Structure and Written Expression Part B

Strategies for Structure and Written Expression Part B

TOEFL Test: Written Expression Section (Questions 16–40)

This part of the TOEFL evaluates your ability to identify errors in written English. Each question presents a sentence with four underlined parts, and you must identify which underlined part contains an error.

Below are some strategies to help you handle the Written Expression questions in the TOEFL exam:

Start with the underlined words or phrases: Look closely at the options to identify the incorrect one.
If no error is obvious, read the full sentence: Errors might arise from how the underlined part interacts with the rest of the sentence.
Always answer every question: Even if you are unsure, guessing can only improve your chances since unanswered questions don’t earn points.
Answer every question: Even if unsure, guessing can’t hurt since there’s no penalty for incorrect answers.

Skills to Detect Problems with Subject/Verb Agreement

Skill 1 - MAKE VERBS AGREE AFTER PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

Prepositional phrases can come between the subject and the verb, potentially causing confusion about subject-verb agreement.
The subject of the sentence determines the verb agreement, not the object of the preposition (e.g., "The key (to the doors) is in the drawer").
Be cautious when a singular subject is followed by a plural object of a preposition or vice versa, as this can mislead you into making errors.
Practice identifying the true subject of the sentence to ensure proper subject-verb agreement, especially when prepositional phrases are present.

Skill 2 - MAKE VERBS AGREE AFTER EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY

Expressions of quantity, such as all, most, or some, can be singular or plural depending on the noun following the preposition of.
For example, "All (of the book) was interesting" uses a singular verb because the noun book is singular, while "All (of the books) were interesting" uses a plural verb.
When the noun is uncountable (e.g., "All (of the information) was interesting"), the verb is singular.
Practice determining whether the noun after of is singular, plural, or uncountable to ensure proper subject-verb agreement in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 3 - MAKE INVERTED VERBS AGREE

Subject-verb inversion occurs in certain cases, such as after question words, place expressions, negative expressions, omitted conditionals, and comparisons.
When the subject comes after the verb, ensure the verb agrees with the subject and not with the preceding words or phrases (e.g., "Behind the house were the bicycles I wanted").
Be cautious when the subject follows the verb due to inversion caused by a place or prepositional expression (e.g., "Behind the houses was the bicycle I wanted").
Practice identifying the true subject in inverted sentences to ensure proper agreement between the subject and verb, especially in formal or test contexts.

Skill 4 - MAKE VERBS AGREE AFTER CERTAIN WORDS

Certain words in English, such as everybody and nobody, are grammatically singular even if they imply multiple people or things.
These words require a singular verb to maintain correct subject-verb agreement (e.g., "Everybody is going to the theater").
Examples of these words include anybody, someone, anything, nothing, each, and every (+ noun).
Practice recognizing these singular expressions to ensure proper subject-verb agreement in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skills to Detect Problems with Parallel Structure

Skill 5 - USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE WITH COORDINATE CONJUNCTIONS

Coordinate conjunctions like and, but, or or join equal parts of a sentence, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, phrases, or clauses.
Ensure that the elements on both sides of the conjunction are parallel in structure (e.g., "I need to talk to the manager or the assistant manager").
Parallel structure applies to lists of verbs (e.g., "He eats and sleeps on vacation"), adjectives (e.g., "My boss is sincere and nice"), phrases, or entire clauses.
Practice constructing sentences with consistent grammatical forms to avoid errors in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 6 - USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE WITH PAIRED CONJUNCTIONS

Paired conjunctions like both...and, either...or, neither...nor, and not only...but also require parallel structure.
Ensure that the grammatical forms following each part of the paired conjunction are the same (e.g., "He wants either to go by train or to go by plane").
Use the correct pairs together: both with and, either with or, and neither with nor, to maintain grammatical accuracy.
Avoid mismatches in structure and pairing, and practice using paired conjunctions correctly in sentences for clarity and correctness in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 7 - USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE WITH COMPARISONS

When making comparisons, ensure that the elements being compared are parallel in structure for clarity and correctness.
Use structures like -er...than, more...than, less...than, or as...as to create grammatically accurate comparisons (e.g., "My school is farther than your school").
Comparisons showing similarity can use expressions such as the same as or similar to (e.g., "The work I did is similar to the work you did").
Practice recognizing and applying parallelism in comparisons to avoid errors and improve your performance in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skills to Detect Problems with Comperatives and Superlatives

Skill 8 - FORM COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES CORRECTLY

Comparatives are formed with -er or more and are followed by than. Use -er for short adjectives (e.g., "Bob is taller than Ron") and more for longer adjectives (e.g., "Sally is more beautiful than Sharon").
Superlatives are formed with -est or most, often preceded by the. Use -est for short adjectives (e.g., "Bob is the tallest man in the room") and most for longer adjectives (e.g., "Sally is the most beautiful of all the women at the party").
In superlatives, the phrases in, of, or a that-clause may follow to clarify the comparison (e.g., "The spider over there is the largest one that I have ever seen").
Practice forming correct comparatives and superlatives to ensure proper sentence structure in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 9 - USE COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES CORRECTLY

Comparatives are used to compare two equal things. They are often formed with -er or more, followed by than (e.g., "The history class is larger than the math class").
Superlatives are used to compare three or more items to identify the best or most outstanding one. They are formed with -est or most, often preceded by the (e.g., "The history class is the largest in the school").
Be careful to match the comparative or superlative form with the type of adjective: use -er and -est for shorter adjectives and more and most for longer ones.
Practice distinguishing between comparatives and superlatives to answer questions correctly in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 10 - USE THE IRREGULAR -ER, -ER STRUCTURE CORRECTLY

The irregular -er, -er structure consists of two parallel comparatives introduced by the, such as "The harder he tried, the further he fell behind."
In this structure, the two comparatives are linked to show a cause-and-effect relationship (e.g., "The older the children are, the more their parents expect from them").
This structure can be followed by various components, such as nouns, subjects, and verbs, and does not always require a verb to be correct.
Practice recognizing and constructing sentences with this structure to improve accuracy in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skills to Detect Problems with the Form of the Verb

Skill 11 - AFTER HAVE, USE THE PAST PARTICIPLE

Whenever you see the verb have in any of its forms (e.g., have, has, having, had), ensure that the verb following it is in the past participle form.
For example, "They had walk to school" should be corrected to "They had walked to school."
Common errors occur with irregular verbs where the past participle differs from the base form and past tense (e.g., "He has sung in the choir" is correct).
Be cautious with verbs that change only in vowels from present to past participle (e.g., sing, sang, sung).
Practice identifying and using past participles correctly after have to avoid mistakes in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 12 - AFTER BE, USE THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE OR THE PAST PARTICIPLE

The verb be in any of its forms (am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being) must be followed by either a present participle or a past participle.
Use the present participle (-ing form) for active meanings (e.g., "We are doing our homework").
Use the past participle for passive meanings (e.g., "The homework was done early").
Be cautious to choose the correct form based on the voice (active or passive) and tense of the sentence.
Practice using participles correctly after be to improve your accuracy in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 13 - AFTER WILL, WOULD, OR OTHER MODALS, USE THE BASE FORM OF THE VERB

When using modals like will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, or must, the verb that follows must be in its base form.
For example, "The boat will leaving at 3:00" should be corrected to "The boat will leave at 3:00."
Be cautious not to use conjugated or participle forms after modals (e.g., "The doctor may arrives" should be "The doctor may arrive").
Practice using the correct verb forms after modals to avoid errors and improve performance in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skills to Detect Problems with the Use of the Verb

Skill 14 - KNOW WHEN TO USE THE PAST WITH THE PRESENT

Switching between the past tense and the present tense in a sentence is usually incorrect unless the meaning is logical.
For example, "He took the money when he wants it" is incorrect because the past action cannot result from a present desire. It should be corrected to "He took the money when he wanted it."
A sentence can logically combine past and present tense if the context makes sense (e.g., "I know that he took the money yesterday").
Carefully analyze sentences to ensure that tense usage aligns with the intended meaning, especially when both past and present tense are used.
Practice identifying and correcting improper tense usage to improve your accuracy in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 15 - USE HAVE AND HAD CORRECTLY

The present perfect tense (have/has + past participle) refers to a period of time from the past until the present (e.g., "Sue has lived in Los Angeles for ten years").
The past perfect tense (had + past participle) refers to an action that occurred in the past before another past event (e.g., "Sue had lived in Los Angeles before she moved to San Diego").
Avoid combining the present perfect with events that are clearly in the past (e.g., "At the start of the nineteenth century, Thomas Jefferson has become president" is incorrect; it should be "became").
Similarly, avoid combining the past perfect with present actions (e.g., "Tom had finished the exam when the teacher collects the papers" is incorrect; it should be "collected").
Practice distinguishing between these tenses to ensure proper usage in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 16 - USE THE CORRECT TENSE WITH TIME EXPRESSIONS

Time expressions in a sentence often indicate which verb tense should be used. For example:
- "We moved to New York in 1970" uses the simple past because of the specific past time mentioned.
- "We had left by 1980" uses the past perfect because the action occurred before another past time.
- "We have lived in San Francisco since 1982" uses the present perfect to indicate a continuous action up to the present.
Common time expressions include ago, last, since, and lately, each requiring specific tenses.
Match the tense to the time expression for clarity and correctness (e.g., "She got a job two years ago" vs. "She has worked very hard lately").
Practice analyzing sentences with time expressions to select the appropriate tense for the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 17 - USE THE CORRECT TENSE WITH WILL AND WOULD

The simple present tense is paired with will, and the simple past tense is paired with would in English sentences to maintain logical consistency (e.g., "I know that they will arrive soon" vs. "I knew that they would arrive").
Avoid mixing present tense with would or past tense with will, as these combinations are incorrect (e.g., "I know that they would arrive" is incorrect).
Correct examples include "I knew that he would graduate" and "It is certain that he will graduate."
Note: The modal would can also be used in polite requests, often with the present tense (e.g., "I would like to know if you have a pencil that I could borrow").
Practice matching the appropriate tense with will and would to improve accuracy in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skills to Detect Problems with the Passive Voice

Skill 18 - USE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE PASSIVE

The passive voice is formed with a form of be + the past participle of the main verb (e.g., "The portrait was painted by a famous artist").
Avoid errors such as using the present participle instead of the past participle (e.g., "The portrait was painting" is incorrect; it should be "was painted").
Ensure that the verb be is included to form the passive correctly (e.g., "The project will finished" is incorrect; it should be "will be finished").
Practice identifying and correcting passive voice errors to improve your performance in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Skill 19 - RECOGNIZE ACTIVE AND PASSIVE MEANINGS

To determine if a sentence is active or passive, study whether the subject does the action (active) or receives the action (passive).
Active voice examples: "We mailed the package at the post office."
Passive voice examples: "The letter was mailed by us today before noon."
Look for clues such as the presence of by + object in passive sentences or the absence of an explicit object in active sentences.
Be cautious with sentences where the verb appears to be active but the meaning requires a passive form (e.g., "The letter mailed* today before noon" should be "was mailed").
Practice recognizing active and passive structures to avoid errors in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.