Parts of a Sentence

Posted on February 27, 2013 by linda.purnamasari

The clause has a subject and a verb. It can stand independently or alone. 1. A simple sentence contains a single clause She (S) wrote(V) a book (object) 2. A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a conjunction (such as and or but) At age thirteen she wrote her first poem (independent clause) and (conjunction) in 1773 she wrote her first book (independent clause) 3. A complex sentence contains an independent (main) clause and a dependent (Subordinate) clause. The subordinate clause may be a noun clause, an adverb clause, or an adjective clause. MAIN CLAUSE + SUBORDINATE CLAUSE Subordinate clause: 1. Noun Clause (that, what, how ) 2. Adverb Clause (because, although, if.) 3. Adjective Clause (who, which, where ) Examples: Main clause _ Subordinate Clause 1. MC + Noun clause Her mistress realized that Phyllis was talented. 2. MC + Adjective Clause She wrote a poem for her mistress, who was very impressed 3. MC + Adverbial clause She went to England because she had health problems. SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENT The subject and verb must agree in person and number A. Subject taking a singular verb 1. Subjects with the following prepositional phrases take a singular verb, such as: as well as, together with, along with, in addition to, accompanied by, among.

2. When the words below are used as subjects they take a singular verb. Such as: one, each, some (plus singular noun), any (plus singular noun) every. nobody, no one, nothing; either, neither; anybody, anyone, anything; somebody, someone, something; everybody, everyone, everything. Example: Everyone was amazed by her poems. 3.When it introduces a sentence, it takes a singular verb. Example: it was her poems that amazed everyone. B. Subject Taking a Plural Verb 1. When subjects are joined by and or both and, the verb is plural. Example: Both her mother and father were proud. 2. The words several, both, many and few always take a plural verbs. Example: Many were amazed by her talent. C. Subjects Taking Either a Singular or a Plural Verb 1. A number of takes a plural verb but the number of takes a singular verb. Example: A number of people were at the reading. The number of people at the banquet was amazing. 2. The words below take a singular or plural verb depending on the noun that follows them: none, no, all, some, most, half, any, majority. Example: All of her poems were good. All of her work was good. 3. When subjects are joined by either . or, neither. nor, or not only but also, the verb is singular or plural depending on the subject nearest to it. Example: Not only her master but also her mistress was proud of her. Not only her mistress but also the literary circles were amazed by her talent.

IT AND THERE A sentence or clause may begin with the words it or there. It is used in three ways. 1. It is used as subject followed by the verb to be Example: It was in 1761 that she came to Boston (It + to be + that ) 2. it is used as subject when the information is related to an adjective. Example: it was important to be free (It+to be+adjective+infinitive). 3. It is used as subject when it is used with a time phrase. Example: It took her a few years to learn English (It + take + time phrase + infinitive). There shows that something or someone exists at a special time or place. In this use, the word there follows this construction: there + to be + subject. Example: There are many books about Phyllis Wheatley today. There were not many famous women poets in the 1770s.

Answer Main Idea Questions Correctly

Posted on February 20, 2013 by linda.purnamasari

Almost the reading passage on the paper TOEFL test will have a multiple choice question about the main idea of the passage. Such a question may be worded in a variety of ways; you may for example, be asked to identify the subject, topic, title, primary idea or main idea These questions are all really asking what primary point the author is trying to get across in the passage. Since TOEFL passages are generally written in a traditional organized manner, it is relatively easy to find the main idea by studying the topic sentences, which are most probably found at the beginning of each paragraph. If a passage consists of only one paragraph, you should study the beginning of that paragraph to determine the main idea. Look at the question below. In the philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made between intelligence and reasoning. According to Dewey, intelligence is the only absolutely way to achieve a balance between realism and idealism, between practicality and wisdom of life, Intelligence involves interacting with other things and knowing them, while reasoning is merely the act of an observer, . a mind that beholds or grasps objects outside the world of things With reasoning, a level of mental certainty can be achieved, but it is through intelligence that control is taken of events that shape ones life The questions: What is the topic of this passage? (A). The intelligence of John Dewey. (B). Distinctions made by John Dewey. (C). Deweys ideas on the ability of to reason. (D). How intelligence differs from reasoning in Deweys works. This question asks about the topic of the passage, Because this passage has only one paragraph, you should look at the first paragraph of the passage to answer this question. The first sentence of this paragraph discusses the distinction between the ideas of intelligence and the reasoning in the philosophy of John Dewey, so this is probably the topic. A quick check of the rest of the sentences in the passage confirms the topic is in fact the difference between intelligence and reasoning. Now you should check each of the answers to determine which one comes closest to the topic that you have determined. Answer (A) means only intelligence, so it is not the topic. Answer (B) mentions distinctions that John Dewey made, but it doesnt say specifically what types of distinctions. Answer (C) mentions

only reasoning so answer (C) is incomplete. The best answer is therefore (D), the idea of how intelligence differs from reasoning comes from the first sentence of the passage which mentions a sharp distinction between intelligence and reasoning.

Introduction (First Meeting)

Posted on February 20, 2013 by linda.purnamasari

You know that a sentence in English should have a subject and a verb sometimes with objects. The most common types of problems that you will encounter in structure questions on the TOEFL test are related to subjects and verbs; perhaps the sentence is missing either the subject of the verb or both, or perhaps the sentence has an extra subject or verb. Beside that, to make you easy to study, you should remember the triangle pattern of a sentence :

Subject( Noun)

Predicate(Verbs)

Object (Noun)

Subjects and Objects consist of two parts: 1. Nouns (Consists of 1 noun that you can call noun head). Such as: cat, Ani, Jane, James, car, ets, and 2. Noun phrases (consists of two or more that you can call noun phrases). Such as the black cat, the handsome James, etc. Verbs consist of two parts. They are verb (only one), such as, do, does make, sing, lead, etc, and verb phrases, such as will do, has done, etc. Nouns consist of two parts of countable nouns (the nouns can be count), such as pencil, car, cat and the second uncountable or non-countable nouns (the noun cannot be count) such as water, sun, etc.

Articles for nouns such as a/an. A> for countable noun with begins with consonants. Such as a beg, a cat. An > for countable noun with begins with vowel. Such as an apple,an umbrella. Quantifiera quantifier is a word that indicates an amount or quantity. 1. Some quantifiers are used only with plural count nouns: both, many, a few, several, fewer. Examples: They are controlled by several nerves. We are fewer cells s we get older. 2. Some quantifiers are used only with singular count nouns: another, each, every. Examples: Each gland has a different purpose. Every muscles has its own group of nerves. 3. Some quantifiers are used only with non-count nouns: a little, much, less, amount. Examples: The amount of oxygen available to the brain is important. If your brain gets less oxygen than it needs, you cold become unconscious. 4. Some quantifiers are used with both plural count nouns and non-count nouns: all, plenty of, any, a lot of, enough, most, lots of, some, more. Examples: Brain cells use up a lot of energy. Most animals rely on instinct.

Introduction (First Meeting)

Posted on February 20, 2013 by linda.purnamasari

You know that a sentence in English should have a subject and a verb sometimes with objects. The most common types of problems that you will encounter in structure questions on the TOEFL test are related to subjects and verbs; perhaps the sentence is missing either the subject of the verb or both, or perhaps the sentence has an extra subject or verb. Beside that, to make you easy to study, you should remember the triangle pattern of a sentence :

Subject( Noun)

Predicate(Verbs)

Object (Noun)

Subjects and Objects consist of two parts: 1. Nouns (Consists of 1 noun that you can call noun head). Such as: cat, Ani, Jane, James, car, ets, and 2. Noun phrases (consists of two or more that you can call noun phrases). Such as the black cat, the handsome James, etc. Verbs consist of two parts. They are verb (only one), such as, do, does make, sing, lead, etc, and verb phrases, such as will do, has done, etc. Nouns consist of two parts of countable nouns (the nouns can be count), such as pencil, car, cat and the second uncountable or non-countable nouns (the noun cannot be count) such as water, sun, etc. Articles for nouns such as a/an. A> for countable noun with begins with consonants. Such as a beg, a cat. An > for countable noun with begins with vowel. Such as an apple,an umbrella. Quantifiera quantifier is a word that indicates an amount or quantity.

1. Some quantifiers are used only with plural count nouns: both, many, a few, several, fewer. Examples: They are controlled by several nerves. We are fewer cells s we get older. 2. Some quantifiers are used only with singular count nouns: another, each, every. Examples: Each gland has a different purpose. Every muscles has its own group of nerves. 3. Some quantifiers are used only with non-count nouns: a little, much, less, amount. Examples: The amount of oxygen available to the brain is important. If your brain gets less oxygen than it needs, you cold become unconscious. 4. Some quantifiers are used with both plural count nouns and non-count nouns: all, plenty of, any, a lot of, enough, most, lots of, some, more. Examples: Brain cells use up a lot of energy. Most animals rely on instinct.

TOEFL EXERCISE: study each of passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow. In this exercise each passage is followed by several main idea, topic or title question so that students can practice this type of question. Passage One Fort Knox, Kentucky is the site of a US army post, but it is even more renowned for the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, that massive vault that contains the bulk of the U.S. governments gold deposits. Completed in 1936, the vault is housed in a two-story building constructed of granite, steel and concrete; the vault itself is made of steel and concrete and has a door that weighs more than twenty tons. Naturally, the most up-to-date security devices available are in the place at Fort Knox, and the army post nearby provided further protection. 1. Which of the following best describes the topic of the sentence: (A). The city of Fort Knox, Kentucky. (B). The federal gold depository. (C). The U.S army post at Fort Knox; (D). Gold bullion. 2. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage. (A). The Massive concrete vault. (B). Fort Knox Security. (C). Where the US keeps its gold. (D). A visit to Kentucky. Passage Two One identifying characteristic of minerals is their relatives hardness, which can be determined and scratching one mineral with another. In this type of test, a harder mineral can scratch a softer one, but a softer mineral is unable to scratch the harder one. The Mohs hardness scale is used to rank minerals according to hardness. Ten minerals are listed in this scale ranging from talc, with a hardness of 1 to diamond with a hardness of 10. On this scale, quartz (number 7) is harder than feldspar (number 6) and is therefore able to scratch i; however, feldspar is unable to make a mark on quartz. 3. Which of the following best states the subject of this passage? (A). The hardness of diamonds. (B). Identifying minerals by means of a scratch test. (C). Feldspar on the Mohs scale. (D). Recognizing minerals in their natural state. 4. The main idea of this passage is that (A). the hardness of a mineral can be determined by its ability to make a mark on other minerals. (B). diamonds, with a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, can scratch all other minerals(C). A softer mineral cannot be scratched by a harder mineral. (D). talc is the first mineral listed on the Mohs scale

Choose the one that best completes the sentence 1. ___________ in fluorescent lamps, television tubes, and other devices. (A). Phosphors are used (B). It is phosphors (C). To use phosphors (D). Using phosphors 2. The tips of some undersea mountains _____ islands in the middle of the ocean. (A). to form (B). they form (C). form (D). forming 3. _______ of fish; jawless fish, cartilaginous fish, and bony fish. (A). It is three types. (B). There are three types (C). Three types (D). Three types are 4. ________ to stop yourself from blinking except for a short period of time. (A). Impossible it (B). Impossible (C). It impossible (D). It is impossible 5. _______ the sitka spruce a hundred years to grow eleven inches. (A). It takes (B). To take (C). By taking (D). That takes 6. _______ today was developed by the Swiss scientist Horace de Sassure around 1773. (A). Mountaineering it as we know (B). Mountaineering as we know it (C). We know mountaineering is (D). We know there is mountaineering 7. ______ of the surface of the Earth is covered by water. (A). Three-quarters is nearly (B). There is nearly three-quarters (C). It is nearly three-quarters (D). Nearly three-quarters 8. By the mid-eighteenth century __________ so many new immigrants entering North America from Europe that the original colonies in the North-East were overcrowded. (A). it were (B). were (C). there (D). there were 9. _____ not until the end of the seventeenth century that scientists began to stress the importance of experiment as a way of gaining knowledge. (A). There was (B). It was (C). There (D). It 10. ___________ are the most poisonous fish in the world. (A). There are stonefish (B). That the stonefish (C). They are the stonefish (D). Stonefish 11. Seismic prospecting _______ used to map out rock structures below the ground. (A). widely (B). are widely (C). is widely (D). it is widely 12. ________ in space, a rocket has to be powerful enough to break out of the pull of the Earth's gravity. (A). To travel (B). It is travel (C). That travel (D). Travel