Skill 8 Use Sentence Connectors Correctly 2nd Pattern

Study the clauses and connectors in the following sentences. These patterns are also found in the structure section of TOEFL.

I know when he will arrive

When he will arrive = Noun Clause as Object of Verb

I am concerned about when he will arrive

When he will arrive = Noun Clause as Object of Preposition

When he will arrive is not important.

When he will arrive = Noun Clause as Subject

In the first example there are two clauses, I know and he will arrive. These two clauses are joined with the connector when. When changes the clause he will arrive into a noun clause which functions as the object of the verb know.

In the second example, the two clauses I am concerned and he will arrive are also joined by the connector when.

When changes the clause he will arrive into a noun clause which functions as the object of the preposition about.

The third example is more difficult. In this example, there are two clauses, but they are a little harder to recognize. He will arrive is one of the clauses, and the connector when changes it into a noun clause which functions as the subject of the sentence. The other clause has the noun clause when he will arrive as its subject of the sentence. The other clause has the noun clause when he will arrive as its subject and is as its verb.

The following connectors can be used in the sentence patterns above:

how      what     whether

if           when    which

that       where    while

The following example shows how these sentence patterns can be tested in the structure section of the TOEFL.

.... was late caused many problems.

(A) That he

(B) The driver

(C) There

(D) Because

In this example, there are two verbs (was and caused), and each of these verbs needs a subject. Answer (B) is wrong because the driver is one subject, and two subjects are needed. Answer (C) and (D) are incorrect because there and because are not subjects.

The best answer is (A). If you choose answer (A), the complete sentence would be: That he was late caused many problems. In this correct sentence he is the subject of the verb was, and the noun clause that he was late is the subject of the verb caused.

Skill 8 Use Sentence Connectors Correctly 2nd Pattern 2013-03-02T03:46:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Eko Wahyudi