TOEFL Grammar and Sentence Structure Flashcards

Which sentence is grammatically 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.

Identify the sentence that contains a dangling modifier:

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.

Which option correctly uses the subjunctive mood?

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.

Choose the sentence with correct parallel structure:

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.

In the sentence "The research, which was conducted over three years, produced groundbreaking results," the clause "which was conducted over three years" is:

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.

Which sentence correctly uses a conditional structure to describe a hypothetical present situation?

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.