The Complete Guide To The TOEFL Test

254 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression

LESSON 43

ERRORS WITH CONJUNCTIONS

You may encounter errors with either correlative conjunctions or coordinate conjunctions.

A) Errors with Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are two-part conjunctions. Errors usually involve an incorrect combination of the two parts, such as neither . .. or or not only. ... and. Anytime you see a sentence containing correlative conjunctions, you should be on the lookout for this type of error. This is an easy error to spot!

either ... or

neither ... nor

both ... and

not only ... but also

whether ... or

Another error is the use of both . .. and to join three elements.

T Sample Items

X rays have important applications, not only in medicine

and in industry.

C D

The correct pattern is not only . .. but also.

The air that surrounds our planet is both odorless,

colorless, and invisible.

Because both . . . and can be used to join only two elements, the word both must be eliminated to correct the sentence. ..

B) Errors with Coordinate Conjunctions

The conjunction and is correctly used to show addition; or is used to show choice between alternatives; but is used to show contrast or opposition.

Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression 255

'Y Sample Item

Brakes and clutches serve very different functions

A B

in an automobile, and their principles of operation

-c

are nearly the same.

- 0 -

The first clause discusses how brakes and clutches are different; the second clause discusses how they are the same. Therefore, the conjunction joining them must show contrast. Choice (C) should read but. ...

Exercise 43

Focus: Identifying and correcting errors involving conjunctions.

Directions: If the underlined form is correct, mark the sentence C. If the underlined form is incorrect, mark the sentence X and write a correction for the underlined form in the blank at the end of the sentence. The first one is done as an example.

~1. Model airplanes can be guided both by control wires or by radio transmitters.

either

2.Information in a computer can be lost because it is no longer stored or because it is stored but cannot be retrieved. ______

3.John Lancaster Spaulding was not only a religious leader and also a social reformer.

4.Although fish can hear, they have neither external ears or eardrums. ______

5. In all animals, whether simple and complex, enzymes aid in the digestion of food.

6.The two most common methods florists use to tint flowers are the spray method or the absorption method. ______

___ 7. Beekeepers can sell either the honey and the beeswax that their bees produce.

8.The alloys brass and bronze both contain copper as their principal metals. ______

9.The human brain is often compared to a computer, and such an analogy can be misleading. ______

10.Rust both corrodes the surface of metal but also weakens its structure. ______

11.A work of science fiction generally uses scientific discoveries and advanced technology, either real or imaginary, as part of its plot. ______

___ 12. Community theater both provides entertainment for local audiences but also furnishes a creative outlet for amateurs interested in drama. ______

Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression 257

MINI-TEST 7: WRITIEN EXPRESSION

Directions: The sentences below have four underlined words or phrases, (A), (B), (C), and (D). You must identify the one underlined expression that must be changed for the sentence to be correct. Then find the Ilumber of the question Oil your answer sheet and fill in the space corresponding to the letter.

Time: 15 minutes

5. Commercial bakeries can make thousands of loaves of bread on one time by using

automated equipment.

2. North America is a third largest of the seven continents.

ABC 0

___ 3. Neither humans or dogs can hear as well as cats.

A Il c:---O

4. The astronomer George Hale was a pioneer in the art of photograph the Sun.

Aile 0

backgrounds.

258 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression

S. Oceanography is not a singl~ science and rather a group of disciplines wit~ a common

A n c

focus.

- 0 -

September, two months earlier than the rest of the nation. o

10. Snowshoes allow a person walking on snow without sinking into it because they

ABC

distribute the person's weight over a wide area.

I)

11. Fuel injection engines employ injectors instead a carburetor to spray fuel into the

ABC 0

equipped with electrical elevators. o

14. Diaries and journals writing during colonial times provide the best records of that era.

ABC D

15. Frequently, the combination of several spices will result of a more pleasing flavor than

ABC J)

the use of just one.

___ 16. Gold topaz is much rare than either white or blue topaz.

___ 17. A mosaic is picture made from small bits of colored glass or tile.

IS. Reclamation is the successful attempt to mak~ deserts, marshlands, or other unusable

A B

land suitable of farming or building.

___ 19. A successful salesperson must have an intuitive understanding of psychology human.

ABC 0