- •I. Verbs
- •Can/Could
- •May/Might
- •Had better
- •Know how
- •Would rather/Would rather that
- •Would you mind/Do you mind
- •Irregular verbs
- •Verbs that have irregular forms in the simple past and the past participle:
- •Infinitive Simple Past Past Participle
- •Verbs as Modifiers
- •Gerunds
- •Infinitives
- •Participles
- •Gerunds and Infinitives
- •Verbs followed by the gerund (-ing):
- •Verbs followed by the infinitive:
- •Phrasal Verbs
- •II. Nouns
- •Count Nouns
- •Noncount Nouns
- •Nouns with Count or Noncount Meaning
- •Nouns and Articles
- •Sentences without articles
- •Nouns as modifiers
- •Numerical Modifiers
- •1. Order
- •2. Dates
- •III. Pronouns
- •Exceptions Possessive
- •There are many shops on Fifth Avenue
- •Relative Pronouns
- •General Person Pronouns
- •Agreement
- •Possessing the Gerund
- •IV. Modifiers
- •Simple Modifiers
- •Irregular forms
- •Nouns as Modifiers
- •Modifier Exceptions Enough
- •Extra Information Clauses
- •Question Words in a Statement
- •Introductory Modifiers
- •Introductory Verbal Modifiers
- •V. Comparatives
- •Irregular forms
- •Same as
- •Similar to
- •Like, Alike
- •Different from
- •Irregular forms
- •Advanced Comparative Forms
- •VI. Prepositions
- •Other time prepositions
- •Instead/Instead of
- •Because/Because of
- •VII. Conjunctions
- •Neither/Either
- •Advanced rule
- •So/So that/So too
- •Despite/In spite of
- •Both...And/Both...And...As well as
- •As it was raining, we didn’t take our afternoon walk
- •By/By the time/Until
Irregular forms
good better best
bad worse worst
far further furthest
Advanced Comparative Forms
Sometimes we repeat the comparative to say that something is changing continuously.
The work keeps getting harder and harder.
I find it easier and easier to find an apartment that I like.
The work on the book is becoming more and more boring.
We can also use a parallel structure form to describe actions that are connected.
The sooner I finish this work the better.
The fewer responsibilities you have the more free time you get.
The higher we climb the harder it is for me to breathe.
And be careful when you quantify a comparative.
These dishes cost twice as much as they did at the other shop.
The students must often work three times as hard as normal
or
These dishes are twice as expensive as they were at the other shop.
The students must often work three times harder than normal.
VI. Prepositions
Prepositions do many things in English. We have seen them with verbs, in idiomatic expressions, in modifiers, everywhere. There are more exceptions with prepositions than with any other part of speech in English. Fortunately, you are not required to know them all. As we have said about idioms, in order to truly master them, you must practice the language in the country of origin. However, for the TOEFL, this section should help you considerably.
Below are common problems with prepositions found on the TOEFL. Like the idioms, you will have to memorize them.
At, On, and In
These prepositions are very common in describing a place or describing a time. Although prepositions have a regular form, we are going to look at the advanced cases. Please be very careful with the exceptions.
Place
At.....referring to a specific place
...at the doctors office
...at number 10 Main Street
...at the corner of 5th and 17th
On....referring to a general area
....on the playing fields
....on Main Street
....on top of the building
....on the side of the road
In....referring to a much more general place
...in Madrid
...in the classroom
...in the countryside
...in the urban area
Consider this example:
I live at number 10 on Simon Avenue in London.
Consider these exceptions:
We were on the beach.
I will meet you on the corner of 5th in ten minutes.
He was in the apartment on Main Street.
Time
At...referring to a specific time
...at 10 o’clock
....at sunset
....at midnight
On...referring to a particular day
...on Monday
...on July 23rd
...on the first day of the month
In....referring to a general period of time
...in the Middle Ages
...in 1998
...in ten minutes
Consider this example:
Classes will begin at 6:30 on Monday in September.
And consider these exceptions:
at night
in the evenings
at present
over the weekend
at Christmas
Other time prepositions
Since...refers to a time when the action began.
We have lived here since 1996.
I have studied since I was a child.
(Notice that we use the present perfect tense: the action began in the past and continues through the moment of speaking.)
For...refers to a period of time
We have lived here for 3 years.
I studied for 20 years.
From...to....refers to the beginning and the end of an action.
We lived there from 1996 to 1998.
I studied from my childhood to my earlier adult years.
During/While... referring to an action the coincides with another action
I was working while I thought about the movie.
I was living in Dallas while I was preparing for graduate school.
I met Sarah during the museum exhibition.
Between and Among
Between will always be used where there are two things.
The book is between the stereo and the window.
The museum is between the main avenue and the park.
Among will always be used where there are three or more things.
The CD is among the things on the shelf.
The child is certainly among his friends
Paris is among the greatest cities in the world.
But and Except
These two prepositions can mean the same thing. Remember, however, that “but” can also mean “however.”
Everyone but Sarah has enrolled in the course.
or
Everyone except Sarah has enrolled in the course.
I will take every book except this one.
or
I will take every book but this one.