Part 5
Written Expression section of the
TOEFL test examine your knowledge of the
correct way to express yourself in English
writing. Each question in this section
consists of one sentence in which four words
or groups of words have been underlined. You
must choose the letter of the word or group
of words that is not correct.
Examples
Examples:
The final delivery of the day is the importantest.
A B C D
The books that I read was interesting.
A B C D
• First look at the underlined word or groups of words. You want to see if you can
spot which of the four answer choices is not correct.
• If you have been unable to find the error by looking only at the four underlined
expressions, then read the complete sentence. Often an underlined expression is
incorrect because of something in another part of the sentence.
• Never leave any answers blank.
Basically, the skills you need to know is the same
as the ones in structure questions. Therefore, you
need to pay attention to these things:
Sometimes prepositional phrases can come between the subject and the
verb. If the object of the preposition is singular and the subject is
plural, or if the object of the preposition is plural and the subject is
singular, there can be confusion in making the subject and verb agree
Example
Incorrect : The keys to the door is in the drawer.
Correct : The keys to the door are in the drawer
Example in TOEFA question
Scientists at the medical center is trying to determine if there is a
relationship between saccharine and cancer.
A. Is trying
B. Determine
C. Is
D. Saccharine and cancer
We have seen that sometimes in English the subject comes after the verb.
When the subject and verb are inverted, it can be difficult to locate
them, and it can therefore be a problem to make them agree.
Example
Incorrect : Behind the house was the flowers I like the most.
Correct : Behind the house were the flowers I like the most.
Example in TOEFA question
On the rim of the Kilauea volcano in the Hawaiian Islands are a hotel
called the Volcano Hotel
A. The rim
B. Hawaiian Islands
C. Are
D. called
Certain words in English are always grammatically singular, even though
they might have plural meanings.
These words or expressions are grammatically singular, so they take
singular verbs : anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone,
everything, no body, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, something, each
(+noun), every (+noun)
Example
Incorrect : Everybody are going to the theatre.
Correct : Everybody is going to the theatre.
Example in TOEFA question
Each number in a binary system are formed from only two symbols.
A. Binary
B. Are
C. Formed
D. Two symbols
Parallel structure is the use of the same grammatical structures for
related ideas of equal importance. Related ideas of equal importance
often occur in the form of a list. Sometimes related ideas of equal
importance are connected by conjunctions, such as and, but, and or,
both…and, not only…but also, etc.
Example
Incorrect: Ice skating and to go skiing are popular winter sports in the
northern United States.
Correct: Ice skating and skiing are popular winter sports in the
northern United States.
Example in TOEFA question
To control quality and making decisions about production are among the
many responsibilities of an industrial.
A. Making
B. About
C. Are
D. among
Sentences with incorrect comparatives and superlatives can appear on the
TOEFL test. You have learnt about comparatives and superlatives in
Structure part 2: Basic Grammar.
Example
Incorrect: Mary is more intelligenter than Sue.
Correct: Mary is more intelligent than Sue.
Example in TOEFA question
The grizzly bear, which can grow up to eight feet tall, has been called
a more dangerous animal of North America.
A. Which
B. Up to eight feet tall
C. Been called
D. A more
Besides the tenses, in sentences there is active and passive verbs. The
difference between an active and a passive verb is that the subject in
an active sentence does the action of the verb, and the subject in a
passive sentence receives the action of the verb.
Example
Active: Margaret wrote the letter.
Passive: The letter was written by Margaret.
Passive verbs formula
TO BE + Past Participle (V3)
Is/am/are
Was/were
Been – V3, must be preceded by Have/has/had
Be – original form
Example in TOEFA question
Electrical impulses may also picked up by the optic nerve.
A. Impulses
B. May
C. Picked
D. By the optic
