TOEFL Grammar and Sentence Structure 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement with a complex subject?
- The committee, along with its advisors, have reached a decision.
- The committee, along with its advisors, has reached a decision. (Correct answer)
- The committee, along with its advisors, were reaching a decision.
- The committee, along with its advisors, reach a decision yesterday.
Correct answer: The committee, along with its advisors, has reached a decision.
When a singular subject is followed by a phrase beginning with "along with," "as well as," or "together with," the verb agrees with the singular subject, not the phrase. "The committee" is singular, so the correct verb is "has."
Question 2: Identify the sentence with a dangling modifier:
- Running through the park, the children heard the birds singing.
- Running through the park, the sound of birds filled the air. (Correct answer)
- While running through the park, the children heard birds.
- The children, running through the park, heard birds.
Correct answer: Running through the park, the sound of birds filled the air.
A dangling modifier occurs when the phrase does not logically modify the subject of the main clause. In Option B, "Running through the park" implies the sound was running, which is illogical. The children were running, not the sound.
Question 3: Which sentence correctly uses a restrictive relative clause?
- The professor, who teaches biology, published a new book.
- The professor who published a controversial study was dismissed. (Correct answer)
- The professor, who published a controversial study, was dismissed.
- The study, that was controversial, changed the field.
Correct answer: The professor who published a controversial study was dismissed.
A restrictive relative clause (no commas) is essential to identify which specific person or thing is being discussed. Option B identifies which professor (the one who published a controversial study) without commas, making it restrictive. "That" is used for restrictive clauses with things, not people.
Question 4: Choose the sentence that correctly uses parallel structure:
- She enjoys hiking, to swim, and reading novels.
- She enjoys hiking, swimming, and to read novels.
- She enjoys hiking, swimming, and reading novels. (Correct answer)
- She enjoys to hike, swimming, and reading novels.
Correct answer: She enjoys hiking, swimming, and reading novels.
Parallel structure requires that elements in a series use the same grammatical form. In Option C, all three activities use the gerund form (-ing): hiking, swimming, reading. The other options mix gerunds and infinitives, violating parallelism.
Question 5: Which sentence correctly uses the past perfect tense?
- By the time the results arrived, the team already celebrated.
- By the time the results arrived, the team had already celebrated. (Correct answer)
- By the time the results arrived, the team has already celebrated.
- By the time the results arrived, the team was celebrating already.
Correct answer: By the time the results arrived, the team had already celebrated.
The past perfect tense ("had + past participle") is used to show that one past action was completed before another past action. "Had already celebrated" correctly shows that the celebration was completed before the results arrived.
Question 6: Select the sentence with correct use of a conditional structure:
- If scientists will discover a cure, many lives would be saved.
- If scientists discovered a cure, many lives will be saved.
- If scientists were to discover a cure, many lives would be saved. (Correct answer)
- If scientists had discover a cure, many lives would be saved.
Correct answer: If scientists were to discover a cure, many lives would be saved.
The hypothetical conditional uses "were to + base verb" in the if-clause and "would + base verb" in the result clause to express unlikely or theoretical scenarios. Options A and B mix tenses incorrectly; Option D uses an incorrect verb form.
TOEFL Grammar and Sentence Structure 3
Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement with a complex subject?