Test Of English as a Foreign Language Structure and Written Expression

Problem Materials to Acquire

1. Verbs that require an infinitive or an –ing
   

S		V		C	A
We	had planned	to have	day before yesterday
Remember that the following verbs require an infinitive. Avoid using an –ing form. Agree, decide, expect, fail, hope, intend, learn, plan, promise, refuse, tend, want

 

S	V	C	A
He	enjoys	traveling	by plane
Remember that the following verbs require an-ing form. Admit, appreciate, avoid, consider, deny, enjoy, finish, practice, quit, regret, risk, stop

 

S	V	C	A
She	forgot about	canceling	her appointment
Remember that the following verb phrases require an-ing form. Approve of, be better off, can't help, count on, not mind, forget about, get through, insist on, keep on, look forward to, object to, think about, think of

 

1. Participles
   

   	HAVE	participle
   The concert	had	begun	before we could find our seats

   
    

2. Necessity, usually for repair or improvement
   

S	NEED	-ing form
This paragraph	needs	revising
Or
This paragraph	needs	to be	revised

 

1. Ability
   

S	KNOW		Noun
She	knows		the answer
Avoid using an to-infinitive after know
S	KNOW	how	to-infinitive
She	knows	how	to answer	the question

 

1. Past custom
   

S	used to	verb
She	used to	live	in the village
S	BE	used to	ing-form
She	was	used to	living	in the village

 

1. Logical conclusion
   

S	must have	participle	past time
My friend	must have	called	last night
S	must be	-ing	present time
My friend	must be	calling	now
S	must	verb	repeated time
My friend	must	call	often

1. Advisability
   

S	had better	verb
You	had better	(not) take	Accounting III this semester

 

1. Questions forms for invitations and customs
   

Would you like	To-infinitive
Would you like	to watch	the news to day?
Do you like	to infinitive
Do you like	to watch	the news every day?

 

1. Preference
   

S		would rather		Verb
I		would rather		(not) drive
S	would rather	that	S	V (past)
I	would rather	that	you	drove
Avoid using present time.

 

1. Unfulfilled desires in the past
   

S	had hoped	that	S	would	verb
We	had hoped	that	she	would	change	her mind

 

1. Conditions
   

S	will	V		if	S	V (present)
We	will	write	her	if	we	find	her address
S	would	V		if	S	V (past)
We	would	write	her	if	we	found	her address
S	would have	participle		if	S	had VIII
We	would have	written	her	if	we	had found	her address

 

1. Desires
   

S	WISH (present)	that	S	had could have would have	participle
I	wish	that	you		called	yesterday
This pattern refers to desires in the past
S	WISH (present)	that	S	V (past) could would	VII VI VI
I	wish	that	you	could would	called call call	everyday tomorrow tomorrow
This pattern refers to desires for customs and future events.

 

1. Contrary-to-fact statement
   

If	S	were
If	the party	were		on Friday, we could go
S	WISH (present)	that	S	were
I	wish	that	the party	were	on Friday

 

 

 

1. Subjunctives
   

S	V	that	S	Verb
Mr. Anto	prefers	that	she	speak	with him personally
These verbs follow the above formula: ask, demand, desire, insist, prefer, recommend, require, suggest
Noun	That	S	Verb
The recommendation	That	we	be	evaluated was approved
These nouns follow the above formula: recommendation, requirement, suggestion

 

1. Impersonal expressions
   

It is	adjective	to-infinitive
It is	adjective	that	S	Verb
It is	important	that	the data	be	verified
These adjectives use this pattern: essential, imperative, important, necessary

 

1. Causatives
   

S	HAVE	someone	verb
Mr. Anto	Had	the students	give	oral reports
S	GET	someone	to-infinitive
Mr. Anto	Got	the students	to give	oral reports
S	HAVE/GET	something	VIII
He	had/got	his car	fixed

 

1. Tag Questions
   

S	BE		BE not	S
The mail	Is	late,	isn't	it?
S	BE not		BE	S
The mail	is not	late again,	is	it?
S	V (present)		DO NOT	S
They	Agree	with us,	don't	they?
S	V (past)		DID NOT	S
They	Agreed	with us	didn't	they?
S	Will	verb	won't	S
You	will	help	won't	they?
S	ought to	verb	shouldn't	S
I	ought to	complain	shouldn't	I?
Let's	Verb		Shall	we
Let's	Talk	about it	shall	we?
S's	-ing form		isn't	S
She's	Doing	her best	isn't	she?
S's	participle	her best	hasn't	S
She's	Done	her best	hasn't	she?

 

1. Affirmative agreement
   

S	BE		and	so	BE	S
They	Were	surprised	and	so	were	we
S	V		and	so	DO	S
My wife	Talked	to him	and	so	did	I

 

 

 

 

1. Negative agreement
   

S	Modal Have Do Be not	VI VIII VI -ing	and	neither	Modal Have Do Be	S
She	won't hasn't doesn't isn't	go gone go going	and	neither	will have do am	I I I I
S	Modal Have Do Be not	VI VIII VI -ing	and	S	Modal Have Do Be	either
She	won't hasn't doesn't isn't	go gone go going	and	I I I I	won't haven't don't am not	either

 

1. Negative Imperatives
   

Please don't	Verb
Please don't	tell	anyone
Would you please not	Verb
Would you please not	tell	anyone

 

1. Passives
   

AUXILIARY				Main Verb
Modal	Perfect (telah)	Continuous (sedang)	Passive (di/ter …..)
5	4	3	2	1
Can May Must Will Shall Ought to Etc….	Forms of Have	Forms of be	Forms of be	VI V Ing VIII

 

1	2~1	:	S	+	Is/am/are/was/were…	+	VIII
2	3~2~1	:	S	+	Is/am/are/was/were + being	+	VIII
3	4~2~1	:	S	+	Has/have/had + been	+	VIII
4	5~2~1	:	S	+	One modal + be	+	VIII
5	5~4~2~1	:	S	+	One modal + have + been	+	V-III

 

It	BE	Pronoun (Subject)
It	is	he	whom the committee has named

 

S	V	Pronoun (Object)
They	ask	us, Jane and me	whether we were satisfied
Let	Pronoun (object)	V
Let	us (you and me)	try	to reach an agreement

 

1. Prepositions with object pronouns
   

   	Prepositions	Pronouns(object)
   I'll be glad to take a message	for	her
   Instances of prepositions: among, between, for, from, of, to, with, etc

   
    

2. Relative pronouns which refer to persons and things
   

S	who	V
Everyone	WHO	took	the tour was impressed by the scenery
	whom	S
I know much about the man	WHOM	you	are speaking with
	Something	which
This is	the typewriter	WHICH	you ordered

 

1. Reflexive pronouns
   

S	V	Pronouns (reflexive)
Some language learners	can correct	themselves
Instances of reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourself, themselves

 

1. Reciprocal pronouns
   

S	V	Pronouns (reciprocal)
My sister and I	visit	each other	about once a week
Each other is for two persons and one another is for more than two persons

 

1. Count and non-count nouns
   

   	few many	Noun (count)
   There are	few many	reference books TV programs	may be checked out for children
   	little much	Noun (non-count)
   We have done	little much	traveling information
   Only	a few	Noun (count)
   Only	a few	dollars	have been transferred
   	Only	A little	Non (non-count)
   We have	only	a little	Homework
   A large (small) number of	noun (count)
   A large number of	students	are from suburb
   A large (small) amount of	Noun (non-count)
   A small amount of	rain	is expected tomorrow

   
    

 

1. Classifications with kind and type
   

   	One kind/s One type/s	of	noun (singular / plural count) non-count
   Cable TV has many different Dr. Parker gives several	kinds types	of	shows homework
   One	kind type	of	show is news homework is a lab report

   
    

2. Numbers with nouns
   

   	the	Ordinal number	Noun
   I am outlining	the	sixth	chapter in my notebook
   	noun	Cardinal number
   I am outlining	chapter	six	in my notebook

   
    

3. Ing and infinitive subjects
   

S (-ing)	V
Reading quickly	requires	practice
S (infinitive)	V
To read Javanese	is	more difficult

 

1. Nouns which function as adjective
   

When two noun occur together, the first noun is as an adjective, not in plural form and not in possessive form
	noun	noun
All of us are foreign	language	teachers

 

1. Hyphenated adjectives
   

Avoid using a plural form.
		a	adj	-	adj	noun
English Three is		a	ninety	-	minute	class
A	adj	-	adj	-	adj	noun
A	sixty	-	year	-	old	employee	may retire

 

1. Negative adjectives
   

Avoid using not or none
No	Noun
No	tests are scheduled on the first day of orientation.

 

1. Cause and result Clause
   

Avoid using as or too and that.
S	V	so	adjective adverb	that	S	V
She The music	got up was	so so	late loud	that that	she we	missed couldn't talk		her bus
S	V	such	adjective	noun	that	S		V
It	was	such	a lovely	day	that	we		went out
S	V	so	adjective	that	S	V
The day	was	so	lovely	that	we	went out
S	V	so	adjective	a	noun	That	S	V
It	was	so	lovely	a	day	That	we	went out
	too	adj	Infinitive
This tea is	too	hot	to drink

 

1. –ed and –ing adjectives
   

   	-ed adjective	(by someone or something)
   The audience is	thrilled	by the concert
   	-ing adjective	(someone or something)
   The concert is	thrilling	the audience

   
    

2. Sufficiency for a purpose
   

Avoid using as between enough and infinitive
S	V	adjective	enough	To inf
It	is	warm	enough	to go swimming

 

1. Adjectives with verb of senses
   

Use adjectives after these following verbs: feel, look, smell, sound, taste, etc
S	V	adjective
I	felt	bad	about the mistake

 

1. The adverbs of manner fast and late
   

 

S	V		Fast
This medication	relieves	headache	fast
S	V		late
My roommate	returned	home	late	last night

 

1. Consecutives
   

One	Noun (singular)		another	Noun (singular)		the other	Noun (singular)
One	movie	starts at 5		movie	at 7 and		movie at 8
Some	Noun plural		other	Noun plural		the other	Noun plural
Some	houses	are for rent		houses	are for sale and		houses are empty
Some	houses	are for rent	others	are for sale and		the others	Are empty

 

1. Problems with Connectors
   

   	noun adjective	as well as		Noun adjective
   He plays He is	basket nice			football handsome
   	both	noun adjective	and	noun adjective
   		Dr. Jones		Miss Smith	spoke
   The lecture was		interesting		instructive
   	not only	noun adjective	but also	noun adjective
   One should take Checks are		cash safer		checks better.
   	noun adjective	instead of	noun adjective

   
    

2. Addition
   

Remember: Besides means in addition to Beside means near

 

 

 

1. NounVMiddle ComparisonNounlike
   the same as
   similar toI believe thatthis coatisthat oneNoun andNoun VMiddle Comparisonlike
   the same as
   similar toI believe thatthis coatandthat oneare
   

Noun	V	the same	Noun (quality)	as	noun
She	is		age		John
Examples of noun quality : Age, color, height, length, price, size, style, weight
Noun	V	as	Adjective (quality)	as	noun
She	is		old	as	John

	different from
This one is			the rest
	differ	from
This one	differs	from	the rest

	multiple	as	much many	as
Fresh fruit costs We have	twice half		much many	as	canned fruits we need

 

Noun (singular)		more + adjective adjective -er	than	that
The climate in the north	is	colder			of the south
Noun (plural)		more + adjective adjective -er	than	those
The prices	are	more expensive			at a discount store
Noun (plural and singular)		different	from	those