Essential Vocabulary for TOEFL - Language and Grammar

Here you will learn some English words about language and grammar, such as "contraction", "voice", "syllable", etc. that are needed for the TOEFL exam.

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abbreviation [noun]

the shortened form of a word, etc.

Ex: The textbook provided a key for all the abbreviations used throughout the chapters .

contraction [noun]

a short form of a word or a group of words used instead of the full form

Ex: The contraction " we 've " stands for " we have . "

dialect [noun]

the spoken form of a language specific to a certain region or people which is slightly different from the standard form in words and grammar

Ex:

accent [noun]

a manner of speaking that indicates social class, nationality, or locality of the speaker

apostrophe [noun]

the symbol ' used in writing to show possession or omission of letters or numbers

Ex: The apostrophe in " it 's " distinguishes it from " its , " which is possessive .

article [noun]

(grammar) any type of determiner that shows whether we are referring to a particular thing or a general example of something

Ex: Articles in English can be tricky for non-native speakers because their use varies depending on whether a noun is specific or general .

agreement [noun]

(grammar) the situation where words in a phrase have the same gender, person, or number

number [noun]

(grammar) the form of a word that indicates whether one, two, or more things or people are being referred to

Ex: The number of students in the classroom determines whether the teacher uses singular or plural pronouns when addressing them .

syllable [noun]

a word or part of a word, which contains a vowel sound and usually one or more consonants

Ex: Each syllable in the poem must match the rhythm .

vowel [noun]

‌(phonetics) a speech sound produced without interfering with the flow of air coming through the mouth or nose

Ex: Vowel changes in different languages can significantly affect pronunciation and meaning .

consonant [noun]

‌(phonetics) a speech sound produced by interfering with or stopping the flow of air through the mouth or nose

Ex: She struggled with blending consonants at the beginning of words during her reading lessons .

voice [noun]

(grammar) the form of a verb that indicates whether the subject does something or something is done to it

Ex:

auxiliary [noun]

a verb that supports or helps another verb to form different tenses, moods, or voices

Ex: In the sentence “ They have finished their homework , ” the verb “ have ” functions as an auxiliary .

complement [noun]

a word or phrase that completes the meaning of a grammatical expression

Ex: Grammarians distinguish between subject and object complements .

compound [adjective]

(of a word) formed by combining two or more separate words

Ex:

conjunction [noun]

(grammar) a word such as and, because, but, and or that connects phrases, sentences, or words

Ex: Understanding how to use conjunctions correctly can improve the flow and clarity of writing .

prepositional [adjective]

(grammar) formed with or connected to a preposition

determiner [noun]

(grammar) a word coming before a noun or noun phrase to specify its denotation

fluency [noun]

the quality of being able to speak or write very well and easily in a foreign language

Ex: He practiced daily to improve his fluency in French .

gerund [noun]

(grammar) a form of a verb that functions as a noun and is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the base form of the verb

Ex: Gerunds can serve as subjects , objects , or complements in a sentence .

collocation [noun]

a particular combination of words that are used together very often

Ex: He found that learning collocations was more effective than memorizing individual vocabulary words .

idiom [noun]

a group of words or a phrase that has a meaning different from the literal interpretation of its individual words, often specific to a particular language or culture

Ex: The phrase ' spill the beans ' is an idiom that means to reveal a secret , rather than literally causing beans to fall .

slang [noun]

words or expressions that are very informal and more common in spoken form, used especially by a particular group of people, such as criminals, children, etc.

Ex: Internet slang such as ' LOL ' ( laugh out loud ) and ' BRB ' ( be right back ) has become widely recognized and used in online communication .

proverb [noun]

a well-known statement or phrase that expresses a general truth or gives advice

Ex: One common proverb in English is ' Do n't count your chickens before they hatch , ' which means you should n't assume success until it actually happens .

imperative [adjective]

(of grammar) asserting a command or order

Ex:

interjection [noun]

(grammar) a phrase or word used suddenly to express a particular emotion

Ex: The linguist discussed the various functions of interjection in language .

intonation [noun]

(phonetics) the rising and falling of the voice when speaking

Ex: In some languages , intonation can change the meaning of a word or phrase , as in Mandarin Chinese , where different intonation patterns distinguish between words with the same phonetic sounds .

transitive [adjective]

(grammar) describing a verb that needs a direct object

intransitive [adjective]

(grammar) describing a verb that does not take a direct object

linguistic [adjective]

related to the science of language, including its structure, usage, and evolution

Ex: The study examined linguistic patterns in regional dialects .

metaphor [noun]

a figure of speech that compares two unrelated things to highlight their similarities and convey a deeper meaning

Ex: His writing style relies heavily on vivid metaphors and imagery .

progressive [adjective]

(grammar) describing a form of a verb that indicates an action is continuing

Ex:

punctuation [noun]

the use of marks such as a period, comma, etc. in writing to divide sentences and phrases to better convey meaning

Ex: The teacher emphasized the importance of punctuation in conveying the intended meaning of a sentence .

quote [noun]

a sentence from a speech, book, etc. that is repeated somewhere else because it is wise or interesting

Ex: The famous quote from Martin Luther King Jr. , " I have a dream , " continues to resonate with people around the world .

double negative [noun]

a grammatical construction in which two negative elements are used within the same sentence, often resulting in a positive meaning

Ex: The sentence " We have n't seen no one " uses a double negative , implying that they have seen someone .

Essential Vocabulary for TOEFL
Family and Relationships	Stages of Life	Personal Characteristics	Feelings and Emotions
Appearance	Clothing and Fashion	Colors and Shapes	Education
Employment	Language and Grammar	The Human Body	Communication
Travel and Tourism	Transportation	Means of Transportation	The Computer World
Society and Social Issues	Healthcare and Medicine	Medical Examinations and Procedures	Physical Conditions and Injuries
Mental Disorders	Physical Disabilities and Illnesses	Geography	Space
The Environment and Weather	The Animal Kingdom	The Art World	Cinema and Theater
Music	Literature	Broadcasting and Journalism	Food and Restaurant
Diet	Agriculture and Plants	Point of View	Cause and Effect
Certainty and Doubt	Suggestions and Rules	Pride and Prejudice	Houses and Buildings
Hobbies and Games	Shopping	The Economy	The Business World
Success and Failure	Politics	Law and Order	Crime and Punishment
War and Peace	Religion	Biology, Physics, and Chemistry	Mathematics and Measurement
Engineering and Research	Athletics	Time and History