2 Structure Section: What’s Missing?

(Identifying Sentences)

The structure section in TOEFL has 40 questions. These questions requires you to complete
an incomplete sentence. Thus, the first thing you need to do is to identify what is missing
from the sentences.
There are some rules of English grammar that you need to remember to be able to identify
what is missing from a sentence as follows:
1. A SENTENCE consists at least A SUBJECT and A VERB (or some call it
PREDICATOR).

The smartest girl in the class with cute pink glasses no verb
1
SUBJECT incorrect sentence
The smartest girl in the class wins the speech
2 with cute pink glasses competition correct sentence
SUBJECT VERB
With her always wins the speech competition
no subject
3 teacher help
COMPLEMENT
incorrect sentence
VERB OBJECT

2. A SUBJECT could be in form of a noun/noun phrase/noun clause, pronoun, gerund,

or to infinitive.

Cats hate water.

Noun
Vegetables are good for your health.
Noun That adorable little baby smiles at me.
phrase That antique vase on the table is a gift from my uncle.
Whatever you say to him will not change his decision.
Noun
What makes me dissapointed the most is the low quality of the
clause
product.
I really hate waiting.
You made an appoinment wtih the doctor yesterday.
She enjoys watching Korean drama a lot.
Pronoun He never stops trying to ask her out.
They will solve the problem.
We finished reading the report.
It is difficult to write an article in this condition.

Singing gives her a great pleasure.

Gerund Walking home is something I really enjoy.
Taking my mother to Mecca is my dream comes true.
To To make you understand needs a lot of efforts.
 infinitive To be with you is my goal of life.
Here/Ther Here are the books we need to review.
e There is no time left to finish the book.

3. A VERB could be in form of a verb, a linking verb (seems to, look, etc.), or an
auxiliary verb (is, am, are, was, were, etc.)

My little sister drives her own car to her office

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT COMPLEMENT

The lifeguards look Ready to help them.

SUBJECT LINKING VERB OBJECT COMPLEMENT

That dishes taste delicious.

SUBJECT LINKING VERB COMPLEMENT

My little sister drives her own car to her office

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT COMPLEMENT

It is Important to wear a helmet.

SUBJECT AUXILIARY OBJECT COMPLEMENT
VERB

4. A VERB could be followed by AN OBJECT (if the verb is a transitive) or A

COMPLEMENT (if it is an intransitive).

The cat Sleeps on the sofa

SUBJECT INTRANSITIVE VERB COMPLEMENT

The new company Opens massive recruitments

SUBJECT TRANSITIVE VERB OBJECT

5. A SENTENCE is divided into two types; a one-clause sentence and a multiple-clause

sentence. It is a one-clause sentence when it only has one subject an one verb.

The loud music Annoyed the neighbours.

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT
A CLAUSE
= one-clause sentence
6. However, when a sentence has more than one subject and more than one verb, it is
called A Multiple-Clause Sentence. This sentence has CONJUNCTIONS to
connect each clauses in the sentence.

The annoye the so They reporte it to the

loud d neighbours d police
music , station.
SUBJECT VERB OBJECT CONJUCTION SUBJECT VERB OBJECT COMPLEMENT
CLAUSE 1 CLAUSE 2
= two-clause sentence

Tom read novel but Jack read comic becaus novels are too
s s s s e difficult
.
Conj S V C
S V O S V O
Conj
C
CLAUSE 1 CLAUSE 2 CLAUSE 3
= three-clause sentence
7. There are many kinds of conjunctions and connectors. However, you should be able
to to define those conjuctions/connectors to link phrases and those to link clauses. In
this case, we need to locate the conjuctions/connectors that link clauses.

Virly and Tio present their project quite well.

phrase conjuction

My mother bakes some cakes and decorates them beautifully.

clause conjuction
 STRUCTURE EXERCISE 1
Identify the elements of each sentence.
e.g. The progressive reading method in this school works efficiently.
subject verb complement

1. The new machine processes more than 1000 cans per hour.
2. The search results new clue to solve that case.
3. Eating too quickly gave him an upset stomach.
4. To travel around the world costs a lot of my saving, so i only do it once a year.
5. My friends planed to go climbing last weekend, but the wheather was terrible, so they
brought some new movie to be watched together in my house.

STRUCTURE EXERCISE 2
Indicate if the sentences are correct or incorrect. Underline the subjects once, the verbs
twice, and circle the conjuction/connectors if there is one.
e.g. No one from my class is admitted to that university because the entrance test is
tremendously difficult.
The cute little baby with red dresses and green ribbons on her hair. (no verb)
With his family went for a holiday to Praha last month. (no subject)
1. Yesterday found a very interesting article about Global Warming.
2. With their friend went for holiday to East Europe.
3. The assigned text for history class with Prof. McGreggor.
4. Since it is firstly lauched, the new application has provided a variety helpful features.
5. Engineers are needed to work on the new space program.
 STRATEGIES
1) Locate the VERB first to identify what’s missing from a sentence easier.
2) When you have identified what’s missing, study the OPTIONS.
3) When the missing part is the SUBJECT, then choose the option that could form
a subject (see rules no. 2)
4) When the missing part is the VERB, then choose the option that could form a
verb (see rules no. 3)
5) When the sentence is a multiple-clause sentence, identify whether each clause
has a subject and a verb, and also check whether the sentence has A
CONJUNCTION/CONNECTOR to connect each clauses.
6) There are TWO options that you could likely eliminate right away.
7) REMEMBER, DO NOT waste your time trying to understand each every words
in the sentence.

TOEFL STRUCTURE EXERCISE 1

Choose the option that best completes the sentence. Follow the strategies suggested
above.
e.g. ... is necessary for the development of strong bones and teeth.
A. Calcium
B. That calcium
C. Although calcium
D. It is calcium

How you do it:

1) Find the VERB. The verb of this sentence is ‘IS’.
2) Identify the missing part. The missing part of this sentence is THE SUBJECT,
which means it only needs a noun to form the subject.
3) Check THE OPTIONS. Option (c) and (d) could be eliminated right away,
because it doesn’t need another verb from option (d)); and it doesn’t need any
conjuction (although) from option (c) since it only has ONE CLAUSE, “
A. Calcium
B. That calcium
C. Although calcium
D. It is calcium
4) The best answer is (a), because the sentence discusses “Calsium” in general
context.
This steps approximately takes 5 – 20 seconds.

1. ... variety of flowers in the show, B. There was a wide

from simple carnations to the most C. Was there
exquisite roses. D. Many
A. A wide
2. The Military Academy at West
Point ... on the west bank of the
8. ... the demands of aerospace,
Hudson River, north of New York
City. medicine, and agriculture,
A. located aengineers, are creating exotic new
B. is located metallic substances.
C. which is located A. Meet
D. whose location is B. Being met are
C. To meet
3. Traditionally, ... in New England D. They are meeting
on Thanksgiving Day.
A. when served is sweet cider
B. when sweet cider is served 9. Like bacteria, protozoans ... by
C. is served sweet cider splitting in two.
D. sweet cider is served A. reproducing
B. reproduce
4. The wedges ... dart board are worth
C. to reproduce
from one to twenty points each.
A. they are on a D. reproduction
B. are on a
C. are they on a
D. on a

5. ... that gold was discovered at

Sutter's Mill and that the California 10. It is very difficult to stop the
Gold Rush began. cultivation of marijuana because ....
A. Because in 1848 A. it grows very carelessly
B. That in 1848 B. or it`s growth without attention
C. In 1848 that it was C. it grows well with little care
D. It was in 1848 D. it doesn`t care much to grow

6. ... is rooted in experiments in iron

and steel conducted in the 11. In 1964, ... of Henry Ossawa
nineteenth century. Tanner’s paintings was shown at
A. While the history of twentieth-
the Smithsonian Institution.
century architecture
B. The history of twentieth- A. was a major collection
century architecture B. that a major collection
C. That the history of twentieth- C. a collection was major
century architecture D. a major collection
D. Both twentieth-century
architecture and its history
12. It is presumed that rules governing
7. The celesta, an orchestral the sharing of food influenced ...
percussion instrument, that the earliest cultures evolved.
resembles .... A. that the way
A. a small upright piano B. is the way
B. how a small upright piano C. the way
C. a small upright piano is
D. which way
D. as a small upright piano
 adopted is the state song of
Virginia in 1940.
13. ... the formation of the sun, the
A. Was written
planets, and other stars began with
the condensation of an interstellar B. His writing was
cloud.
A. It accepted that C. He wrote the
B. Accepted that
C. It is accepted that D. Written by
D. That is accepted
18. Mary Garden, ... the early 1900’s
was considered one of the best
14. ... Carl Sandburg is also well singing actresses of her time.
known for his multivolume A. a soprano was popular
biography of Lincoln. B. in a popular soprano
A. An eminent American poet C. was a popular soprano
D. a popular soprano in
B. He is an eminent American
poet
19. ... was backed up for miles on
C. An eminent American poet freeway
who is
D. Despite an eminent American A. Yesterday
poet
15. After seeing the movie B. In the morning
Centennial .....
A. the book was read by many C. Traffict
people D. Cars
B. the book made many people
want to read it 20. During the early period of ocean
C. many people wanted to read navigation, ... any need for
sophisticated instruments and
the book
techniques.
D. the reading of the book
A. so that hardly
interested many people B. when there hardly was
C. hardly was
D. there was hardly
16. ... the demands of aerospace,
medicine, and agriculture, 21. The fact ... credit cards are widely
aengineers, are creating exotic new available has made them a popular
metallic substances. form of payment.
A. Meet A. of
B. Being met are B. that
C. To meet C. is that
D. They are meeting D. which is

22. The Constitution gave the

legislative branch of government ...
17. ... James A. Bland, “Carry Me
to pass laws.
Back to Old Virginny” was
A. the power
B. has the power
 C. the power is
D. of the power

23. ... main processes involved in

virtually all manufacturing:
extraction, assembly, and
alteration.
A. There are three
B. Three
C. The three
D. Three of the

24. In the past, lions ... common in

many parts of the world.
A. were
B. once
C. when
D. only

25. ... most important event in San

Francisco's history was the
disastrous earthquake and fire of
1906.
A. The
B. It was the
C. That the
D. There was a
 TOEFL WRITTEN EXPRESSION EXERCISE 1

Choose the letter of the underlined word or group of words that is not correct.

1. The Peace Corps was establish on March 1, 1961, by then President John F. Kennedy.
A B C D
2. The advisor told himself, while listening to the speech, that a dozen other reporters
A B
would has already asked that question.
C D
3. At the start of the American Revolution, lanterns were hung in the Old North Church
A B
as a signal that the British were came.
C D
4. Linus Pauling has wins two Nobel Prizes: the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the
A B C

1962 Nobel Peace Prize.

D
5. On the huge Ferris wheel constructed for a world exhibition in Chicago in 1893, each
A B C
of the thirty-six cabs could held sixty people.
D
6. To overcome rejection of a skin graft, a system for matching donor and recipient
A B C
tissues has be developed.
D
7. Nails are commonly make of steel but also can contain substances such as aluminum
A B C
or brass.
D
8. A patient suffering from amnesia may had partial or total loss of memory.
A B C D
9. The idea of using pure nicotine to help smokers stop was first tries in the mid-1980's
A B C
with nicotine-laced chewing gum.
D
10. Alice in Wonderland, first published in 1865, has since being translated into thirty
 A B C
languages.
D