STRUCTURE OF TOEFL TEST #

STRUCTURE OF TOEFL

The second section of the TOEFL test is the Structure and Written Expression section. This section consists of forty questions (some tests may be longer). You have twenty-five minutes to complete the forty questions in this section. There are two types of questions in the Structure and Written Expression section of the TOEFL test:

·       Structure

(questions 1-15) consists of fifteen sentences in which part of the sen-tence has been replaced with a blank. Each sentence is followed by four answer choices. You must choose the answer that completes the sentence in a grammatically correct way.

·       Written Expression

(questions 16-40) consists of twenty-five sentences in which four words or groups of words have been underlined. You must choose the underlined word or group of words that is not correct.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

·       Be familiar with the directions.

The directions on every TOEFL test are the same, so it is not necessary to spend time reading the directions carefully when you take the test You should be completely familiar with the directions before the day of the test.

·       Begin with questions I through 15.

Anticipate that questions I through 5 will be the easiest. Anticipate that questions 11 through 15 will be the most difficult Do not spend too much time on questions 11 through 15.There will be easier questions that come later.

·       Continue with questions 16 through 40.

Anticipate that questions 16 through 20 will be the easiest. Anticipate that questions 36 through 40 will be the most difficult. Do not spend too much time on questions 36 through 40.

·       If you have time, return to questions 11 through 15.

You should spend extra time on questions 11 through 15 only after you spend all the time that you want on the easier questions. .

·       Never leave any answers blank on your answer sheet.

Even if you are not sure of the correct response, you should answer each question.There is no penalty for guessing.

THE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS

In the TOEFL test, questions 1 through 15 of the Structure and Written Expression section test your knowledge of the correct structure of English sentences. The questions in this section are multiple-choice questions in which you must choose the letter of the answer that best completes the sentence.

Example

____is taking a trip to New York.

(A) They

(B) When

(C) The woman

(D) Her

In this example, you should notice immediately that the sentence has a verb (is taking), and that the verb needs a subject. Answers (B) and (D) are incorrect because when and her are not subjects. In answer (A), they is a subject, but they is plural and the verb is taking is singular. The correct answer is answer (C); the woman is a singular subject. You should therefore choose answer (C).

STRATEGIES FOR THE STRUCTURE QUESTIONS

·       First study the sentence.

Your purpose is to determine what is needed to complete the sentence correctly.

·       Then study each answer based on how well it completes the sentence.

Eliminate answers that do not complete the sentence correctly.

·       Do not try to eliminate incorrect answers by looking only at the answers.

The incorrect answers are generally correct by themselves.The incorrect answers are generally incorrect only when used to complete the sentence.

·       Never leave any answers blank.

Be sure to answer each question even if you are unsure of the correct response.

·       Do not spend too much time on the Structure questions.

Be sure to leave adequate time for the Written Expression questions.

The following skills will help you to implement these strategies in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

SENTENCES WITH ONE CLAUSE

Some sentences in English have just one subject and verb, and it is very important for you to find the subject and verb in these sentences. In some sentences it is easy to find the subject and verb. However, certain structures, such as objects of prepositions, appositives, and participles, can cause confusion in locating the subject and verb because each of these structures can look like a subject or verb. The object of the preposition can be mistaken for a subject.

Therefore, you should be able to do the following in sentences with one subject and verb: (1) be sure the sentence has a subject and a verb, (2) be careful of objects of prepositions and appositives when you are looking for the subject, and (3) be careful of

present participles and past participles when you are looking for the verb.

SKILL

1: BE SURE THE SENTENCE HAS A SUBJECT AND A VERB

You know that a sentence in English should have a subject and a verb. The most common types of problems that you will encounter in the Structure section of 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 backed up for miles on the freeway.

(A) Yesterday

(B) In the morning

(C) Traffic

(D) Cars

In this example you should notice immediately that there is a verb (was), but there is no subject. Answer (C) is the best answer because it is a singular subject that agrees with the singular verb was. Answer (A), yesterday, and answer (B),in the morning, are not subjects, so they are not correct. Although answer (D), cars, could be a subject, it is not correct because cars is plural and it does not agree with the singular verb was.

The following chart oudines what you should remember about subjects and verbs:

SUBJECT AND VERBS

A sentence in English must have at least one subject and one verb.

2: BE CAREFUL OF 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, on, and so on, to form a prepositional phrase. (After his exams) Tom will take a trip (by boat). This sentence contains two objects of prepositions. Exams is the object of the preposition after and boat is the object of the preposition by. 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

With his friend _____ found the movie theater.

(A) has

(B) he

(C) later

(D) when

In this example you should look first for the subject and the verb. You should notice the verb found and should also notice that there is no subject. Do not think that friend is the subject; friend is the object of the preposition with, and one noun cannot be both a subject and an object at the same time. Because a subject is needed in this sentence, answer (B), he, is the best answer. Answers (A), (C), and (D) are not correct because they cannot be subjects.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about objects of prepositions:

OBJECT OF PREPOSITIONS

A preposition is followed by a noun or pronoun that is called an object of the preposition. If a word is an object of a preposition, it is not the subject.

3: BE CAREFUL OF APPOSITIVES

Appositives can cause confusion in the Structure section of 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). The following example shows how an appositive can be confused with the subject of a sentence in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example :

____, George, is attending the lecture.

(A) Right now

(B) Happily

(C) Because of the time

(D) My friend

In this example you should recognize from the commas that George is not the subject of the

sentence. George is an appositive. Because this sentence still needs a subject, the best answer is (D), my friend. Answers (A), (B), and (C) are incorrect because they are not subjects. The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about appositives:

APPOSITIVES

An appositive is a noun that comes before or after another noun and is generally set off from the noun with commas. If a word is an appositive, it is not the subject. The following appositive structures are both possible in English.

S                      APP,                                        V

Tom,   a really good mechanic,         is fixing the car.

APP,                            S                                  V

A really good mechanic,        Tom                is fixing the car.

4: BE CAREFUL OF PRESENT PARTICIPLES

A present participle is the -ing form of the verb (talking, playing). In the Structure section of the TOEFL test a present participle can cause confusion because it can be either a part of the verb or an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is preceded by some form of the verb be.

The man is talking to his friend.

VERB

In this sentence talking 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 man talking to his friend has a beard.

ADJECTIVE

In this sentence talking is an adjective and not part of the verb because it is not accompa-nied

by some form of be. The verb in this sentence is has.

The following example shows how a present participle can be confused with the verb in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

The child ____ playing in the yard is my son.

(A) now

(B) is

(C) he

(D) was

In this example, if you look at only the first words of the sentence, it appears that child is the subject and playing is part of the verb. If you think that playing is part of the verb, you might choose answer (B), is, or answer (D), was, to complete the verb. However, these two answers are incorrect because playing is not part of the verb. You should recognize that playing is a participial adjective rather than a verb because there is another verb in the sentence (is). In this sentence there is a complete subject (child) and a complete verb (is), so this sentence does not need another subject or verb. The best answer here is (A). The following chart outlines what you should remember about present participles:

PRESENT PARTICIPLE

A present is the -ing form of the verb. The present participle can be (1) part of the verb or (2) an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is accompanied by some form of the verb be. It is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be.

·       The hoy is standing in the comer.

·       The boy is standing in the corner was naughty.

5: BE CAREFUL OF PAST PARTICIPLES

Past participles can cause confusion in the Structure section of the TOEFL test because a past participle can be either an adjective or a part of a 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. (See Appendix F for a list of irregular past participles.)

The family has purchased a television.

VERB

The poem was written by Paul.

VERB

In the first sentence the past participle purchased is part of the verb because it is accompanied by has. In the second sentence the past participle written is part of the verb because it is accompanied by was. A past participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of be or have.

The television purchased yesterday was expensive.

ADJECTIVE

The poem written by Paul appeared in the magazine.

ADJECTIVE

accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, was, later in the sentence). In the second sentence written is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb, appeared, later in the sentence). The following example shows how a past participle can be confused with the verb in the structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

The packages____ mailed at the post office will arrive Monday.

(A) have

(B) were

(C) them

(D) just

In this example, if you look only at the first few words of the sentence, it appears that packages is the subject and mailed is either a complete verb or a past participle that needs a helping verb. But if you look further in the sentence, you will see that the verb is will arrive. You will then recognize that mailed is a participial adjective and is therefore not part of the verb. Answers (A) and (B) are incorrect because mailed is an adjective and does not need a helping verb such as have or were. Answer (C) is incorrect because there is no need for the object them. Answer (D) is the best answer to this question. The following chart outlines what you should remember about past participles:

PAST PARTICIPLE

A past participle often ends in -ed but there are also many irregular past participle. For many

verbs, including -ed verbs, the simple past and the past participle are the same and can be easily confused. The -ed form of the verb can be (1) the simple past, (2) the past participle of a verb, or (3) an adjective.

·       She painted this picture,

·       She has painted this picture.

·       The picture painted by Karen in now in a museum

SENTENCES WITH MULTIPLE CLAUSES

Many sentences in English have more than one clause. (A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.) Whenever you find a sentence on the TOEFL test with more than one clause, you need to make sure that every subject has a verb and every verb has a subject. Next you need to check that the various clauses in the sentence are correctly joined. There are various ways to join clauses in English. Certain patterns appear frequently in English and on the TOEFL test. You should be very familiar with these patterns.

6: USE COORDINATE CONNECTORS CORRECTLY

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, so, of yet between the clauses.

Tom is singing, and Paul is dancing.

Tom is tall, but Paul is short.

Tom must write the letter, or Paul will do it.

Tom told a joke, so Paul laughed.

Tom is tired, yet he is not going to sleep.

In each of these examples, there are two clauses that are correctly joined with a coordinate conjunction and, but, or, so, or yet, and a comma (,). The following example shows how this sentence pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

A power failure occurred,____the lamps went out.

(A) then

(B) so

(C) later

(D) next

In this example you should notice quickly that there are two clauses, a power failure occurred and the lamps went out. This sentence needs a connector to join the two clauses. Then, later, and next are not connectors, so answers (A), (C), and (D) are not correct. The best answer is answer (B) because so can connect two clauses.

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:

I will sign the check before you leave.

Before you leave, I will sign the check.

In each of these examples, there are two clauses: you leave and I will sign the check, and the clause you leave is an adverb time clause because it is introduced with the connector before. In the first example the connector before comes in the middle of the sentence, and no comma (,) is used. In the second example the connector before comes at the beginning of the sentence. In this pattern, when the connector comes at the beginning of the sentence, a comma (,) is required in the middle of the sentence. The following example shows how this sentence pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

____ was late, I missed the appointment.

(A) I

(B) Because

(C) The train

(D) Since he

In this example you should recognize easily that there is a verb, was, that needs a subject. There is also another clause, I missed the appointment. If you choose answer (A) or answer (C), you will have a subject for the verb was, but you will not have a connector to join the two clauses. Because you need a connector to join two clauses, answers (A) and (C) are incorrect. Answer (B) is incorrect because there is no subject for the verb was. Answer (D) is the best answer because there is a subject, he, for the verb was, and there is a connector, since, to join the two clauses.

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, they have the same structure as the time and cause clauses in Skill 7. Study the following examples:

I will leave at 7:00 if I am ready.

Although I was late, I managed to catch the train.

In each of these examples, there are two clauses that are correctly joined with adverb connectors. In the first sentence the adverb condition connector if comes in the middle of the sentence. In the second sentence the adverb contrast connector although comes at the beginning of the sentence, and a comma (,) is used in the middle of the sentence. The following example shows a way that this sentence pattern can be tested in the structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

You will get a good grade on the exam provided ..................

(A) studying

(B) study

(C) to study

(D) you study

In this example you should quickly notice the adverb condition connector provided. This connector comes in the middle of the sentence; because it is a connector, it must be followed by a subject and a verb. The best answer to this question is answer (D), which contains the subject and verb you study.  

MORE SENTENCES WITH MULTIPLE CLAUSES

As we saw in Skills 6 through 8, many sentences in English have more than one clause. In Skills 9 through 12, we will see more patterns for connecting the clauses in sentences with multiple clauses. Because these patterns appear frequently in English and on the TOEFL test, you should be very familiar with them.

9: USE NOUN CLAUSE CONNECTORS CORRECTLY

A noun clause is a clause that functions as a noun; because the noun clause is a noun, it is used in a sentence as either an object of a verb, an object of a preposition, or the subject of the sentence.

I know when he will arrive.

NOUN CLAUSE AS OBJECT OF VERB

I am concerned about when he will arrive.

NOUN CLAUSE AS OBJECT OF PREPOSITION

When he will arrive is not important.

NOUN CLAUSE AS SUBJECT

In the first example there are two clauses, I know and he will arrive. These two clauses are joined with the connector when. When changes the clause he will arrive into a noun clause that functions as the object of the verb know.

In the second example the two clauses I am concerned and he will arrive are also joined by the connector when. When changes the clause he will arrive into a noun clause that functions as the object of the preposition about.

The third example is more difficult. In this example there are two clauses, but they are a little harder to recognize. He will arrive is one of the clauses, and the connector when changes it into a noun clause that functions as the subject of the sentence. The other clause has the noun clause when he will arrive as its subject and is as its verb. The following example shows how these sentence patterns could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

____was late caused many problems.

(A) That he

(B) The driver

(C) There

(D) Because

In this example there are two verbs (was and caused), and each of these verbs needs a subject. Answer (B) is wrong because the driver is one subject, and two subjects are needed. Answers (C) and (D) are incorrect because there and because are not subjects. The best answer is answer (A). If you choose answer (A), the completed sentence would be: That he was late caused many problems. In this sentence he is the subject of the verb was, and the noun clause that he was late is the subject of the verb caused.

10: USE NOUN CLAUSE CONNECTOR/SUBJECTS CORRECTLY

In Skill 9 we saw that noun clause connectors were used to introduce noun subject clauses or noun object 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 do not know what is in the box.

NOUN CLAUSE AS OBJECT OF VERB

We are concerned about who will do the work.

     NOUN CLAUSE AS OBJECT OF PREPOSITION

Whoever is coming to the party must bring a gift.

NOUN CLAUSE AS SUBJECT

In the first example there are two clauses: I do not know and what is in the box. 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 is 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. In the second clause who is the subject of will do. Who also serves as the connector that joins the two clauses. The noun clause who will do the work functions as the object of the preposition about.

In the last example there are also two clauses: whoever is the subject of the verb is coming, and the noun clause whoever is coming to the party is the subject of must bring. The word whoever serves two functions in the sentence: It is the subject of the verb is coming, and it is the connector that joins the two clauses. The following example shows how this sentence pattern could be tested in the structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

____was on television made me angry.

(A) It

(B) The story                      

(C) What

(D) When

In this example you should notice immediately that there are two verbs, was and made, and each of those verbs needs a subject. Answers (A) and (B) are incorrect because it and the story cannot be the subject for both was and made at the same time. Answer (D) is incorrect because when is not a subject. In answer (C) what serves as both the subject of the verb was and the connector that joins the two clauses together; the noun clause what was on television is the subject of the verb made. Answer (C) is therefore the best answer.

11: USE ADJECTIVE CLAUSE CONNECTORS CORRECTLY

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.

The woman is filling the glass that she put on the table.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

The glass that she put on the table contains milk.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

In the first example there are two clauses: woman is the subject of the verb is filling, and she is the subject of the verb put. That is the adjective clause connector that joins these two clauses, and the adjective clause that she put on the table describes the noun glass.

In the second example there are also two clauses: glass is the subject of the verb contains, and she is the subject of the verb put. In this sentence also, that is the adjective clause connector that joins these two clauses, and the adjective clause that she put on the

table describes the noun glass. The following example shows how these sentence patterns could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

The gift____selected for the bride was rather expensive.

(A) because

(B) was

(C) since

(D) which we

In this example you should notice quickly that there are two clauses: gift is the subject of the verb was, and the verb selected needs a subject. Because there are two clauses, a connector is also needed. Answers (A) and (C) have connectors, but there are no subjects, so these answers are not correct. Answer (B) changes selected 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 gift which we se-lected for the bride was rather expensive. In this sentence gift is the subject of the verb was, we is the subject of the verb selected, and the connector which joins these two clauses.

12: USE ADJECTIVE CLAUSE CONNECTOR/SUBJECTS CORRECTLY

In Skill 11 we saw that adjective clause connectors were 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.

The woman is filling the glass that is on the table.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

The glass that is on the table contains milk.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

In the first example there are two clauses: woman is the subject of the verb is filling, 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 on the table describes the noun glass.

In the second example, there are also two clauses: glass is the subject of the verb contains, 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 on the table is an adjective clause describing the noun glass, it directly follows glass. The following example shows how these sentence patterns could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

____is on the table has four sections.

(A) The notebook

(B) The notebook which

(C) Because the notebook

(D) In the notebook

In this example you should notice immediately that the sentence has two verbs, is and has, and each of them needs a subject. (You know that table is not a subject because it follows the preposition on; table is the object of the preposition.) The only answer that has two subjects is answer (B), so answer (B) is the correct answer. The correct sentence should say: The notebook which is on the table has four sections. In this sentence notebook is the subject of the verb has, and which is the subject of the verb is. Which is also the connector that joins the two clauses.

SENTENCES WITH INVERTED SUBJECTS AND VERBS

Subjects and verbs are inverted in a variety of situations in English. Inverted subjects and verbs occur most often in the formation of a question. To form a question with a helping verb (be, have, can, could, will, would, etc.), the subject and helping verb are inverted. There are many other situations in English when subjects and verbs are inverted, but if you just remember this method of inverting subjects and verbs, you will be able to handle the other situations. The most common problems with inverted subjects and verbs on the TOEFL test occur in the following situations: (1) with question words such as what, when, where, why, and how; (2) after some place expressions; (3) after negative expressions; (4) in some conditionals; and (5) after some comparisons.

13 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. The following example shows how this sentence pattern could be tested in the structure section of the TOEFL test.

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).

14 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE EXPRESSIONS

INVERTED SUBJECT AND VERB WITH PLACE EXPRESSIONS

When a place expression at the front of the sentence contains extra information that is not needed to complete the sentence, the subject and verb that follow are not inverted.

In the classroom                                 were some old desks.

PLACE (necessary)                                        V         S

When a place expression at the front of the sentence is necessary to complete the sentence,

the subject and verb that following are inverted.

In the classroom                     I studied very hard

PLACE (necessary)                S V

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 are answers (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).

15 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH NEGATIVES

The following example shows how this sentence pattern could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

Example

Only in extremely dangerous situations ______ 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. The following chart lists the negative expressions and the sentence pattern used with them:

INVERTED SUBJECTS AND VERBS WITH NEGATIVES

no                    not                   never               neither            nor

barely              hardly             only                rarely              scarcely          seldom

When a negative expression appears in front of a subject and verb (at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence) the subject and verb are inverted.

negative expression                V         S         

Rarely                         were they so happy.

16 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.

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 answers (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.

17 INVERT THE SUBJECT AND VERB WITH COMPARISONS

An inverted subject and verb may occur also 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.

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 results of any previous tests comes after the verb were. The following chart lists the sentence patterns used with comparisons:

INVERTED SUBJECT AND VERB WITH COMPARISONS

The subject and verb may invert after a comparisons. The following structure are both possible

S          V                    comparison     S          V

We were more prepared than the other performers were

S          V                     comparison     V         S

We were more prepared than were the other performers

SUMBER :

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