Toefl exam Essentials

TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS
Incorrect: My uncle told me about raising cattle in the
kitchen. (Why were cattle in the kitchen?)
Correct: In the kitchen, my uncle told me about raising
cattle.
Problem Modifiers
Fewer/Less
Fewer describes plural 
The school enrolls fewer
nouns, or things that can 
children than it once did.
be counted.
Less describes singular 
Julian has less time than you 
nouns that represent a 
do.
quantity or degree.
Good/Well
Good is an adjective.
Caroline felt good about her
test results. (Good describes
Caroline.)
Well is an adverb, used to 
Sophia performed well on 
describe an action.
the test. (Well describes the
verb performed.)
Bad/Badly
Bad is an adjective.
Owen felt bad after his
lengthy workout. (Bad
describes Owen.)
Badly is an adverb, used to 
The band played badly at 
describe an action.
the concert. (Badly describes
the verb played.)

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STRUCTURE
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Dangling modifiers—Words, phrases, or clauses set off
by commas at the beginning a sentence sometimes
modify the wrong noun or pronoun.
Incorrect: Broken and beyond repair, Grandma threw
away the serving dish. (Why was Grandma broken?)
Correct: Grandma threw away the broken serving dish that
was beyond repair.
Practice
Choose the correct word in parentheses in each of the following
sentences. Find the answers on pages 82–83.