SKILL 1: BE SURE THE SENTENCE HAS A SUBJECT AND VERB

EXERCISE 1: Underline the subjects once and the verbs twice in each of the following
sentences. Then, indicate if the sentences are correct © or incorrect (I).
1. ____ Last week went fishing for trout at the nearby mountain lake
2. ____ A schedule of the day’s events can be obtained at the front desk.
3. ____A job on the day shift or the night shift at the plant available.
4.____ The new computer program has provides a variety of helpful applications.
5. ___ The box can be opened only with a special screwdriver.
6. ___ The papers in the wastebasket should be emptied into the trash can outside.
7. ____ Departure before dawn on a boat in the middle of the harbor.
8. ____ Yesterday found an interesting article on pollution.
9. ____ The assigned text for history class it contains more than twenty chapters.
10. ___ The new machine is processes 50 percent more than the previous machine.
 SKILL 2: BE CAREFUL OF OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS
An object of a prepositions is a noun or a pronoun that comes after a preposition, such as in,
at, of, to, by, behind, on, and, so on, to form a prepositional phrase.
(After his exams) Tom will take a trip (by boat)
This sentence contains two objects of prepositions. Exams is the object of the preposition
after and boat is the object of the preposition by.
NOTE: object of prepositions can’t be a subject

EXERCISE 2: Each of the following sentences contains one or more prepositional phrases.
Underline the subjects once and the verbs twice. Circle the prepositional phrases that come
before verb. Then, indicate if the sentence correct (C) or Incorrect (I).
1. ____ The interviews by radio broadcasters were carried live by the station.
2. ____ In the last possible moment before take off took his seat in the airplane.
3. ____ At the neighborhood flower shop, flowers in quantities of a dozen or a half dozen can
be delivered for free.
4. ____ The progressive reading methods at this school are given credit for the improve test
scores.
5. ____ For the last three years at various hospitals in the country has been practicing
medicine.
6. ____ In the past a career in politics was not considered acceptable in some articles.
7. ____ Shopping in the downtown area of the city it has improved a lot in recent years.
8. ____ At the building site the carpenters with the most experience were given the most
intricate work.
9. ____ For the fever and headache took two aspirin tablets.
10. ___ The report with complete documentation was delivered at the conference.
 SKILL 3: BE CAREFUL OF APPOSITIVES
Appositives can cause confusion in the Structure section in TOEFL test because an appositive
can be mistaken for the subject of a sentence. An appositive is a noun that comes before or
after another noun and has the same meaning.
Sally, the best student in the class, got an A on the exam
In this example Sally is the subject of the sentence and the best students in the class can
easily be recognized as an appositive phrase because of the noun student and because of the
commas. The sentence says that Sally and the best student in the class are the same person.
Note that if you leave out the appositives phrase, the sentence still makes sense (Sally got an
A on the exam)
Example: ____, George, is attending the lecture
(A) Right now
(B) Happily
(C) Because of the time
(D) My friend
Tom, a really good mechanic, is fixing the car
S App Verb
A really good mechanic, Tom is fixing the car
App S Verb

EXERCISE 3:
1. ___The son of the previous owner, the new owner is undertaking some fairly broad
changes in Management policy.
2. ___ Last semester, a friend, graduated cumlaude from the university.
3. ___ Valentine’s Day, February 14, is a special holiday for swwethearts.
4. ___ At long last, the chief executive officer, has decided to step down.
5. ___ Tonight’s supper, leftovers from last night, did not taste any better tonight than last
night.
6. ___ The only entrance on to the closet, the door was kept locked at all times.
7. ___ In the cold of winter, a wall heating unit, would not turn on
8. ___ The new tile pattern, yellow flowers on white background, really brightens up the
room.
9. ___ The high-powered computer, the most powerful machine of its type, was finally
readied for use.
10. ___ A longtime friend and confident, the psychologist was often invited over for Sunday
dinner.
SKILL 4: BE CAREFUL OF PRESENT PARTICIPLES
A present participle is the -ing form of the verb (talking, playing, etc). In the Structure section
of the TOEFL test a present participle can cause confusion because it can be either a part of
the verb or an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is preceded by some form of the verb
be.
The man is talking to his friend
Verb
Talking is verb because it is accompanied by is
A present participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be.
The man talking to his friend has a beard
Adjective Verb
Talking in this sentence is adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompanied by
some form of be. The verb in this sentence is has.

Example: The child______ playing in the yard is my son.

EXERCISE 4: Each of the following sentences contains one or more present participles.
Underline the Subjects once and the verbs twice. Circle the present participles and label them
as adjectives or verbs. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or Incorrect (I).
___ 1. The companies offering the lowest prices will have the most customers.
___ 2. Those travellers are completing their trip on Delta should report to Gate Three.
___ 3. The artisans were demonstrating various handicrafts at booths throughout the fair.
___ 4. The fraternities are giving the wildest parties attract the most new pledges.
___ 5. The first team winning four games is awarded the championship.
___ 6. The speaker was trying to make his point was often interrupted vociferously.
___ 7. The fruits were rotting because of the moisture in the crates carrying them to market.
___ 8. Any students desiring official transcripts should complete the appropriate form.
___ 9. The advertisements were announcing the half-day sale received a lot of attention.
___ 10. The spices flavoring the meal were quite distinctive.
 SKILL 5: BE CAREFUL OF PAST PARTICIPLES
Past participles can cause confusion in the Structure section of the TOEFL test because a past
participle can be either an adjective or a part of a verb. 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.
The family has purchased a television
Verb
The poem was written by Paul
Verb
In the first sentence the past participle purchased is part of the verb because it is accompanied
by has. In the second sentence the past participle written is part of the verb because it is
accompanied by was.
The television purchased yesterday was expensive
Adjective
The poem written by Paul appeared in the magazine
Adjective
In the first sentence purchased is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not
accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, was, later in the sentence). In the
second sentence written is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not accompanied by a
form of be or have (and there is a verb, appeared, later in the sentence).
Example:
The packages _____ mailed at the post office will arrive Monday.
(A) have
(B) were
(C) them
(D) just

Exercise 5:
____ 1. The money was offered by the client was not accepted.
____ 2. The car listed in the advertisement had already stalled.
____ 3. The chapters were taught by the professor this morning will be on next week’s exam.
____ 4. The loaves of bread were baked in a brick oven at a low temperature for many hours.
____ 5. The ports were reached by the sailors were under the control of a foreign nation.
____ 6. Those suspected in the string of robberies were under the control of a foreign nation.
____ 7. The pizza is served in this restaurant is the tastiest in the country.
____ 8. The courses are listed on the second page of the brochure have several prerequisites.
____ 9. All the tenants were invited to the Independence Day barbecue at the apartment
complex.
____ 10. Any bills paid the first of the month will be credited to your account by the next
day.