Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) English Language Foundations for TOEFL Syllabus

English Language Foundations for TOEFL syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English Language Foundations for TOEFL in Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Core Grammar

   4 topics

   • Tense and Aspect
     • Present, past, and future forms
     • Perfect and continuous aspects
   • Clauses and Sentence Structure
     • Relative, noun, and adverbial clauses
     • Conditionals
   • Articles, Determiners, and Quantifiers
   • Passive Voice and Reported Speech
2. 2

   Vocabulary Building

   4 topics

   • Academic and Topic-Based Vocabulary
     • Themes: environment, technology, education, society
   • Collocations and Phrasal Verbs
   • Synonyms and Paraphrasing Skills
     • Restating ideas in fresh wording
   • Idiomatic and Formal Register
3. 3

   Pronunciation and Listening Fundamentals

   3 topics

   • English Sound System
     • Vowel and consonant sounds
     • Minimal pairs
   • Word and Sentence Stress
   • Connected Speech Features
     • Linking and elision
4. 4

   Integrated Skills Practice

   3 topics

   • Paraphrasing and Summarising
     • Condensing texts and audio accurately
   • Synthesising Multiple Sources
   • Full-Length Practice Tests
     • Simulating timed exam conditions
     • Reviewing and analysing performance

English Language Foundations for TOEFL flashcards for Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

20 of 50 cards from the English Language Foundations for TOEFL deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the four aspects of English verb tenses, and what does each express?

   Simple (a complete action or general fact), Continuous/Progressive (an ongoing action in progress), Perfect (an action completed relative to another point in time), and Perfect Continuous (an ongoing action up to a point, emphasizing duration).

2. How is the present perfect formed, and when is it used instead of the past simple?

   Formed with have/has + past participle. It links a past action to the present (unfinished time, recent events, life experience without a specific past time). The past simple is used for finished actions at a specific past time.

3. Give the structure of the past perfect and explain its function.

   Structure: had + past participle. It expresses an action completed before another past action (the 'earlier past'), e.g., 'She had left before he arrived.'

4. What is the difference between the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous?

   Present perfect simple (have/has + past participle) emphasizes completion or result; present perfect continuous (have/has + been + verb-ing) emphasizes the duration or ongoing nature of the activity.

5. Which time expressions typically signal the present perfect rather than the past simple?

   Words like 'since', 'for', 'already', 'yet', 'just', 'ever', 'never', 'recently', and 'so far'. The past simple uses 'ago', 'yesterday', 'last week', and specific dates.

6. In English clause analysis, what is the difference between an independent and a dependent (subordinate) clause?

   An independent clause has a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought, so it can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent clause also has a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone.

7. Classify the four sentence types by clause structure.

   Simple (one independent clause), Compound (two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinator), Complex (one independent + at least one dependent clause), and Compound-Complex (two or more independent clauses + at least one dependent clause).

8. What are the three main types of dependent clauses by function?

   Noun clauses (act as a noun/subject or object), Adjective/Relative clauses (modify a noun), and Adverbial clauses (modify a verb, giving time, reason, condition, etc.).

9. What are the seven coordinating conjunctions in English, and what mnemonic represents them?

   For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So — remembered by the mnemonic FANBOYS.

10. What is the difference between a restrictive (defining) and non-restrictive (non-defining) relative clause in punctuation and meaning?

    A restrictive clause is essential to identify the noun and takes no commas (and cannot use 'which' for people). A non-restrictive clause adds extra, non-essential information and is set off by commas; in formal English 'that' is not used with it.

11. When are the definite article 'the', the indefinite article 'a/an', and the zero article used?

    'The' for specific/known nouns; 'a/an' for singular non-specific countable nouns (first mention); zero article for plural/uncountable nouns used in a general sense and most proper nouns.

12. What is the rule for choosing between 'a' and 'an'?

    Use 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound — based on pronunciation, not spelling (e.g., 'an hour', 'a university').

13. Distinguish quantifiers used with countable nouns, uncountable nouns, and both.

    Countable: many, few, a few, several, a number of. Uncountable: much, little, a little, a great deal of, an amount of. Both: some, any, a lot of, plenty of, no, all, most.

14. What is the difference in meaning between 'few/little' and 'a few/a little'?

    'Few' and 'little' have a negative meaning (not enough, almost none). 'A few' and 'a little' have a positive meaning (some, a small but sufficient amount).

15. What is the difference between determiners 'this/that' and 'these/those'?

    They are demonstratives. 'This/these' indicate nearness (this = singular, these = plural); 'that/those' indicate distance (that = singular, those = plural).

16. What is the general structure for forming the passive voice?

    The appropriate form of the verb 'to be' + the past participle of the main verb. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject, e.g., 'The report was written by the team.'

17. When is the passive voice preferred in academic English?

    When the agent (doer) is unknown, obvious, or unimportant; to keep focus on the action or result rather than the actor; and to create an impersonal, objective tone (common in describing methods/processes).

18. How does the passive of the present continuous and present perfect look? Give the patterns.

    Present continuous passive: am/is/are + being + past participle (e.g., 'is being built'). Present perfect passive: has/have + been + past participle (e.g., 'has been completed').

19. What backshift changes occur to present simple and present perfect when converting direct to reported (indirect) speech?

    Present simple shifts to past simple; present continuous to past continuous; present perfect and past simple shift to past perfect. Modal 'will' becomes 'would', 'can' becomes 'could', 'may' becomes 'might'.

20. How do pronouns, time, and place expressions typically change in reported speech?

    Pronouns shift to match the new speaker; 'now' becomes 'then', 'today' becomes 'that day', 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day', 'yesterday' becomes 'the day before', 'here' becomes 'there', and 'this' becomes 'that'.

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