Studying grammar during your review session is undoubtedly vital for the success of TOEFL. Although the TOEFL test doesn’t have anything to deal with grammar explicitly. But, it doesn’t indicate that your grammar abilities will not affect the result of your test. Thus, remember not to avoid grammar in your TOEFL preparation.
Below are some most common grammatical mistakes that most TOEFL test takers make during exams.
Misusing “A” And “The”
Most of the students get confused about “a” and “the”. They believe that both have the same purpose, so it doesn’t matter if we use “a” or “the” on our TOEFL writing or speaking test. But this is one of the most common and first grammatical mistakes that your teacher will advise you to look out for. Remember the below points and try not to confuse these two articles.
Use “the”:
with superlatives (e.g., This is the best place I have ever seen!);
with ordinal numbers (e.g., I live on the fourth floor of the building.);
when speaking about something special or defined; and
when talking about something that was discussed previously.
Use “a”:
when speaking about something common or undefined.
Confusing Certain Words And Phrases
The following are the most common words and phrases that TOEFL test online takers usually misuse.
your (means ownership) – you’re (is a contraction of you are)
I (means ownership) – I’m (is a contraction of I am)
their (means ownership) – they’re (is a contraction of they are)
advise (verb) – advice (noun)
affect (verb) – effect (noun)
accept (verb, to receive) – except (preposition, indicates “excluding”)
historical (means “related to history”) – historic (means “famous”)
between (means the relationship of one to another) – among (means a loose relationship of several items)
Most students mix these phrases and words because of their similar pronunciation, spelling, or meaning. In your TOEFL preparation online, try to practice these words as much as you can.
Mis Arranging Adjective Order
While it’s sometimes difficult to do so, using numerous adjectives is the quickest method to portray something. In this way, in case it’s unavoidable, put it all on the line! Simply ensure that the adjectives you use should be managed perfectly. Here is the following correct order of adjectives.
quantity/number
quality (e.g., good, bad, etc.)
size
age
shape
colour
material
nationality
Having Run-On Sentences
Run-on sentences only happen when at least two or more independent clauses are connected inaccurately in a single sentence. This is a common mistake which no one bothers to focus on when taking the test. They are not only grammatically wrong but also challenging for the examiner to understand your article. Here are a few things to try to avoid having run-on sentences.
Divide the independent clauses with a time.
Divide the clauses with a semi-colon.
Divide the clauses with a semi-colon and a connecting word (e.g., however, thus, therefore, also, etc.).
Divide the clauses with a comma and coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but, yet, so, etc.).
Above are some important points that you should remember when taking TOEFL writing exams. For the best TOEFL preparation, you can consult the Top IELTS preparation experts in Canada. IELTS and TOEFL experts are almost the same, so you can consult any of them.
