TOEFL SKILL

PREPARATION

SKILL 1 - SUBJECTS & VERBS

A sentence in English should have
asubjectand averb

The most common types of problems that

you will encounter in theStructure section of
the TOEFL testare related to subjects and
verbs;
1. perhaps the sentence is missing either the
subject, or the verb, or both;
2. perhaps the sentence has an extra subject or
verb.

Example I
______was ringing continuously for hours.
(A) Loudly
(B) In the morning
(C) The phone
(D) The bells
In this example, you should notice immediately that there is
a verb, was ringing, but there isno subject.
Answer (A), loudly, and answer (B), in the morning, are not
subjects, so they are not correct.
Although answer (D), bells, could be a subject, it is not
correct because bells is plural and it does not agree with
the singular verb was ringing.
Answer (C) is the best answer because it is a singular
subject that agrees with the singular verb was ringing.

Example II
Newspapers _______ every morning and every evening.
(A) delivery
(B) are delivered
(C) on time
(D) regularly

In this example, you should notice immediately that the

sentence has a subject, newspapers, but that there is no
verb.

Answers (A), (C), and (D) are not verbs, so they are not
correct.

Because answer (B), are delivered, is a verb, it is the best

answer.

Example III
The plane __________ landing at the airport in five minutes.
(A) it is
(B) it really is
(C) is descending
(D) will be

This sentence has a subject, plane, and has part of a verb,

landing; to be correct, some form of the verb be is needed
to make the verb complete.

Answers (A) and (B) are incorrect because the sentence

already has a subject plane, and does not need the extra
subject it.

Answer (C) is incorrect because descending is an extra

part of a verb that is unnecessary because of landing.

Answer (D) is the best answer; will be together with

landing is a complete verb.

IMPORTANT
A sentence in English must have at leastone
subject and one verb.

The first thing youshould doas you read a

sentence in theStructure section of the TOEFL
testis to find the subject and the verb.

 Underline the subjects once and the verbs twice

in each of the following sentences. Then indicate
if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).
1. My best friend always helpfulwith problems.
Analysis:
The subject of the sentence above isMy best
friend, but there is no (Helping) Verb, so,
incorrect.
Thecorrect sentenceshould be, My best
friendisalways helpful andwith problems.
2. The busschedulehas changed since last week.
Analysis:
The subject isThe busand verb ishas
changed, so the sentence is Correct.

3. Accidentally droppedthe glasson the floor.

Analysis:
The sentence doesn't have a Subject. The verb isdropped,
so it is incorrect.
Thecorrect sentenceshould be Accidentallyshe or he
droppedthe glasson the floor.
4. The customer paying the clerk for the clothes.
Analysis:
The sentence doesn't have to be,is. So incorrect
It should beThe customer is payingthe clerk for the
clothes.
5. The professor handed the syllabus to the students.
Analysis:
The sentence has subject,the professorand verb,handed.
So it is correct

SKILL 2 OBJECT OF
PREPOSITION
An object of aprepositionis a noun or a
pronoun that comes after a preposition such
as in, at, of to, by, behind, and on to form
aprepositional phrase

If a word is an object of preposition, it is not

the subject.

Example
To Mike ____ was a big surprise.
(A) really
(B) the party
(C) funny
(D) when

In this example, you should look first for the subject and the
verb. You should notice the verb was and should also notice
that there isno subject.

Do not think that Mike is the subject; Mike is the object of

theprepositionto, 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),

the party, is the best answer. Answers (A), (C), and (D) are
not correct because they cannot be subjects.

Exercise
1. The name of the baby in the crib is Jack.
Analysis:
Subject isThe nameofbaby andVerb
isIS. So, it is correctThe Crib is only object
ofpreposition
2. By the next meeting of the class need to turn
in the papers.
Analysis:
Verb isneedbut there isno Subject. So, it
is IncorrectThe next meeting of the class is
NOT subject, it is object ofpreposition

3. The directions tothe exerciseon page 20

unclear.
Analysis:
Subject isThe directionsbut there isno
Verb. So, it is incorrect. The exerciseis not
subject, it is object ofpreposition.
4. Because of the heavy rain throughout the
night, the walkways are muddy.
Analysis:
Subject isthe walkwaysand Verb isAre.
So, it is correct. The heavy rain throughout
the night is only object ofpreposition.

SKILL 3 PRESENT
PARTICIPLES
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.

Present participlescan-cause confusion in

the Structure section of the TOEFLtest because
a present participle can be eitheran
adjectiveora part of theverb.

The train isarrivingat the station now.

(Arriving isVERB)

 Apresent participleisan adjective when it is not

accompanied by some form of theverbbe.

The trainarrivingat the station now is an hour late.

(Arriving is ADJECTIVE)

In this sentence,arriving is an adjectiveand not part

of theverbbecause it is not accompanied by some form
of be. Theverbin this sentence is is.

Example:
The film ____ appearing at the local theater is my
favorite.
(A) now
(B) is
(C) it
(D) was

EXERCISE
1. Thecryingbaby needs to be picked up. (C)
ADJ.

2. The clothes arelyingthe floor should go

intothe washing machine.

3. The waitress bringing the steaming soup to the

waiting diners. (I

4. The fast-moving clouds are bringing freezing

rain to the area. C)

SKILL 4 PAST PARTICIPLES

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.

Past participlescan cause confusion in the

Structure section of the TOEFL test because a past
participle can be either anadjectiveor apart of
the verb.

The mailman haslefta letter in the mailbox. (Leftis

VERB)

The classes weretaughtby Professor Smith.

(Taughtis VERB)

 Apast participleis an adjective when it is not

accompanied by some form of be or have.

The letterleftin the mailbox was for me. (Leftis

ADJECTIVE)

The classestaughtby Professor Smith were very

interesting. (Taughtis ADJECTIVE)

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 that needs a
helping verb or a past participle.

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.

Exercise
1. The food is served in this restaurant is delicious.
(Incorrect)
Analysis:
The sentence should be "The foodservedin this
restaurant is delicious".
is servedis incorrect, it should beserved(past
participle as an Adjective).
Subject isThe foodand Verb isIS
2. The plane landed on the deserted runway. (Correct)
Analysis:
Subject isThe placeand Verb islanded
Desertedis past participle asan adjective

3. The unexpected guests arrived just at dinnertime.

(Correct)
Analysis:
Subject isunexpectedguests and Verb isarrived
Unexpected is past participle as an adjective
4. The courses are listed in the catalogue are required
courses. (Incorrect)
Analysis:
The sentence should be The courselistedin the
dialogueare requiredcourses.
Subject isThe courseandVerbis are required.
are listedis inccorect, but it should belisted(be past
participle as anadjective)

SKILL 5 -- Subject and Object

Pronouns
Pronouns are words such ashe,she, oritthat
take theplace of nouns.

One commonproblem with pronouns on the

TOEFLtest is thatsubject and object
pronouns are confused, so you should be able
to recognize these two types of pronouns.

1. Youshould doitfor her. (C)

Analysis: It is correct it functions
asObjectpronoun
2. They helpedshewith the work. (I)
Analysis: She is SubjectPronoun. But, the
sentence needs ObjectPronoun"her". So,
thecorrect sentenceisThey helped her with
the work.

3.Herand Bob came over to visit me. (I)

Analysis: Her is Objectpronoun. It should be
SubjectPronoun"She". So, thecorrect
sentenceisShe and Bob came over to visit me.

4.Ibrought it foryou and them.

Analysis: SubjectPronoun"I" is correct.

SKILL 6 -- Problems With Possessives

Possessiveadjectivesand pronounsboth
show who or what owns anoun.

However, possessiveadjectivesand possessive

pronouns do not have the same function, and
these two kinds of possessives can be confused
on the TOEFLtest.

A possessiveadjectivedescribes anoun: it
must be accompanied by anoun.

A possessivepronoun takes the place of

anoun: it cannot be accompanied by anoun.

1. She cut hers hair recently. (I)

Analysis: Hers should be her.
2. We will take our car or theirs. (C)
3. Please lend me yours notes from the history
lecture. (I)
Analysis: Yours should be your
4. I like his ideas and hers. (C)
5. You dont have yours gloves with you, but I have
mine. (I)
Analysis: yours should be your

SKILL 7 -- Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectivesand adverbs have very different uses
in sentences. Adjectiveshave only one job: they
describe nouns or pronouns.

 Adverbshave three different uses. They can

describeverbs,adjectives, orother adverbs.

1. Her hair was anunusuallycolor of red. (I)

Analysis: the adverbunusuallyis incorrect. It should
beunusual(adjective) to describe thecolor(noun)
2. The weather is really comfortable. (C)
Analysis: Really(adverb) is correct because it
describescomfortable(adjective)
3. We attended apoorplanned conference. (I)
Analysis: Adjectivepooris incorrect. It should
bepoorly(adverb) because it describes planned
(adjective).
4. He talkedslowlyandcarefully. (C)
Analysis:
AdverbSlowlyandcarefullyare correct because
they describetalked(verb)

SKILL 8 -- Problem with Modals

Whenever you see amodalsuch aswill, would, shall,
should, can, could, may, might, or must, you should be
sure that theverbthat follows it is in itsbase form.

1. Youmust telling* her the truth.

2. The childmay comes* in now.
.In the first example,tellingshould be the base
formtellbecause it follows must.

.In the second example,comesshould be the base

formcomebecause it follows may.

.The following chart outlines the use ofverbforms

aftermodals.

1. Youshould tryto respond politely. (C)

2. Everyonemust leavesthe room
immediately. (I)
Analysis: leavesshould beleave

3. Icould saton the beach for hours. (I)

Analysis: satshould besit

4. Shewill askingyou many difficult

questions. (I)
Analysis:askingshould beask

SKILL 9 -- AGREEMENT AFTER

EXPRESSION OF QUANTITY
A particularagreementproblem occurs when
the subject is an expression of quantity such
asall,most, orsome followedby
theprepositionof.

In this situation, the subject (all, most, or some)

can be singular or plural, depending on what
follows theprepositionof.

1. Half of the students in the class arrive early. (C)

Analysis: Object is Students (plural) and Verb is
arrive (plural Verb), so the sentence is correct

2. Some (of the fruit) are rotten. (I)

Analysis: Fruit and are (Verb) are not match. It
should be ".....fruit is
3. All (of the next chapter) contains very
importantinformation. (C)
Analysis: The next chapter (singular noun) and
contains (singular verb) are match. (correct)
4. Most(of the people)in the room is paying attention.
(I)
Analysis: The people (plural noun) and is (singular
verb) are not match. It should be".....of the
people......are ..."

1. She talked toeachpeoplein the room. (I)

Analysis: after each is singular object and people is
plural object, soeach peopleshould be each person.
2. There is not asinglebitof food in the refrigerator. (C)
Analysis: after single is singular noun, so asingle
bitis correct.
3. You needtwo pieceofweight loss pills(I)
Analysis: after two is plural noun, sotwo
pieceshould betwo pieces

1. She will visit in afew months. (C)

Analysis: afew is followed by countable noun and
monthsis
countable noun, too.
So,a few monthsis correct.

2. Many are unnecessary. (I)

Analysis: There should be countable noun object after Many.

3. You need to show alittle kindness. (C)

Analysis: little is followed by uncountable noun and kindness is
uncountable noun, too.
So, alittle kindnessis correct.

SKILL 10 AGREEMENT AFTER

CERTAIN WORD
Certainwords
in
Englishare
always
grammatically singular, even though they might
have plural meanings.
Everybodyin the theaterarewatching* the
film attentively.
Even though we understand from this example
that
a
lot
of
people
arewatchingthe
film,Everybodyis singular and requires a
singularverb.
The
pluralverbarewatchingshould be changed
to the singularverbiswatching

1. Nobody (in the class) have completed the

assignment on time. (I)
Analysis: Nobody is singular, but subject "have"
is plural. So, it is incorrect. It should be
'Nobody........has......
2. I am sure that every detail have been
considered. (I)
Analysis: Every detail is singular,
butverb"have" is plural. So, it is incorrect. It
should be ".....every detail has been ....
3. Everybody know the rules, but somebody is not
following them. (I)
Analysis: Everybody is singular, butverb"know"
is plural. So, it is incorrect. It should be
"Everybody knows...."

EXERCISE
1. Anybody are welcomeat the party.

2. No one here is afraid of skydiving.

3.Everyonein the world needs love and respect.

4. Someone have to clean up the house.

5. Each plant in the garden appear healthy and

strong.

6. You should understand that anything is possible.

7. Everything (in thesalad)are good for you.

Forum Group Discussion

Make a group of 5 persons
Write a dialogue about your group planning holiday trip
after the final exam (UAS)

Every person should have at least two sentences.

Bold the subject and italic the verb on your sentences.
Differentiate the color: object of preposition (red),
present participle (blue), past participle (brown),
subject and object pronoun (black), possesive (green),
and modal (orange), adjective & adverbs (pink). Dont
forget to check the agreement.

3 January 2016 deadline: send the conversation

and url youtube (on Word file) to
diahajengs@gmail.com)

Example
B: After UAS we will have a holiday, where should we go?
D : How about we go snorkeling in Gili Nanggu?
S : My uncle has a small restaurant there. The food served
in that restaurant is cheap but delicious!
Y : Ok then, we can eat there later.
G : How will we get there?
B : Some of us have motorcycle, we can go there with ours.
D : We can keep the motorcycle at some villagers house
before we get on to the boat.
Y : S, can you contact your uncle to lend us a boat?
S : I think he will happily lend us

CONNECTORS

SKILL 11 COORDINATE
CONNECTOR
Aclauseis a group of words
containing a subject (S) and a verb
(V)

Many sentences in English have

more than one clause

When you have two clauses in an

English sentence, you must connect
the two clauses correctly

Coordinate Connectors
and
It was raining,
S

but

or

but
Coordinat
e
Connecto
r

so

Bill went out to play

S

1. The sun was shining the sky was

blue.
2. The sky was blue, it was very
cold.
3. It may rain tonight, it may be
clear.
4. It wasrainingoutside,I took my
umbrella.

1. It wasraining, so decided not togo camping. (I)

Analysis: Second clause hasno Subject.
2. The material has been cut, and the pieces have
been sewn together. (C)
Analysis: Both clauses are correct and coordinate
connector is correct too

3. The patient took all the medicine, he did not feel

much better. (I)
Analysis: Both clauses are correct but there is no
coordinate connector
4. The bill must be paid immediately, or the electricity
will be turned off. (C)
Analysis:
Both clauses are correct and coordinate connector
is correct, too

SKILL 12 ADVERB CLAUSE

CONNECTOR
Sentences with adverb
clauses have two basic
patterns in English
1. He is tiredbecausehe has been
working so hard.
2. Becausehe has been working so
hard, he is tired.

1. After the plane circled the airport, it landed on the main

runway. (C)
Analysis:
Both clauses have subject and verb.
The connector "after" is correct, too.

2. The registration process took many hours since the lines so

long. (I)
Analysis:
The second clause has no verb. It should be the lines were
so long.
The connector "since" is correct.

3. This type of medicine can be helpfull, it can also have

some bad side effects. (I)
Analysis:
Both clauses are correct but there is no connector.

SKILL 13 NOUN CLAUSE

CONNECTOR
Anoun clauseis a clause that functions as a
noun;

because the noun clause functions as a noun, it

can be used in a sentence as an object of a verb
(if it follows a verb) oran object of
apreposition(if it follows apreposition).

Noun Clause Connector

What,
when,
where, why,
how

Whether, if

Sally explained
S

why
Noun
Clause
Connecto
r

That

she did it
S

1. It is unfortunate that the meal is not ready yet.

(C)
Analysis: Both clauses are correct because they
have subject and verb
2. She told me when should pick up the children.
(I)
Analyisis: should pick up the childrenis
incorrect. It should beIshould pick up the
children.
3. The instructor explained where was the
computer lab located. (I)
Analysis: Where was the computer lab located is
incorrect. It should bewhere the computer lab
was located.

SKILL 14 NOUN CLAUSE

CONNECTORS/SUBJECTS
In some cases anoun clause
connectoris not justa connector; a
noun clause connector can also be
thesubject of the clause at the same
time.

Example:
Al told me Noun
what
happened
Clause
S V
V
Connector /
Subject

Noun Clause Connectors

Who

What

Which

1. The teacher heard who answered the question. (C)

Analysis: Who answered the questionis a noun
clause connector, and the sentence is correct.

2. I do not understand it went wrong. (I)

Analysis:it went wrongis a noun clause
connector/subject. But, the sentence is incorrect. It
should bewhat went wrong

3. Of the three movies, I cant decide which is the best.

(C)
Analysis: Which is the bestis a noun clause
connector/subject. The sentence is correct.

4. She did not remember who in her class. (I)

Analysis: Who in her classis a noun clause
connector, but the sentence is incorrect. It should

SKILL 15 ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

CONNECTORS
Anadjective clause describesa noun.
Becausethe clauseis an adjective, it is
positioned directly after the noun that it
describes.

Adjective Clause
Connectors
Whom
(for
people)

Which
(for
things)

That
(for people
or thing)

1. I did not believe the story that he told me. (C)

Analysis:
First Clause : I did not believe the story
Second Clause : He told me
Adjective clause connector : that
2. Ms. Brown, whom did you recommend for the job, will start
work tomorrow. (I)
Analysis:
First clause : Ms. Brown will start work
tomorrow
Second clause : Did you recommend for the job
(incorrect)
It should be you recommended for the job
Adjective clause connector : whom
The correct sentence is Ms. Brown, whom you
recommended for the job, will start work tomorrow.

SKILL 16 ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

CONNECTORS/SUBJECTS

1. The children that were vaccinated did not get sick.

(C)
Analysis:
First Clause : The children did not get sick
(correct)
SecondClause : that were vaccinated (correct)
THATfunctions asCONNECTOR andSUBJECT,
too. Verb isWERE.
2. I did not vote for the politician who he just won the
election. (I)
Analysis:
First Clause : I did not vote the politician.
(Correct)
SecondClause : Who he just won the election
(Incorrect)
It should be "Who just won the election". There are
double subject: WHO and HE.

SKILL 17 Parallel Structure with Paired

Conjunction

1. Heeitherliedortelling an unbelievable story. (I)

Analysis:
either ......or..... (correct), but
before and after OR should have the same structure:telling
should be told.

2. The music at the concert wasneitherwell playednorwell

liked. (C)
Analysis:
neither ......nor...(correct).well playedandwell likedhave
same structure, too. So it is correct.

3. He regularly studiesbothin the morningorin the evening. (I)

Analysis:
both......or ......(incorrect). it should be both.....and.....

4.The playthat we saw last night was not only rather delightful
but also quite meaningful. (C)
Analysis:
not only .............but also.....(correct)