The TOEFL exam tests English grammar, including sentence structure, parts of speech, clauses, and consistency. Reviewing and practicing these topics can improve scores. Resources include specialized TOEFL sites, grammar books, and English department websites.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam comes in computer-based and paper-based versions and covers topics in English grammar, speaking, reading, and writing. The TOEFL grammar section is the second part of the exam and covers large areas of English sentence structure and usage; however, these necessary grammar skills are also critical for the other parts of the exam. Example topics include parts of speech, tenses, clauses, and sentence styles. A combination of reviewing these topics and doing practice exercises will help you get a good score.
Basic sentence structure and parts of speech are the first topics covered in the TOEFL grammar exam. You will need to use prepositions, subjects, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and conjunctions properly in a multiple choice question set. Questions often display a sentence with a word or phrase missing, and you will need to select one of four answers that would be used correctly in the sentence. Many specialized TOEFL sites have free grammar exercises that can help you master these topics, and some even run a diagnostic test. If you don’t feel confident after using some of these exercises, try a basic grammar book that clearly explains the topics and shows examples.
The TOEFL grammar section also tests your ability to use different types of sentences and clauses, including participatory sentences, introductory sentences, adverbial clauses, infinitive sentences and gerund sentences. You’ll need to know how to correctly position items at the end or beginning of a sentence, avoiding dangling modifiers and other misstatements. Grammar workbooks designed for the TOEFL are the best tools for practicing this section, although there are many resources online. You could also try looking on a school or college’s English department website or performing a web search on the type of phrase or clause that is causing problems.
The final area in the TOEFL grammar section covers consistency and sentence design, and is primarily concerned with using parallelism in your sentences. Some example topics include using the proper tense for compound sentences, using correct pronouns to replace nouns, using gerunds correctly in a list, and using conjunctions correctly to join parts of a sentence. Some of these topics may overlap with the phrases and clauses section; therefore, grammar workbooks and websites that help you prepare for that section can often offer help for this one as well.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
