2 STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

The second section of the TOEFL test is the Structure and Written Expression section. This section
consists of forty questions. You have twenty-five minutes to complete the forty questions in this
section. There are two types of questions in the Structure and Written Expressions section of
TOEFL test.
1. Structure (questions 1-15) consists of fifteen sentences in which part of the sentence has been
replaced with a black. Each sentence is followed by four answer choices. You must choose the
answer that completes the sentence in a grammatically correct way.
2. Written Expressions (questions 16-40) consists of twenty-five sentences in which four words
or groups of words have been underlined. You must choose the underlined words or groups of
words that is not correct.

GENERAL STRATEGIES
1. Your purpose is to determine what is needed to complete sentence correctly.
2. Study each answer based on how well it completes the sentences. Eliminate answers that do not
complete the sentence correctly.
3. Do not try to eliminate incorrect answers by looking only at the answers. The incorrect answers
are generally incorrect only when used to complete the sentence.

THE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS

STRATEGIES
1. Read the entire sentence, inserting the (A) answer.
2. If that is not correct, try to discover why it is incorrect.
3. If you can discover why (A) is incorrect, proceed to answer (B), (C), and (D).
4. If you still are not sure, try to remember a formula for the sentence.
5. If you cannot find the correct answer, eliminate the obviously incorrect answers and guess.

EXAMPLE

The plane__________ landing at the airport in five minute.

(A) it is
(B) it really is
(C) is descending
(D) will be

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 EXERCISE 1

1. ____ was ringing continuously for hours. 6. ____arrived at the library, he started to work
immediately.
(A) Loudly
(B) In the morning (A) The student
(C) The phone (B) When
(D) The bells (C) He
(D) After the student
2. The film ____ appearing at the local
theatre is my favourite. 7. The citizens worry about ____________ is
doing.
(A) now
(B) is (A) what the government
(C) it (B) the government
(D) was (C) what
(D) what the government it
3. To Mike ____ was a big surprise.
8. The company was prepared for ______
(A) really
happened with the economy.
(B) the party
(C) funny (A) it
(D) when (B) the problem
(C) what
4. The bread ____ baked this morning (D) when
smelled delicious.
9. The job ______ started yesterday was rather
(A) has
difficult.
(B) was
(C) it (A) when
(D) just (B) was
(C) after
5. I forgot my coat, ____ I got very cold. (D) that he
(A) then 10. _____ just dropped off a package for you is
(B) so
my sister.
(C) later
(D) as a result (A) The woman
(B) The woman who
(C) Because the woman
(D) With the woman

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 THE WRITTEN EXPRESSION QUESTIONS
Questions 16 through 40, in the Structure and Written Expression section of the TOEFL test,
measure your knowledge of the correct way to express yourself in English writing. Each question in
this section consists of one sentence in which four groups of words have been underlined. You must
choose the letter of the word or group of words that is not correct.

Example

The result of the study are not accurate.

A B C D

If you look at the underlined words in the example, you should see that the verb are is not correct.
The verb should be the singular is because subject result is singular. Therefore, you should choose
answer (C) because (C) is not correct.

STRATEGIES
1. Look at the underlined word or group of words. You want to see if you can spot which of the
four answer choices is not correct.
2. 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.
3. Never leave any answers blank. Be sure to answer each question even if you are unsure of the
correct answer

EXAMPLE

In the United Stated, there are much holidays throughout the year.
A B C D

Tomatoes grows all year long in Florida.

A B C D

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 EXERCISE 2

1. Polar winters are length, dark, and cold enough to kill most plants.
A B C D

2. Coal are actually the remains of very ancient wood.

A B C D

3. Some of the stars in the closing stages of their lives becomes white dwarfs.
A B C D

4. The normally force of gravity at the Earth's surface is called 1g.

A B C D

5. Edward McDowell is remember as the composer of such perennial favorites as "To a Wild Rose."
A B C D

6. CAT scanners are used not only for detecting conditions but also for observation the effects
A B C
of therapy.
D

7. The Great Salt Lake is the remnant of a vast inland seas.

A B C D

8. The neocortex becomes progressive more developed in the more advanced mammals.
A B C D

9. A huge amount of immigrants passed through the Great Hall on Ellis Island between 1892
A B C D
and 1954.

10. If my friend calls, please tell them that I will return the call.
A B C D

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 11. The poet Walt Whitman was an easily recognized figure with he long, white beard and
A B C D
wide-brimmed hat.

12. The sand dollars are a distinctive group of sea urchins that have adapt especially to life on
A B C D
sandy shores.

13. He knew that he would forgot the phone number.

A B C D

14. Someone who personifies the "American Dream" are Andrew Carnegie, who immigrated
A B
without money and made millions in the steel industry.
C D

15. The Nez Perce lived peacefully with the trappers and traders who traveled theirs lands.
A B C D

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