-respect. (gerund)
Her earning power was reduced after her accident. (participle)
Notice that gerunds, like nouns, may be modified by adjectives and prepositional phrases:
The first "running" of the race was in July 1988.
The sudden and fierce "rushing" of the wind blew over the shack.
Gerunds may also act like nouns in other ways. They may be objects or objects of prepositions. Again, the way you can tell the difference between the verb and the verbal is by the position in the sentence pattern:
John is "running" the race again. (running is part of the verb)
The thought of "running" again made him feel tired. (as object of preposition)
Sandra likes "running". (as object of verb)
The participles reviewed so far all ended in "-ing". These are called present participles because they come from verbs in the present tense ("The car is rolling"). When participles come from verbs in the past tense, they are called past participles ("The player was injured"). Past participles are also commonly used to modify subjects. Notice the position of the participle before you decide whether it is being used as part of the verb or being used to modify the subject.
EXERCISES: PRACTICE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT "VERBALS”
DIRECTIONS: Choose the best word or phrase which would complete the sentence.
1. Oil of bay, _________ from the leaves of a tropical American bay tree commonly called the bayberry, is used in the distilling of bay rum.
(A) make
(B) makes
(C) making
(D) made
ANSWER: (D) is the answer because it is the past participle used to describe the oil of bay. The description is let aside from the main clause of the sentence by commas. (A) is not correct because it is the present tense, plural form of the verb and does not agree in number with the subject, even if the sentence needed a verb. (B) is not correct because it is the present tense, singular form of the verb, but the sentence does not need a finite verb. (C) is not correct because it is the present participle, inappropriate for the description form needed in this sentence.
2. After _______ his flight training, American astronaut Alan Bean was stationed in Jacksonville.
(A) completes
(B) completed
(C) completing
(E) complete
ANSWER: (C) is the correct answer because there is an independent clause, and the dependent present participle following "after" is needed to describe what Bean did before being stationed in Jacksonville. (A), (B), and (D) are all finite verbs that need a subject, and there is no subject following "after".
3. The sight of the American flag _________________ inspired him to write the poem, "The Star Spangled Banner».
(A) still flown over the fort at daybreak
(B) still flew over the fort at daybreak
(C) still flying over the fort at daybreak
(D) still flies over the fort at daybreak
ANSWER: (C) is the correct answer because the main verb of the sentence is "inspired" and the subject "sight" needs a present participle to describe it. (A) is the past participle which is not correct with the present word "still». (B) is the past tense of the verb, and a finite conjugated verb is not correct here. (D) is the present tense of the verb, and a finite conjugated verb is not correct here.
3. If you expect to move in a few years, ____________ may be more economical than buying one.
(A) there is a rented home
(B) having rented a home
(C) you will need to rent a home that
(D) renting a home
ANSWER: (D) is the answer because it is the gerund that serves as the subject of the verb of the independent clause "may be». It also parallels the comparison to "buying one». "If you expect to move in a few years" serves as the dependent clause. (A) creates an incorrect phrasing of the independent clause by adding another subject and verb. (B) creates an incorrect time frame – by placing the rental in a questionable time period; the reader is unsure if it is the future, past, or present. (C) creates an incorrect comparison by saying the home should be more economical, not the act of renting that should be economical.
IV. SUBJECT-VERB-PRONOUN AGREEMENT
This is a common testing area for TOEFL because it is such a common error in the English language.
SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Extra words must be eliminated so that you can check to see if the subjects and verbs agree. For Type 2 questions in particular, check to make sure that all subjects and verbs agree. Since locating the subject and verb is your first step in every item, you are almost there.
DIRECTIONS: Choose the best choice which completes the sentence.
In the same century a type of beagle with some of the characteristics _______ in the southern United States.
(A) were known
(B) was known
(C) known
(D) are known
ANSWER: (B) is the answer since this sentence needs a verb that agrees with the singular subject "type». (A) is not correct because it is the plural form of the verb I' and the subject is singular. (C) is the past participle form of the verb and the sentence needs a finite verb. (D) is not correct because it is the plural form of the verb and the subject is singular.
DIRECTIONS: Choose the word or phrase which is grammatically incorrect.
1. Many relics from the Roman period has been unearthed throughout the country.
| A | B | C | D |
ANSWER: (C) is the answer because the verb form is singular when the subject “relics” is in the plural form. (A) is correct because it is a counting adjective and “relics" must be counted. (B) is correct because the expression is something “from” a particular time period. (D) is correct because it is a preposition that explains where the relics have been unearthed.