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Grammar Tips for TOEFL
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Grammar Tips - Structure and Written Expression !! Pronouns: A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Modifiers: used to describe another word Adjectives: describe nouns Adverbs: describe adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs (many adverbs end in -ly) Subject: The subject of a sentence is either a noun or a pronoun. It tells you who or what is performing the action. Articles: a, an and the are all articles. For example: “I put the book on a table.” “An” is used in the similar manner as “a” except that it is used before nouns and adjectives starting with a vowel, such as “an orange” or “an eye” or “an apple” or “an intense storm”. “An” is not used before the letter “Y”; you would use “a”, such as “a yellow towel” or “a young man” or “a yapping dog”. “A” and “an” are used to modify single nouns or adjectives modifying single nouns. “The” can be used for both single and plural modifiers; for example, “I put the books on the table” or “I put the book on the table.” Prepositions: into, from, without, etc. Conjunctions: Conjunctions link words or word groups in a sentence. Examples: and, or, but, etc. Sentences: Sentences must have both a subject and a conjugated verb. It expresses a complete thought. For example, “He went to the store”. “He” is the subject, “went” is the verb, and “to the store” is the adverb clause telling where he went. Flexible Verbs: Some words may look like verbs but do not act like verbs. Participate: this form of verb often ends in -ing or -ed and acts as an adjective. For example, “The talking doll was very pretty.” or “That baked pie smells delicious.” Gerund: this form of verb ends in -ing and acts as a noun. For example, “Listening to him was very educational.” Infinitive: the basic form of a verb but is not the main verb and can act as a noun, an adverb, or an adjective. For example, as a noun: “To speak in front of an audience is very frightening to many people.” Advanced Grammar Phrases: A phrase is a group of words that act as a part of speech. It does not express a complete thought like a sentence. Clauses: independent or dependant clauses |