These TOEFL connecting word quizzes will test your mastery of four specific types of words: prepositions, coordinators, subordinators, and transition words. Before completing these TOEFL connecting word quizzes, please review the following lessons:
- TOEFL connecting words: Learn how to use connecting words more effectively in your speaking and writing responses. Moreover, get tips on how to pay attention to these words in reading and listening passages. Finally, read how these words are used in a model essay.
- TOEFL transition words: From arguing to summarizing, learn 100’s of sample sentences that you can use during your speaking and writing responses on the TOEFL exam.
In addition, before each quiz, relevant web pages and You Tube videos links send you to more practice so that you can gain better control over these important TOEFL connecting words. Practice makes perfect, right? And you will get plenty of practice on this web page!
TOEFL Connecting Word Quizzes: Prepositions
Prepositions typically occur before noun phrases, and they signal spatial, time, location relationships to name a few.
- Space: John put his books on his desk.
- Time: All the students should show up at 8:00am to take the TOEFL Paper-Based Test.
- Location: My wife and son are traveling to Arizona today.
- Do you know how to use the prepositions “between” and “among?” This web page will explain in a very simple way how to use these two prepositions.
- ____________my house, my wife and I park our two cars.
A. In front of
B. Between
C. Instead of
D. Ahead of
2. Soccer officials decided to cancel the game_________the lightning.
A. instead of
B. because of
C. addition to
D. next to
3. ____________the author in the reading passage, bobcats typically hunt at night______________small prey such as squirrels, rabbits, mice, and birds.
A. Except for, in spite of
B. In case of, ahead of
C. According to, in search of
D. By means of, prior to
4. _____________the summer, some people try to lose weight so they will look good when they good to the beach.
A. Since
B. After
C. Amongst
D. Prior to
5. ___________a fire, the speaker asserts, evacuees must leave their houses so that they do not have to be rescued later by firefighters.
A. In place of
B. Next to
C. In case of
D. On to
6. The icecap_______Mount Kilomanjaro has been melting________climate change.
A. above, inside
B. atop, on account of
C. into, past
D. behind, except
7. Pacific Coast Highway 101 meanders_______the beach for 100’s of miles.
A. along
B. across
C. by means of
D. in
8. My birthday falls______December 19, 2019.
A. in
B. at
C. off
D. on
9. All the students will attend the trip to the Grand Canyon_________Tom, who has suddenly fallen ill.
A. except for
B. in spite of
C. along with
D. after
10. To take a shortcut home, Mary and her little brother walked_______the park.
A. throughout
B. on
C. due to
D. through
11. Never walk__________a rattlesnake because it will likely try to bite you.
A. amid
B. outside
C. toward
D. aboard
12. _________the concert, many adoring fans sang with Queen’s front man, Freddy Mercury.
A. About
B. During
C. When
D. Minus
13. With lingering gray clouds and lightning dancing_____the sky, I could tell that it was______to rain.
A. in, about
B. above, like
C. among, around
D. of, on
14. The decision to postpone the research project was made______the students and the professor.
A. among
B. against
C. after
D. between
15. To get a better look at the raging fire, a resident launched her drone________the air.
A. into
B. onto
C. on
D. until
16. Everyone________the ship indeed had the time of their lives.
A. through
B. aboard
C. up
D. down
17. Yesterday, I ran_______the street to my neighbor’s house who was having a barbeque.
A. underneath
B. upon
C. down
D. than
18. The students talked______themselves________whether or not they should deliver their oral presentations next week.
A. opposite, except
B. amid, until
C. towards, near
D. among, about
19. ___________everything Mark has been__________, it is not surprising that he is afraid to drive in a car right now.
A. Considering, through
B. In addition to, around
C. Over, by
D. Concerning, across
20. To prevent the risk of skin cancer______the harmful rays of the sun, I always apply sunblock whenever I go_______my house.
A. anti, to
B. from, outside
C. around, unlike
D. near, onto
After completing these TOEFL connecting word quizzes, begin using these words as you do your speaking and writing practice. My free TOEFL Speaking Resources will help you as you begin your quest to score 26. In the same manner, 1000’s of students have used my free TOEFL Writing Resources to score 24.
TOEFL Connecting Word Quizzes: Coordinators
- Choosing whether to coordinate or subordinate your sentences depends on what you what to emphasize. Do you know what I mean?
- This You Tube Video, as you can watch here, explains the correct punctuation and sentence structure patterns with coordinating conjunctions.
- More explanation about using conjunctions is explained in this video.
Are you look for a one-stop web for all the free TOEFL Vocabulary Resources that you need to score higher than 110. You will find them right here.
1. The author in the reading passage defines goal disjunction, ______the speaker in the listening passage gives an example to illustrate the concept.
A. and
B. but
C. for
D. nor
2. The sun is very bright today, _______it is still going to be a cold day.
A. nor
B. but
C. so
D. yet
3. Neither Tom_______his friend are attending their graduation ceremonies.
A. but
B. for
C. nor
D. and
4. I know that most of my classmates have completed their research projects, _____I have not even started mine_______.
A. but, yet
B. and, for
C. or, so
D. nor, or
5. I do not think that I will have time to finish my homework tonight. ____, _____will anyone else in my class.
A. But, so
B. For, and
C. So, yet
D. And, nor
6. Most animals which hibernate during the winter dramatically to slow their metabolism, ______they will need to burn fewer calories since they are not eating or drinking anything for several months.
A. and
B. nor
C. for
D. yet
7. The professor has evidence to support his ideas about climate change, _______he genuinely believes that human activities such as carbon emissions are having a harmful impact on our environment.
A. but
B. so
C. yet
D. nor
8. Either Tom will participate in the competition, ______his substitute Francis will take part in his absence.
A. for
B. and
C. yet
D. or
9. Karen spent many hours preparing for the academic debate, ______she has decided that she will not attend the prestigious competition.
A. so
B. yet
C. nor
D. and
10. I will be finishing my yardwork in the afternoon today, ________then I will go grocery shopping with my wife.
A. and
B. nor
C. yet
D. but
11. Hiroko is not going to the student forum in the library today, _______will any of her classmates.
A. for
B. and
C. but
D. nor
12. Drawing on hot water in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricanes can be life threatening, __________ residents living in their paths must evacuate.
A. but
B. so
C. nor
D. and
13. Pedro was supposed to have attended the seminar about student loans, __________he has not gone there ________.
A. but, yet
B. and, nor
C. or, so
D. nor, yet
14. Leaving quickly, Juan drove to his friend’s house, ______he needed to help his friend with a homework assignment that was due the next day.
A. but
B. nor
C. for
D. or
15. Some students were acting out of character by exploding fireworks on campus near their dorms, ______university police did nothing to quell the disturbance.
A. for
B. so
C. or
D. yet
16. Michael sat outside his house just as the sun was setting, _____he played his favorite music while cars and people passed by.
A. and
B. nor
C. but
D. or
17. It is really hot right now, ______I will go inside to get a tall glass of ice-cold water.
A. but
B. yet
C. so
D. and
18.Los Angeles has a rat infestation which is causing diseases to spread rapidly, _______the city is working on a solution to terminate the dangerous rodents.
A. but
B. nor
C. or
D. so
19. Most professors bend over backward to help their students succeed, ______they know that their pupils will meaningfully contribute to society if they complete their educations.
A. nor
B. for
C. but
D. yet
20. One thing that I have learned about students trying to reach their target TOEFL scores is that they should not be unfocused________motivated in their preparation.
A. and
B. so
C. but
D. or
Just completing these TOEFL connecting word quizzes is not enough. As you do your TOEFL reading practice, look for these words that you see on this web page. Pay attention to how they are being used in the reading passages. In fact, my free TOEFL Reading Resources web page will help you in your journey to beat the TOEFL exam.
TOEFL Connecting Word Quizzes: Subordinators
- Adjective clauses help you to communicate your ideas. Learn how and why you should use these important dependent clauses.
- Adverb clauses sometimes use real and unreal conditional expressions. Learn in this video when you should use the simple past and the past perfect verb tenses to speak or write about present and past impossible situations.
- This useful web helps you understand more about adverb clauses and real and unreal conditions
- Appostives are reduced adjective clauses. In this video, you will learn how to better control these advanced grammar structures.
- Knowing when you can or cannot delete the subordinating conjunction “that” will help you to eliminate a common error in both speaking and writing, as you can learn right now.
- Noun clauses are important when you explain information from reading and listening passages. Learn right now how to use these dependent clauses during the integrated writing and integrated speaking portions of the TOEFL exam.
- Learn the difference among these subordinating conjunctions: “in which,” “at which,” and “which”: Learn more
- Punctuating adjective clauses can be difficult. However, as you can see in this video, you should use commas when you are using non-restrictive and no commas when using restrictive adjective clauses.
- This video explains noun clauses and the subjunctive mood: Watch now.
- “Which” and “that” confuse some TOEFL speakers and TOEFL writers. Learn how these two adjective clause connectors are different.
- “Whose” is a subordinating conjunction used to show possession. Are you comfortable using this type of adjective clause connector?
1. Susan was acting_______she didn’t have an exam tomorrow. Why did she spend most of the night watching television?
A. even if
B. as long as
C. as if
D. now that
2. ___________the principal found out who had blown up the toilet in the boy’s restroom, she expelled the student.
A. Before
B. How
C. As soon as
D. In order that
3. Paula lives in Turkey, _________her friend Merebek stays in Japan.
A. where
B. whether
C. before
D. whereas
4. The team will participate in the soccer tournament_______________the coach has all the equipment needed for the players.
A. rather than
B. provided that
C. although
D. in order that
5. ________the desert winds blow in the afternoon in Oak Hills, California, the temperature usually drops a few degrees.
A. Than
B. Wherever
C. When
D. Why
6. __________attend a concert, the students and the professor decided to go on an outdoor excursion to Amboy, California, a geological site where a huge crater struck many years ago .
A. Provided that
B. Rather than
C. So that
D. whether
7. ____________the referees see signs of lightning, these game officials will not stop the soccer game.
A. When
B. Because
C. As soon as
D. Unless
8. The professor decided to make some changes in his course outline_______most of his students wanted to complete the term paper by the deadline.
A. as if
B. lest
C. inasmuch as
D. whenever
9. ____________John had completed and had passed his driving test, his friends and he went to a restaurant to celebrate.
A. Whoever
B. Now when
C. Whether
D. In order that
10. So excited that her team and she had won the soccer match, Jane acted_______she had completely lost her mind.
A. as soon as
B. just as
C. although
D. as though
11. ________some people still support the idea that the Earth is flat surprises me__________there is clear evidence to the contrary.
A. why, since
B. after, which
C. Now since, unless
D. lest, supposing
12. No one knows for sure _______built the pyramids ________ these architectural wonders date back 1000’s and 1000’s of years.
A. whoever, provided that
B. rather than, which
C. who, because
D. whenever, once
13. The Mesquite Trails elementary school students will go to the cinema to watch “Incredibles 3″____________that they get signed parental permission.
A. although
B. where if
C. rather than
D. provided that
14. ______________running a marathon in 3:12:34, Maria spent more 6 months completing endurance runs, stretching and flexibility exercises, and weight lifting.
A. Because
B. Till
C. While
D. Before
15. ____________archeologists learn more about the Titanic shipwreck, these ocean explorers invented a deep sea unmanned submarine that could go more than 12,000 feet below the ocean surface.
A. Until
B. If only
C. In order that
D. Now that
16. ____________the Romans had better technology, they might have been able to continue their world dominance for a few more centuries.
A. So that
B. Supposing that
C. Now when
D. That
17. My wife told me __________, ____________we have to move___________my job, she will come along.
A. that, wherever, because of
B. even, just as, which
C. provided, so that, due to
D. now since, as long as, in spite of
18. __________spend the night on the top of Mount Baldy, __________often gets high winds and lighting storms, the hikers decided to trek down the mountain as early in the day as possible.
A. Now since, while
B. If only, than
C. Rather than, which
D. In order that, why
19. ______________earthquakes shake and rattle communities from time to time, the real threat from these temblors occurs ___________they create large waves with long periods called Tsunamis.
A. After, so that
B. As if, whenever
C. Just as, if then
D. Although, when
20. Hoping _________we could get a glimpse of the actor, my family and I waited near the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland _________ 8:30pm, _____________ we finally saw him.
A. as, now that, whoever
B. that, until, at which time
C. lest, just as, in order to
D. supposing, whenever, as much as
How are you doing so far with these TOEFL connecting word quizzes? As you complete your TOEFL listening practice, focus on how these words are used to organize ideas. Did you know that I have a free TOEFL Resources Web Page to help you improve your listening?
Quiz: Transition Words
- Watch the following video about comma splices, a common error often occurring with transition words: Watch now.
- This master, high-impact lesson explains how transition words are one of four cohesive devices to make your TOEFL speaking and writing tasks more coherent. Learn what the other three cohesive devices are and how to use them to score higher than 26 and 24 points on the speaking and writing sections.
1. I met a person last week who is so gregarious. ___________, he is a type of person who enjoys talking with people.
A. However
B. In other words
C. Equally
D. Additionally
2. Tornadoes form from low pressure centers caused when cool and warm, moist air collide. __________, thunderstorms also come from disturbances of low pressure.
A. Notwithstanding
B. Not to mention
C. By the same token
D. Be that as it may
3. Ridgecrest, California experienced a 7.1 earthquake. _______________, many buildings were knocked off of their foundations. ____________, no one died after the massive temblor.
A. In conclusion, On balance
B. Ordinarily, Usually
C. Under those circumstances, However
D. At the present time, At this instant
4. After hearing gunshots in the hall, students___________ran out of the building to avoid harm.
A. to put it differently
B. immediately
C. that is to say
D. in view of
5. Scientists predict that an 8.0+ earthquake will occur along the San Andreas Fault in California. ____________this earthquake should occur, residents are advised to have a 72 hour emergency kit in their cars and at home. _____________, affected residents will have enough food and water for at least three days.
A. In view of, As can be seen
B. On the condition that, Granted
C. In spite of the fact that, After all
D. In the event that, As a result
6. _____________Florida residents would evacuate, officials warned that a category 5 hurricane was approaching the coast in less than 48 hours.
A. With attention to
B. Next
C. In the hope that
D. Henceforth
7. With temperatures soaring above 120F during some parts of the summer, Death Valley, Calfifornia is the hottest geographical area in the world. __________, North Pole, Alaska is one of the coldest regions in the world with temperatures during the summer of around 60F during the day.
A. As an illustration
B. On the contrary
C. In the same fashion
D. For this reason
8. The reading passage explains the advantages of having a military base near a community. _______________, two speakers in the passage also agree with the idea.
A. Equally important
B. Although this may be true
C. To point out
D. Similarly
9. The giant 8.9 temblor created a large Tsunami. _________, more than 250,000 people living near the coast in Southeast Asia were swept out to sea.
A. Thereupon
B. Ordinarily
C. Up to the present time
D. Truly
10. Certain animals in California’s Mojave Desert have adapted to the dry conditions. _____________, a kangaroo rat lives its entire life without ever having a drink of water. ___________, the tiny rodent gets its water from the plants that it eats.
A. For instance, Surprisingly
B. In contrast, Even so
C. To put it differently, Another key point
D. In the final analysis, For the most part
11. In the first place, ants work incessantly hard at bringing food back to the queen ant. ____________, these industrious insects build protective barriers around the entrance to the colony to prevent intruders from entering.
A. Not only that
B. In the second place
C. In like manner
D. In addition
12. Formed from columns of hot air rising into the cloudless sky, dust devils create funnels of wind gusts up to 75 miles per hour. _____________, these mini-tornadoes rarely cause structural damage even to lightly constructed buildings.
A. Consequently
B. On the negative side
C. Be that as it may
D. By the same token
13. _____________the long-lasting and drenching rainfall over the last three winter seasons, California residents are still being punished through high water fees after using a certain number of gallons.
A. In spite of
B. With attention to
C. As soon as
D. in front of
14. ___________, Africanized honey bees pollinate many fruit trees. On the negative side, these bees can swarm and kill humans by stinging them 1000’s of times.
A. As a matter of fact,
B. On the positive side
C. Fortunately,
D. With this in mind
15. Polar glaciers are melting at a faster rate than those in the past, many parts of Earth are experiencing erratic weather patterns, and the overall temperature has increased significantly over the last 100 years. ___________, climatologists urge all countries to reduce their carbon emissions before it is too late.
A. On the other hand
B. With this in mind
C. Given these points
D. In the final analysis
16. _____________countries take measurable steps to reduce their carbon emissions and other harmful greenhouse gases, Earth can be brought back into balance so as to avoid future deadly climatic events.
A. All of a sudden that
B. On that condition that
C. In spite of the fact that
D. Immediately
17. _____________the photo was a large man with curly red hair.
A. First
B. All things considered
C. In the center of
D. For this reason
18. _____________, no one has ever traveled to and landed on the planet Mars.
A. Up until the present time
B. At this instant
C. From time to time
D. In the past
19. Hikers sometimes encounter bears; ___________, they should face the bear, hold their arms above their heads, stand their ground, and make loud noises.
A. In the long run
B. In reality
C. Above all
D. In that case
20. Back in the 1970’s, someone claimed to have seen a large hairy man/ape running through the California woods. __________, no one believed the claim at the time. ___________, scientists began investigating the sighting as the possible missing link between humans and primates.
A. Of course, Nevertheless
B. In addition, Therefore
C. Above all, In due time
D. In the meantime, Without delay
These TOEFL connecting word quizzes are designed to help you improve your sentence structure so that you can minimize errors on the speaking and writing portions of the TOEFL exam. When you miss an answer in one of these TOEFL connecting word quizzes, create a sample sentence to help you remember how the word should be used. Also, take advantage of my free TOEFL Grammar Resources web page.
Quiz: Prepositions, Coordinators, Subordinators, and Transition Words
- This web page explains how prepositions, coordinators, subordinators, and transition words should be used during the speaking and writing portions of the TOEFL iBT.
- Understanding the difference among coordinators, subordinators, prepositions, and transition words can be difficulty to comprehend. As you can learn, this video explains the grammatical and punctuation patterns of the important TOEFL speaking and writing connecting words.
1. July is the hottest month of year, _________most households in the United States use their air conditioners a lot during this part of the summer season.
A. therefore
B. because
C. so
D. due to
2. The dean of academic affairs talked to the students_________research was plagiarized by students in Europe.
A. but
B. their
C. despite
D. whose
3. __________the rain, officials declined to cancel any of the scheduled soccer matches.
A. Despite
B. Although
C. Yet
D.Nevertheless
4. ______________all the controversy, California officials decided to end the Visa Lottery Program.
A. So
B. Because of
C. Because
D. Hence
5. India has the second largest population base in the world; __________, Luxembourg has one of the smallest at 599,000.
A. although
B. in contrast
C. but
D. in spite of the fact that
6. Scientists’ climate models cannot exactly forecast the end of the world; ________, many politicians says that the end of the world will occur in twelve years.
A. as a result
B. on the other hand
C. and
D. whereby
7. __________all the students know how they should complete their term projects, they can venture to the library to conduct the graduate research and critical literacy workshops.
A. Even if
B. For
C. Now that
D. Finally,
8. To prevent forest fires, California residents are encouraged to create a minimum of 200 feet of defensible space around their homes. ________, other residents in other western drought-prone states are clearing around their properties as well.
A. Because
B. Similarly
C. Yet
D. On the contrary
9. ________all of his hard word, Salam still did not get his required score of 26 on the speaking section of the TOEFL exam.
A. Despite
B. Because of
C. In addition
D. Whereas
10. ___________Lana had scored higher on the reading and listening portions, she would have reached her target score of 100.
A. Even though
B. In spite of the fact that
C. If
D. Since
11. On the freeway, a terrible accident involved ten drivers, four of_______died.
A. whom
B. which
C. them
D. who
12. Photosynthesis is the process_________plants convert sunlight into energy for food.
A. which
B. for instance
C. for
D. whereby
13. The ultraviolet rays of the sun are more harmful for people who live 1000+ feet above sea level, ___________creating higher incidents of skin cancer for people living in these areas.
A. therefore
B. inasmuch as
C. but
D. for this reason
14. Students_________are preparing for the TOEFL exam should practice their English_________they can_________they can reach their desired overall score and subtotal scores.
A. whom, when, because
B. who, whenever, so that
C. that, providing, furthermore
D. where, as soon as, likewise
15. Heath Ledger, the actor ________ played the joker in Batman in 2008, died suddenly a few months _______ the filming ________ a drug overdose.
A. that, during, unless
B. when, while, because
C. who, after, due to
D. which, before, in spite of
16. The professor and her graduate students were unsure ________ they should postpone the final exam _________ university officials had to cancel two days to class ___________ thick smoke from a nearby wildfire had enveloped the campus.
A. if, although, whereas
B. so, when, in short
C. for, provided, for example
D. whether or not, since, inasmuch as
17. Learning how to use prepositions, transition words, coordinators, and subordinators will help you immensely,_______you will be able to increase your TOEFL score.
A. for
B. before
C. as long as
D. as a result
18. __________the rain stopped falling, the two teams had already finished the baseball game.
A. Since
B. By the time
C. Once
D. To illustrate
19. Mother Nature can affect Earth’s weather patterns dramatically; __________, when Mount Pintubo erupted, it caused worldwide temperatures to drop 1º F between 1991-1993.
A. so
B. furthermore
C. for example
D. in case
20. _________most of the students were in class listening to their professor’s lectures, a band was setting up for a concert later on that day.
A. And
B. Whenever
C. Whose
D. While
Now that you have finished these TOEFL connecting word quizzes, you should practice using them as you complete your speaking and writing practice. Please consider joining my Online TOEFL Course:
- You can complete pronunciation and speaking practice tests. After, I will give you feedback so that you can monitor your progress.
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I hope that you found these TOEFL connecting word quizzes useful.