TOEFL Writing: Build a sentence
Hi everyone!
Welcome back! In today’s lesson, we’re diving into Build a Sentence, a brand-new task in the TOEFL Writing section. This is an important one, because it directly tests how well you understand English word order—and that’s something ETS really cares about.
We’ll be working with real ETS sample questions, specifically Sample Set: Teacher Resource 5, to uncover exactly what kinds of word order choices matter and why. Along the way, you’ll learn several key grammar facts, especially those related to the five core sentence patterns—including how subjects, verbs, objects, complements, and modifiers are supposed to work together.
We’ll also focus on which parts of speech can fill each role, so you’re not just guessing—you’re making informed choices.
If you feel a little unsure about basic sentence structure, don’t worry. Just be sure to watch Dr. Byrnes’s free lecture videos on sentence building. In this lesson, we’ll build on that foundation and move quickly, so previously covered grammar points will only be briefly reviewed.
Alright, let’s get the ball rolling
1. Your presentation yesterday was impressive.
Thanks. _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
you want / of it / me / you / to send / do / a copy
Okay, there’s a question mark and no wh-question word, so this is a yes–no question.
Do is the only auxiliary verb here, so we use inversion that begins with do, followed by subject–verb order.
So we start with “Do you want …”
Now, want — want what?
Want can take just an object, or an object plus an object complement.
For example:
I want you.
I want you to love me.
The first one is sentence pattern 3.
Quick grammar point: want takes a to-infinitive as its object, not a gerund.
So:
I want to go ✅
I want going ❌
The second example (I want you to love me) is sentence pattern 5.
Now let’s examine the given words to see which pattern is needed.
The candidates for the complement of want are “me,” “you,” “to send,” and “a copy.” We need to use all of them, so the sentence cannot be pattern 3. This clearly makes it sentence pattern 5: an object plus an object complement, where the complement is the to-infinitive to send.
But which word is the object — me, you, or a copy?
First, “Do you want you to send …” does not make sense.
How about “Do you want a copy to send …”? That’s not grammatical either, because a copy cannot perform the action send. It would have to be in the passive voice:
“Do you want a copy to be sent …”
Therefore, “me” is the only correct option as the object:
“Do you want me to send …”
Now, send is one of those verbs that requires two objects — a direct object and an indirect object.
This is called sentence pattern 4.
We already covered all of these five english sentence patterns in an earlier video, so make sure you know these sentence patterns.
Okay, where were we?
I said send requires pattern 4.
What do we have left?
of it
you
a copy
The indirect object should be you.
The direct object should be a copy.
Of it modifies a copy.
So the final sentence is:
Do you want me to send you a copy of it?
2. I wish I hadn’t missed the conference last week.
_____ you _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
the recordings / where / don’t / know / the sessions / of / to get
It is a question, so we need inversion. There are two possible words to begin: where and don’t. Where doesn’t work because a verb should follow, but the next word is you. So don’t is the only choice. After that, a base verb should follow, and know is the only option. So the sentence must begin with:
“Don’t you know …”
Know what? We need an object. Because we have where, we know that the object of know will be an indirect question. So far, we have seen indirect questions expressed as clauses. The subject could be the recordings or the sessions, but there is no main verb available to use in a full clause.
Now we have a new grammar fact you need to know: the “wh-word + to-infinitive” structure (for example, what to do, where to go, how to fix). This structure is a concise way to form indirect questions or instructions. Think of it as replacing longer clauses.
For example:
I don’t know what I should do → I don’t know what to do
Can you tell me how I can get there? → Can you tell me how to get there?
The wh-word + to-infinitive structure is a noun phrase and can act as the subject, object, or complement in a sentence:
Where to go is the question. (subject)
The question is where to go. (subject complement)
He asked me where to go. (direct object)
With that grammar fact, let’s look at the remaining words:
the recordings / of / the sessions / to get
Where to get … works perfectly.
Get what? The recordings makes sense, but getting the sessions does not. So we have where to get the recordings.
Now we add of the sessions, which works well. The sessions refers back to the conference. Dr. Byrnes has several videos on how to use the correctly. The is the most-used word in English, and for non-native speakers, it is often the most challenging word to master.
Make sure you understand when to use the:
to refer back to something mentioned earlier, like the sessions meaning the conference sessions
and when a modifier gives identification, like the recordings of the sessions
So we now have:
where to get the recordings of the sessions
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Don’t you know where to get the recordings of the sessions?
3. The new yoga class was very relaxing.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ on Saturdays.
are / a few / classes / wonder / I / held / if
There is no question mark, but words like wonder and if tell us we are dealing with an indirect question.
Classes cannot wonder, so the sentence must begin with:
“I wonder if …”
The remaining words are:
are / a few / classes / held
Classes is the only candidate for the subject of the if-clause. A few acts as a determiner, specifically called an indefinite quantifier. A few can only modify a countable plural noun, so we have:
“a few classes”
Determiners like articles, possessives, and quantifiers have a specific word order. Make sure you know how to place them correctly by watching Dr. Byrnes’s free lecture on determiner order—it’s a strong candidate topic for word order questions.
Since classes as a non-animate concept cannot perform the action of holding, the verb must be in the passive form:
“are held”
So the indirect question clause becomes:
if a few classes are held on Saturdays
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
I wonder if a few classes are held on Saturdays.
4. We had a blast at the national park yesterday.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ all year long?
does / it / anybody / whether / is open / know / they
First, notice the question mark, and the words know and whether signal that the sentence is a question containing an indirect question.
Since there is no wh-word, this is a yes–no question, which requires inversion, beginning with the auxiliary verb. Does and is open are good candidates.
Based on meaning, the sentence should begin with does, while is open should appear in the whether-clause. Does requires a third-person singular subject, and anybody is the only suitable candidate.
So the sentence must begin with:
“Does anybody know whether …”
There is no inversion after whether.
The remaining words are:
it / is open / they
Within the whether-clause, the subject is it, and the verb is is open. They is not used in this sentence. Adding the time expression gives:
whether it is open all year long
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Does anybody know whether it is open all year long?
5. The film festival this weekend was amazing.
_____ we _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
they / if / are / can / find out / planning / another one
There is a question mark and no wh-word, so this is a yes–no question, which requires inversion. The auxiliary verb “can” should begin the sentence.
So the sentence must begin with:
“Can we …”
Next, we need a main verb, which is “find out.” Find out what? This introduces the indirect question clause, which begins with if.
Now let’s build the if-clause. In indirect questions, there is no inversion after if.
The remaining words are:
they / are / planning / another one
Because of the verb are, the subject must be plural, so we use they, referring to the people who organize the film festival. This is similar to examples in a previous lecture, where they referred back to people working at a restaurant:
The restaurant is highly rated. Do you know if they have a vegetarian dish? ✅
The verb phrase is “are planning.” Planning what? “Another one” is the object of planning.
So the embedded clause becomes:
if they are planning another one
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Can we find out if they are planning another one?
6. The workshop on graphic design was very helpful.
_____ you _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
why / each / tell me / how long / was / workshop session / could
There is a question mark and two wh-words: why and how long. So is this a wh-question sentence? Let’s look at the blanks.
If the sentence begins with why or how long, the sentence would require inversion, meaning a verb must follow the wh-word. But the next word in the blanks is you, so the sentence cannot begin with either wh-word.
This makes “Could” the only option to begin the sentence. So the sentence begins with:
“Could you …”
After the “could you”, a base verb should follow, and “tell me” is the only option.
Grammar fact: Tell follows sentence pattern 4, which requires an indirect object and a direct object. Here, me is the indirect object, and the direct object should be a wh-clause leading the indirect question.
So after tell me, we expect a wh-clause as the object. The two wh-words provided are why and how long.
The remaining words are:
each / workshop session / was
Let’s order these first and decide which wh-word is needed. Session is a singular countable noun and cannot be used without a determiner. Each is a determiner that modifies only singular countable nouns. So we have:
“each workshop session”
This is the subject of was. so we have
“each workshop session was”
Was what? Was needs a subject complement. Why is an adverb and cannot serve as a complement. How long, on the other hand, works because long can act as the complement (the session was long), and how modifies long.
So the indirect question clause is led by:
“how long”
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Could you tell me how long each workshop session was?
7.The new art exhibit at the museum is stunning.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ exhibit information?
would / to know / how / I / you / happen / can get
With I, you, would, and can get, it’s a little challenging to see what the sentence is about. So let’s first see which word can begin the sentence. Because of the question mark, the only two candidates are would and how.
Let’s test whether how works. How needs inversion, meaning a verb must come after it. The only option is the auxiliary verb would, then the subject you, and then the main verb happen. Happen to is a fixed expression, so we get:
“How would you happen to know …”
Now know what? The only options left are I and can get, but neither can work as the object of know. So the sentence cannot begin with how.
Now let’s try would. Would also requires inversion, and the rest follows similarly to the how test. So we have:
“Would you happen to know …”
Next, know what? The object of know can begin with how, forming a wh-clause. The remaining words go in normal order:
how I can get exhibit information
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Would you happen to know how I can get exhibit information?
8. Let’s go to that new gym this afternoon.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ at this time?
know / you / do / is / usually crowded / if / it
This is an easy question. We have the usual suspect: a question with an indirect question structure:
“Do you know if …”
The indirect question is also straightforward:
it is usually crowded at this time
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Do you know if it is usually crowded at this time?
9. I really enjoyed the documentary we watched yesterday.
_____ _____ _____ _____ about _____ _____ _____ ?
you / how / heard / it / they filmed / any details / have
Words that can begin the sentence are how and have, with have being the auxiliary verb for have heard in the present perfect tense.
Let’s first see if how works. How needs inversion, giving How have you heard about … — so far, so good.
Now we need an object for about — about what? The remaining words are: it, they filmed, any details. But we cannot fill all the blanks correctly with this structure, so how does not work at the beginning.
So let’s try using have instead: Have you heard …
Grammar: Hear can be both a transitive and intransitive verb.
I heard the news → transitive verb
I heard well → intransitive verb
I heard about the news → intransitive verb
Here we have one blank after Have you heard, so we can add the object of hear. Any details is a good choice.
So we have:
Have you heard any details
Now, details about what? We have an indirect question beginning with how. After how, the subject and verb appear in normal statement order:
about how they filmed
Filmed needs an object, which is it.
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Have you heard any details about how they filmed it?
10. I’m applying for a position at that new technology hub.
_____ _____ know _____ _____ _____ _____ ?
do / they / have / how many / you / open positions
We have the usual suspect here:
“Do you know …”
Know what? An indirect question led by how many.
So we have:
Do you know how many …
The remaining words are:
they / have / open positions
With these words, they have open positions looks perfect. But remember the grammar rule for how many.
How many is a quantifier adjective phrase that modifies plural countable nouns, so the plural noun must come immediately after how many. Here, that gives us:
how many open positions
After that, we use normal statement word order in an indirect question:
they have
In a direct question, the order would be How many open positions do they have?
But in an indirect question, we keep normal word order.How many open positions they have
Putting everything together, the complete sentence is:
Do you know how many open positions they have?