UNIT 1
IDENTIFYING SENTENCES
WITH ONE CLAUSE
SKILL 1: THE SENTENCE HAS A
SUBJECT AND A VERB
A sentence in English should have a subject and a verb. The most
common types of problems that you will encounter in structure questions on the
TOEFL test have to do with subjects and verbs: perhaps the sentence is missing
either the subject or the verb or both, or perhaps the sentence has an extra
subject or verb.
Example: ________ was
ringing continuously for hours.
(A)
Loudly
(B)
In the morning
(C)
The phone
(D)
The bells
Example: Newspaper
______________ every morning and every evening.
(A)
delivery
(B)
are delivered
(C)
on time
(D)
regularly
EXERCISE 1: Underline the subjects and the verbs twice in each of the
following sentences. Then indicate if
the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I)
____ 1. Last week went
finishing for trout at the nearby mountain lake.
____ 2.A schedule of the
day’s events can be obtained at t he front desk.
____ 3. A job on the day
shift or the night shift at the plant available.
SKILL 2: OBJECTS OF
PREPOSITIONS
An object of a preposition is a noun or a pronoun that comes after a
preposition such as in, at, of, to, by,
behind, and on to form a
prepositional phrase.
The trip (to the island) (on
Saturday) will last (for three hours).
This sentence contains three objects of prepositions. Island is the object of the preposition to, Saturday is the object of the
preposition on; hours is the object of the preposition for.
An object of a preposition can cause confusion in the structure
section of the TOEFL test because it can be mistaken for the subject of a
sentence.
Example: To Mike
________ was a big surprise.
(A)
really
(B)
the party
(C)
funny
(D)
when
Correct or Incorrect
____ 1. The interviews by
radio broadcasters were carried live by the station.
____ 2. In the last possible
moment before takeoff took his seat in the airplane.
____ 3. For the last three
years at various hospitals in the county has been practicing.
SKILL 3: APPOSITIVES
Appositives can cause confusion in structure questions on the TOEFL
test because an appositive can be mistaken for the subject of a sentence. An
appositive is a noun that comes before or after another noun and has the same
meaning.
Sally, the best student in the class, got an A on the exam.
In this example Sally is the subject of the sentence and the best student in the class can easily be recognized as an appositive phrase
because of the noun student and
because of the commas. The sentence says that Sally and the best student in the class are the
same person. Note that if you leave out the appositive phrase, the sentence
still makes sense (Sally got an A on the
exam).
Example: _________,
George, is attending the lecture.
(A)
Right now
(B)
Happily
(C)
Because of the time
(D)
My friend
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. The son of the
previous owner, the new owner is undertaking some fairly broad changes in management policy.
____ 2. Last semester, a
friend, graduated cum laude from the
university.
____ 3. At long last, the
chief executive officer, has decided to step down.
SKILL 4: PRESENT PARTICIPLES
Present participles can cause confusion in the structure questions on
the TOEFL test because a present participle can be either an adjective or a
part of the verb. A present participle is the –ing form of the verb. It is part of the verb when it is preceded by
some form of the verb be.
The
train is arriving at the
station now.
VERB
In this sentence, arriving is
part of the verb because it is accompanied by is.
A present participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by
some form of the verb be.
The
train arriving at the station
now is an hour late.
ADJECTIVE
In this sentence, arriving is
an adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompanied by some
form of be. The verb in this sentence
is is.
Example: The film
_________ appearing at the local theater is my favorite.
(A)
now
(B)
is
(C)
it
(D)
was
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. The companies
offering the lowest prices will have the most customers.
____ 2. Those travelers are
completing their trip on Delta should report to Gate Three.
____ 3. The artisans were
demonstrating various handicrafts at booth throughout the fair.
SKILL 5: PAST PARTICIPLES
Past participles can cause confusion in structure questions on the
TOEFL test because a past participle can be either an adjective or a part of
the verb. The past participle is the form of the verb that appears with have or be. It often ends in –ed,
but there are also many irregular past participles in English.
The
mailman has left a letter in
the mailbox.
verb
The
classes were taught by
Professor Smith.
verb
In the first sentence, the past participle left is part of the verb because it is accompanied by has. In the second sentence, the past
participle taught is part of the verb
because it is accompanied by were.
A past participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some
form of be or have.
The
letter left in the mailbox was
for me.
adjective
The
classes taught by Professor
Smith were very interesting.
adjective
In the first sentence, left is
an adjective rather than a verb because it is not accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, was,
later in the sentence). In the second sentence, taught is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not
accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, were, later in the sentence).
Example: The bread
________ baked this morning smelled delicious.
(A)
has
(B)
was
(C)
it
(D)
just
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. The money was
offered by the client was not accepted.
____ 2. The car listed in the
advertisement had already stalled.
____ 3. The chapters were
taught by the professor this morning will be on next week’s exam.
UNIT 2
SENTENCES WITH MULTIPLE
CLAUSES
SKILL 6: USE COORDINATE
CONNECTORS CORRECTLY
Many sentences in English have more than one clause. (A clause is a
group of words containing a subject and a verb). When you have two clauses in
an English sentence, you must connect the two clauses correctly. One way to
connect two clauses is to use and, but,
or, yet, or so between the
clauses.
The
sun was shining, and the sky was
blue.
The
sky was blue, but it was very cold.
It
may rain tonight, or it may be clear.
It
was raining outside, so I took my
umbrella.
In each of these examples, there are two clauses that are correctly
joined with a coordinate connector ---- and,
but, or, yet, or so
--- and a comma (,).
Example: I forgot my
coat, ______ I got very cold.
(A)
then
(B)
so
(C)
later
(D)
as a result
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. The software
should be used on a laptop computer, and this computer is a laptop.
____ 2. The rain clouds can
be seen in the distance, but no has fallen.
____ 3. They are trying to
sell their house, it has been on the market for two months.
SKILL 7: USE ADVERB TIME AND CAUSE CONNECTORS CORRECTLY
Sentences with adverb clauses have
two basic patterns in English. Study the clauses and connectors in the
following sentences:
He
is tired because he has been working
hard.
Because he has been working hard, he is
tired.
Example: _______
arrived at the library, he started to work immediately.
(A)
The student
(B)
When
(C)
He
(D)
After the student
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. Since the bank
closes in less than an hour, the deposits need to be tallied immediately.
____ 2. Their backgrounds are
thoroughly investigated before are admitted to the organization.
____ 3. The ground had been
prepared, the seedlings were carefully planted.
SKILL 8: USE OTHER ADVERB CONNECTORS CORRECTLY
Adverb clauses can express the ideas of time and cause, as you saw in
Skill 7; adverb clauses can also express a number of other ideas, such as
contrast, condition, manner, and place. Because these clauses are adverb
clauses are adverb clauses, they have the same structure as the time and cause
clauses in Skill 7.
I
will leave at 7:00 if I am ready.
Although I was late, I managed to catch
the train.
Example: You will get
a good grade on the exam provided _______
(A)
studying
(B)
study
(C)
to study
(D)
you study
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. It is impossible
to enter that program if you lack experience as a teacher.
____ 2. The commandant left strict
orders about the passes, several soldiers left the post anyway.
____ 3. No one is admitted to
the academy unless he or she the education requirements.
SKILL 9: NOUN CLAUSE
CONNECTORS
A noun clause is a clause that functions as a noun; because the noun
clause functions as a noun, it is used in a sentence as an object of a verb (if
it follows a verb) or an object of a preposition (if it follows a preposition).
I
don’t know why he said such
things.
noun
clause as object of verb
I
am thinking about why he
said such things.
noun clause as object of
preposition
In the first example, there are two clauses, I don’t know and he said such
things. The two clauses are joined with the connector why. Why changes the
clause he said such things into a
noun clause which functions as the object of the verb don’t know.
In the second example, the two clauses I am thinking and he said such
things are also joined by the connector why.
Why changes the clause he said such things into a noun clause
which functions as the object of the preposition about.
Example: The citizens
worry about ________ is doing.
(A)
what the government
(B)
the government
(C)
it
(D)
is what the government
In this example, the sentence contains the main subject and verb, the citizens worry, and it also contains
an additional verb, is doing. The
sentence needs a subject for the verb is
doing and a connector to join the two clauses. The best answer is answer
(A) because it has the connector what
and the subject government. Answer
(B) and (C) are incorrect because they do not have connectors. Answer (D) is
incorrect because it has an extra verb.
(C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. When the
season starts is determined by the weather.
____ 2. The manual how the
device should be built.
____ 3. The schedule
indicated if the teams would be playing in the final game.
SKILL 10: NOUN CLAUSE CONNECTORS/SUBJECTS
In Skill 9 we saw that noun clause connectors can be used to introduce
noun clauses. In Skill 10 we will see that in some cases a noun clause
connector is not just a connector; a noun clause connector can also be the
subject of the clause at the same time.
I
know what happened
yesterday.
noun clause as object of verb
We
are thinking about what happened
yesterday.
noun clause as object of
preposition
In the first example, there are two clauses: I know and what happened
yesterday. These two clauses are joined by the connector what. It is important to understand that
in this sentence the word what serves
two functions. It is both the subject of the verb happened and the connector that joins the two clauses.
In the second example, there are two clauses. In the first clause we is the subject of are thinking. In the second clause what is the subject of happened. What also serves as the connector that joins the two clauses. The
noun clause what happened yesterday functions
as the object of the preposition about.
Example: The company
was prepared for _______ happened with the economy.
(A)
it
(B)
the problem
(C)
what
(D)
when
In this example, the sentence contains the main clause the company was prepared and another
verb, happened. The sentence needs a
subject for the verb happened and a
connector to join the two clauses. Answer (C) is the best answer because what is both a connector and a subject.
Answer (A) is incorrect because it is
a subject, but there is no connector. Answer (B) is incorrect because the problem is a subject, but there is no
connector. Answer (D) is incorrect because when
is a connector, but it is not a subject.
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. The game show contestant
was able to respond to whatever was asked.
____ 2. You should find out
which the best physic department.
____ 3. The employee was
unhappy about what was added to his job description.
SKILL 11: ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
CONNECTORS
An adjective clause is a clause that describes a noun. Because the
clause is an adjective, it is positioned directly after the noun that it
describes.
This
is the house that I want to
buy.
adjective clause
The
house that I want to buy
is quite expensive.
adjective clause
In the first example, there are two clauses: this is the subject of the verb is,
and I is the subject of the verb want. That is the adjective clause
connector that joins these two clauses, and the adjective clause that I want to buy describes the noun house.
In
the second example, there are also two clauses: house is the subject of the verb is, and I is the subject
of the verb want. In this sentence also,
that is the adjective clause
connector that joins these two clauses, and the adjective clause that I want to buy describes the noun house.
Example: The job ______ started yesterday
was rather difficult.
(A)
when
(B)
was
(C)
after
(D)
that he
In
this example, you should notice quickly that there are two clauses: job is the subject of the verb was, and the verb started needs a subject. Because there are two clauses, a connector
is also needed. Answer (A) and (C) have connectors, but there are no subjects,
so these answers are not correct. Answer (B) changes started into a passive verb; in this case the sentence would have
one subject and two verbs; so answer (B) is not correct. The best answer to
this question is answer (D). The correct sentence should say: The job that he started yesterday was rather
difficult. In this sentence job is
the subject of the verb was, he is
the subject of the verb started, and
the connector that joins these two
clauses.
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. It is
important to fill out the form in the way that you have been instructed.
____ 2. The car which I have
been driving for five years for sale at a really good price.
____ 3. I just finished
reading the novel whom the professor suggested for my book report.
SKILL 12: ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
CONNECTORS/SUBJECTS
In Skill 11 we saw that adjective clause connectors can be used to
introduce clauses that describe nouns. In Skill 12 we will see that in some
cases an adjective clause connector is not just a connector; an adjective
clause connector can also be the subject of the clause at the same time.
We
are looking at a house that is
quite expensive.
adjective
clause
The
house that is quite
expensive seems like a great house.
adjective
clause
In the first example, there are two clauses: we is the subject of the verb are
looking, and that is the subject
of the verb is. These two clauses are
joined with the connector that.
Notice that in this example the word that
serves two functions at the same time: it is the subject of the verb is, and it is the connector that joins
the two clauses. The adjective clause that
is quite expensive describes the
noun house.
In the second example, there are also two clauses: house is the subject of the verb seems, and that is the subject of the verb is.
In this example, that also serves
two functions: it is the subject of the verb is, and it is the connector that joins the two clauses. Because that is quite expensive is an adjective
clause describing the noun house, it
directly follows house.
Example: ______ just
dropped off a package for you is my sister.
(A)
The woman
(B)
The woman who
(C)
Because the woman
(D)
With the woman
In this example, you should notice immediately that the sentence has two
verbs: dropped and is, and each of them needs a subject.
The only answer that has two subjects is answer (B), so answer (B) is the
correct answer. The correct sentence should say: The woman who just dropped off a package is my sister. In this
sentence woman is the subject of the
verb is, and who is the subject of the verb dropped
Who is also the connector that joins the two clauses.
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. The ice cream
that is served in the restaurant has a smooth, creamy texture.
____ 2. The car are trying to
enter the freeway system are lined up for blocks.
____ 3. I have great respect
for everyone who on the Dean’s List.
SKILL 13: USE REDUCED ADJECTIVE
CLAUSES CORRECTLY
Adjective clause can appear in a reduced form. In the reduced form,
the adjective clause connector and the be-verb
that directly follow it are omitted.
The
woman who is waving to us is
the tour guide.
The
letter which was written last week
arrived today.
The
pitcher that is on the table
is full of iced tea.
Each of these sentences may be used in the complete form or in the
reduced form. In the reduced form the connector who, which, or that is
omitted along with the be-verb is or
was.
If there is no be-verb in
the adjective clause, it is still possible to have a reduced form. When there
is no be-verb in the adjective
clause, the connector is omitted and the verb is changed into the –ing form.
I don’t understand the article which appears in today’s paper.
appearing
In this example there is no be-verb
in the adjective clause which appears in
today’s paper, so the connector which
is omitted and the main verb appears is
changed to the –ing form appearing.
It should be noted that not all adjective clauses can appear in a
reduced form. An adjective clause can appear in a reduced form only if the
adjective clause connector is followed directly by a verb. In other words, an
adjective clause can only be reduced if the connector is also a subject.
The
woman that I just met is the tour
guide (does not
reduced)
The
letter which you sent me arrived
yesterday (does not
reduced)
In these two examples the adjective clauses cannot be reduced because
the adjective clause connectors that and
which are not directly followed by
verbs; that is directly followed by
the subject I, and which is directly followed by the
subject you.
A final point to note is that some adjective clauses are set off from
the rest of the sentence with commas, and these adjective clauses can also be
reduced. In addition, when an adjective clause is set off with commas, the
reduced adjective clause can appear at the front of the sentence.
The White House, which is located in Washington, is the
home of the president.
The
White House, located in Washington, is
the home of the president.
Located in Washington, The White House
is the home of the president.
In the example above, the adjective clauses are set off from the rest of the sentence with commas, so each
sentence can be structured in three different ways: (1) with the complete
clause, (2) with the reduced clause following the noun it describes, and (3)
with the reduced clause at the beginning of the sentence.
Example:
______ on several different
television programs, the witness gave conflicting accounts of what had
happened.
(A)
He appeared
(B)
Who appeared
(C)
Appearing
(D)
Appears
In this example, answer (A) is incorrect because there are two
clauses, He appeared….and the witness gave….., and there is no
connector to join them. Answer (B) is
incorrect because an adjective clause such as who appeared….. cannot appear at the beginning of a sentence
(unless it is in a reduced form). Answer (C) is the correct answer because it
is the reduced form of the clause who
appeared, and this reduced form can appear at the front of the sentence.
Answer (D) is not the reduced form of a verb; it is merely a verb in the
present tense; a verb such as appears needs
a subject and a connector to be correct.
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. We will have
to return the merchandise purchased yesterday at the Broadway.
____ 2. The children sat in
the fancy restaurant found it difficult to behave.
____ 3. Serving a term of
four years, the mayor of the town will face reelection next year.
SKILL 14: USE REDUCED ADVERB
CLAUSES CORRECTLY
Adverb clauses can also appear in a reduced form. In the reduced form,
the adverb connector remains, but the subject and the be-verb are omitted.
Although he is rather unwell, the
speaker will take part in the seminar.
When you are ready, you can begin
your speech.
These two examples may be used in either the complete or reduced form.
In the reduced form the adverb connectors although,
and when remain; the subjects he and you as well as the be-verb
is or are are omitted.
If there is no be-verb in
the adverb clause, it is still possible to have a reduced form. When there is
no be-verb in the adverb clause, the
subject is omitted and the main verb is changed into the –ing form.
(feeling)
Although he feels rather sick, the
speaker will take part in the seminar.
When you gave your speech, you
should speak loudly and distinctly.
(giving)
If the first example the adverb clause although he feels rather sick does not include a be-verb; to reduce this clause, the
subject he is omitted and the main
verb feels is changed to feeling. In the second example the
adverb clause when you give your speech also
does not include a be-verb; to reduce
this clause, the subject you is
omitted and the main verb give is
changed to giving.
Example: When
_______, you are free to leave
(A)
the finished report
(B)
finished with the report
(C)
the report
(D)
is the report finished
In this example you should notice the adverb connector when, and you should know that this time
word could be followed by either a complete clause or a reduced clause. Answers
(A) and (C) contain the subjects the
finished report and the report and
no verb, so these answers are incorrect. In answer (D) the subject and the verb
are inverted, and this is not a question, so answer (D) is incorrect. The
correct answer is answer (B); this answer is the reduced form of the clause when you finished with the report.
It should be noted that not all adverb clauses can appear in a reduced
form, and a number of adverb clauses can only be reduced if the verb is in the
passive form.
Once you submit your thesis, you will
graduate (active – does
not reduce)
Once it is submitted, your thesis
will be reviewed (passive –
does reduce)
In the first example, the
adverb clause once you submit your thesis
does not reduce because clauses introduced by once only reduce if the verb is passive, and the verb submit is active. In the second example,
the adverb clause once it is submitted does
reduce to once submitted because the
clause is introduced by once and the
verb is submitted is passive.
EXERCISE 14: Each of the following sentences contains a reduced adverb
clause. Circle the adverb connectors. Underline the reduced clauses. Then
indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. If not
completely satisfied, you can return the product to the manufacturer.
____ 2. Steve has had to
learn how to cook and clean since left home.
____ 3. Although not
selecting for the team, he attends all of the games as a fan
____ 4. When purchased at
this store, the buyer gets a guarantee on all items.
____ 5. You should negotiate
a lot before buy a new car.
UNIT 3
SENTENCES WITH INVERTED
SUBJECTS AND VERBS
SKILL 15: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH QUESTION WORDS
There is some confusion about when to invert the subject and verb
after question words such as what, when,
where, why, and how. These words
can have two very different functions in a sentence. First, they can introduce
a question, and in this case the subject and verb that follow are inverted.
What is the homework?
When can I leave?
Where are you going?
Also, these words can join together two clauses, and in this case the
subject and verb that follow are not inverted.
I
do not know what the homework is.
When I can leave, I will take the first
train.
Do
you know where you are going?
In each of these examples there are two clauses joined by a question
word. Notice that the subjects and verbs that follow the question words what, when, and where are not inverted in this case.
Example: The lawyer
asked the client why _______ it.
(A)
did he do
(B)
did he
(C)
he did
(D)
did
In this example the question word why
is used to connect the two clauses, so a subject and verb are needed after
this connector, this is not a question, so the subject and verb should not be
inverted. The best answer is therefore answer (C).
EXERCISE 15: Each of the following sentences contains a question mark.
Circle the question words. Underline the reduced clauses. Then indicate if the
sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. The phone
company is not certain when will the new directories be ready.
____ 2. The professor does
not understand why so many students did poorly on the exam.
____ 3. How new students can
get information about parking
____ 4. Only the pilot can
tell you how far can the plane go on one tank of fuel.
____ 5. How long it has been
since you arrived in the United States?
SKILL 16: INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE EXPRESSIONS
After ideas expressing place, the subject and the verb sometimes
invert in English. This can happen with single words expressing place, such as here, there, or nowhere.
Here is the book that you lent me.
There are the keys that I thought I
lost.
Nowhere have I seen such beautiful
weather.
In the first example the place word here causes subject book to
come after the verb is. In the second example the place word there causes the subject keys to come after the verb are. In the last example the place word nowhere causes the subject I to come after the verb have.
The subject and the verb can also be inverted after prepositional
phrase expressing place.
In the closet are the clothes that you
want.
Around the corner is Sam’s house.
Beyond the mountains lies the town where
you will live.
In the first example the prepositional phrase of the place in the closet causes the subject clothes to come after the verb are. In the second example the
prepositional phrase of place around the
corner causes the subject house to
come after the verb is. In the last
example the prepositional phrase of place beyond
the mountains causes the subject town
to come after the verb lies.
It is important (and a bit difficult) to understand that the subject
and verb will invert after place expressions at the beginning of a sentence
only when the place expression is necessary
to complete the sentence.
In the forest are many exotic birds.
In the forest I walked for many hours.
In the first example birds and
verb are inverted because the place
expression in the forest is needed to
complete the idea many exotic birds are……
In the second example the subject I and
the verb walked are not inverted
because the idea I walked for many hours is
complete without the place expression in
the forest; the place expression is therefore not needed to complete the
sentence.
Example: On the
second level of the parking lot ________
(A)
is empty
(B)
are empty
(C)
some empty stalls are
(D)
are some empty stalls
This example begins with the place expression on the second level of the parking lot, which consists of two
prepositional phrases, on the second
level and of the parking lot. This
sentence needs a subject and a verb to be complete, and the two answers that
contain both a subject, stalls, and
verb, are answer (C) and (D). The
subject and verb should be inverted because the place expression is necessary
to complete the idea some empty stalls
are……… The best answer is therefore answer (D).
EXERCISE 16: Each of the following sentences contains an expression of
place at the beginning of the sentence. Circle the expressions of place. Look
at the clause that immediately follow the place expressions and underline the
subjects once and the verbs twice. Then indicate if the sentences are correct
(C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. In front of
the house were some giant trees.
____ 2. There a big house is
on the corner.
____ 3. To the north the
stream is that the settlers will have to cross.
____ 4. Around the corner are
the offices that you are trying to find.
____ 5. At the Italian
restaurant was the food to spicy for my taste.
SKILL 17: INVERT THE SUBJECT
AND VERB WITH NEGATIVES
The subject and verb can also be inverted after certain negatives and
related expressions. When negative expressions, such as no, not, or never, come
at the beginning of a sentence, the subject and verb are inverted.
Not once did I miss a question.
Never has Mr. Jones taken a vacation.
At no time can the woman talk on the
telephone.
In the first example the negative expression not once causes the subject I
to come after the helping verb did. In
the second example the negative word never
causes the subject Mr. Jones to
come after the helping verb has. In
the last example the negative expression at
no time causes the subject woman to
come after the helping verb can.
Certain words in English, such as hardly,
barely, scarcely, and only, act
like negatives. If one of these words comes at the beginning of a sentence, the
subject and verb are also inverted.
Hardly ever does he take time off.
(This
means that he almost never takes time
off)
Only once did the manager issue overtime
paychecks.
(This
means that the manager almost never issued
overtime paychecks)
In the first example the “almost negative” expression hardly ever causes the subject he to come after the helping verb does. In the second example the “almost
negative” expression only once causes
the subject manager to come after the
helping verb did.
When a negative expression appears in front of a subject and verb in
the middle of a sentence, the subject and verb are also inverted. This happens
often with the negative words neither and
nor.
I
do not want to go, and neither does
Tom.
The
secretary us not attending the meeting, nor
is her boss.
In the first example the negative neither
causes the subject Tom to come
after the helping verb does. In the
second example the negative nor causes
the subject boss to come after the
verb is.
Example: Only in
extremely dangerous situation ______ stopped.
(A)
will be the printing presses
(B)
the printing presses will be
(C)
that the printing presses will be
(D)
will the printing presses be
In this example you should notice that the sentence begins with the
negative only, so an inverted subject
and verb are needed. Answer (D) contains a correctly inverted subject and verb,
with the helping verb will, the
subject printing presses, and the
main verb be, so answer (D) is the
best answer.
EXERCISE 17: Each of the following sentences contains a negative or
“almost negative” expression. Circle the negative expressions. Look at the
clause that follow and underline the subjects once and the verb twice. Then
indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. Never the boy
wrote to his sisters.
____ 2. On no occasion did
they say that to me.
____ 3. Only once in my life
gone I have to New York City.
____ 4. Did he go out of the
house at no time.
____ 5. Seldom their
secretary has made such mistakes.
SKILL 18: INVERT THE SUBJECT
AND VERB WITH CONDITIONALS
In certain conditional structures, the subject and verb may also be
inverted. This can occur when the helping verb in the conditional clause is had, should, or were, and the conditional connector if is omitted.
If he had taken more time, the result
would have been better.
Had
he taken more time, the results would have been better.
I
would help you if I were in a
position to help.
I
would help you were I in a position to help.
If you should arrive before 6:00, just
give me a call.
Should
you arrive before 6:00, just give me a call.
In each of these examples you can see that when if is included, the subject and verb are in the regular order (if he had taken, if I were, if you should
arrive). It is also possible to omit if;
in this case, the subject and verb are inverted (had he taken, were I, should you arrive).
Example: The report
would have been accepted ______ in checking its accuracy.
(A)
if more care
(B)
more care had been taken
(C)
had taken more care
(D)
had more care been taken
In this example a connector if and
a subject and verb are needed, but if could
be omitted and the subject and verb inverted. Answer (A) is incorrect because
it contains the connector if and the
subject care but no verb. Answer (B)
is incorrect because it contains the subject care and the verb had been
taken but does not have a connector. In answer (C) and (D), if has been omitted. Because it is
correct to invert the subject more care and
the helping verb had, answer (D) is
correct.
EXERCISE 18: Each of the following sentences contains a conditional
with a started or an implied if.
Circle the conditionals, or put an asterisk (*) where if has been omitted. Look at the clause that follow and underline
the subjects once and the verb twice. Then indicate if the sentences are
correct (C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. Were our
neighbors a bit more friendly, it would be somewhat easier to get to know them.
____ 2. There are plenty of
blankets in the closet if should you get cold during the night.
____ 3. Has he enough
vacation days left this year, he will take two full weeks off in December.
____ 4. Had we been informed
of the decision, we might have had something to say about it.
____ 5. I would like to know
could you help me pack these boxes.
SKILL 19: INVERT THE SUBJECT
AND VERB WITH COMPARISONS
An inverted subject and verb may also occur after a comparison. The
inversion of a subject and verb after a comparison is optional, rather than
required, and it is a rather formal structure. There have been a number of
inverted comparisons on recent TOEFL tests, so you should be familiar with this
structure.
My
sister spends more hours in the
office than John.
My
sister spends more hours in the
office than John does.
My
sister spends more hours in the
office than does John.
All three of these examples contain the comparison more…..than, and all three are correct
in English. It is possible to have the noun John
alone, as in the first example; it is possible that the comparison is
followed by the inverted subject and verb does
John, as in the third example.
Example: The results of the current
experiment appear to be more consistent than ______ the results of any previous
tests.
(A)
them
(B)
were
(C)
they were
(D)
were they
In this example you should notice the comparison more consistent than, and you should also understand that the results of the current experiment is
being compared with the results of any
previous tests. Because the results
of any previous tests is the subject, only a verb is needed; the best
answer to this question is therefore answer (B). We know that it is possible
for a subject and a verb to be inverted after a comparison, and in this case
the subject the result of any previous
tests comes after the verb were.
EXERCISE 19: Each of the following sentences contains a comparison.
Circle the comparisons. Look at the clause that follow and underline the
subjects once and the verb twice. Then indicate if the sentences are correct
(C) or incorrect (I).
____ 1. This candidate
has received more votes than has any other candidate in previous years.
____ 2. Obviously we
were much more impressed with the performance than did the other members of the
audience.
____ 3. The film that we saw
last night at the festival was far better than any of the other films.
____ 4. I am afraid that is
the condition of these tires as bad as the condition of the others.
____ 5. Do you know why does
he need to sleep so many more hours than do the others?
