TOEFL Grammar and Sentence Structure — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence is grammatically correct?
- Neither the students nor the teacher were prepared for the exam.
- Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared for the exam. (Correct answer)
- Neither the students nor the teacher are prepared for the exam.
- Neither the students nor the teacher have been prepared for the exam.
Correct answer: Neither the students nor the teacher was prepared for the exam.
With "neither...nor" constructions, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it. Since "the teacher" (singular) is closest to the verb, the correct form is "was." This is the proximity rule for correlative conjunctions.
Question 2: Identify the sentence that contains a dangling modifier:
- Running quickly, the athlete crossed the finish line.
- After finishing the experiment, the data was analyzed by the researchers. (Correct answer)
- Having read the article, she understood the argument clearly.
- While driving to the conference, he reviewed his notes mentally.
Correct answer: After finishing the experiment, the data was analyzed by the researchers.
In sentence B, "After finishing the experiment" dangles because the implied subject ("researchers") is not the subject of the main clause — "the data" cannot finish an experiment. The other sentences correctly have the participial phrase modifying the actual subject of the main clause.
Question 3: Which option correctly uses the subjunctive mood?
- The committee recommends that he submits his report by Friday.
- The committee recommends that he submitted his report by Friday.
- The committee recommends that he submit his report by Friday. (Correct answer)
- The committee recommends that he will submit his report by Friday.
Correct answer: The committee recommends that he submit his report by Friday.
The subjunctive mood is used after verbs of recommendation, suggestion, demand, or requirement (recommend, suggest, insist, require). In the subjunctive, the base form of the verb is used regardless of the subject. So "he submit" (not "submits" or "submitted") is correct.
Question 4: Choose the sentence with correct parallel structure:
- The professor enjoys lecturing, to write articles, and conducting research.
- The professor enjoys lecturing, writing articles, and conducting research. (Correct answer)
- The professor enjoys to lecture, writing articles, and to conduct research.
- The professor enjoys lecture, writing articles, and to conduct research.
Correct answer: The professor enjoys lecturing, writing articles, and conducting research.
Parallel structure requires that items in a series use the same grammatical form. In sentence B, all three activities use the gerund (-ing) form: lecturing, writing, conducting. The other options mix gerunds and infinitives, violating parallelism.
Question 5: In the sentence "The research, which was conducted over three years, produced groundbreaking results," the clause "which was conducted over three years" is:
- A restrictive relative clause that is essential to the sentence's meaning
- A non-restrictive relative clause that adds extra, non-essential information (Correct answer)
- An adverbial clause modifying "produced"
- An independent clause joined by a coordinating conjunction
Correct answer: A non-restrictive relative clause that adds extra, non-essential information
Non-restrictive relative clauses, set off by commas and introduced by "which," provide additional (non-essential) information about a noun. If removed, the sentence still makes complete sense: "The research produced groundbreaking results." Restrictive clauses (using "that") are essential and do not use commas.
Question 6: Which sentence correctly uses a conditional structure to describe a hypothetical present situation?
- If she studies harder, she would pass the TOEFL.
- If she studied harder, she would pass the TOEFL. (Correct answer)
- If she would study harder, she would pass the TOEFL.
- If she had studied harder, she would pass the TOEFL.
Correct answer: If she studied harder, she would pass the TOEFL.
For hypothetical present/future conditions (second conditional), the structure is: "If + simple past, would + base verb." So "If she studied (past), she would pass" is correct. Using "would" in both clauses (C) or mixing tenses (A, D) produces grammatically incorrect structures.
TOEFL Grammar and Sentence Structure
Which sentence is grammatically correct?