Study guide
Part 5 - Sentence Structure & Clauses
TOEIC Listening and Reading Exam
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1 Listening: Photographs & Question-Response
Part 1 - Photographs: Actions, Objects, and Description Traps Part 2 - Question-Response: Information Questions (Who/What/When/Where/Why/How) Part 2 - Question-Response: Yes/No, Choice, and Statement Questions
2 Listening: Conversations
Part 3 - Conversations: Workplace & Business Scenarios Part 3 - Conversations: Key Question Types & Strategies Part 3 - Conversations: Graphic/Visual & Inference Questions
3 Listening: Talks
Part 4 - Talks: Common Formats & Contexts Part 4 - Talks: Question Types & Strategies Part 4 - Talks: Graphic/Visual & Multi-item Comprehension
4 Reading: Incomplete Sentences
Part 5 - Grammar Essentials (Word Forms and Verb Tenses) Part 5 - Vocabulary & Word Collocations Part 5 - Sentence Structure & Clauses
5 Chapter 5: Reading: Text Completion
Part 6 - Cohesion & Transition Words Part 6 - Sentence Insertion Strategies Part 6 - Contextual Vocabulary & Verb Forms
6 Reading: Reading Comprehension - Single Passages
Part 7 - Single Passages: Business Correspondence (Emails, Letters, Memos) Part 7 - Single Passages: Informational & Transactional Texts Part 7 - Single Passages: Question Types & Strategies
7 Reading: Reading Comprehension - Multiple Passages
Part 7 - Double Passages: Comparing and Linking Information Part 7 - Triple Passages: Cross-referencing Multi-document Sets Part 7 - Multiple Passages: Advanced Detail and Inference Questions
Part 5 - Sentence Structure & Clauses
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
In future-oriented adverbial time clauses, use the present simple tense instead of the future tense when the main clause is future-oriented.
Understand relative pronouns: 'who' functions as a subject pronoun, 'whom' as an object pronoun (often after prepositions), and 'whose' indicates possession.
Reduced relative clauses shorten active clauses using the present participle (-ing) and passive clauses using the past participle (-ed).
Master the four standard conditional patterns (Zero, First, Second, Third) and the use of 'were' for all subjects in Second Conditional if-clauses.
Inverted conditionals omit 'if' and invert the subject and auxiliary verb, using 'Should' (First), 'Were' (Second), or 'Had' (Third).
Last updated: July 2026
Part 5 - Sentence Structure & Clauses
To answer the more complex questions in Part 5, you must look beyond individual words and understand how clauses are connected. The TOEIC exam frequently tests your understanding of sentence structure , which involves identifying independent and dependent clauses, recognizing different types of relative pronouns , and mastering the structures of conditional sentences . Developing the ability to map a sentence's clauses will prevent you from falling for grammatical distractors and help you identify the missing element immediately.
Subordinate Clauses (Adverbial Clauses)
A subordinate clause (or dependent clause) is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It must be joined to an independent main clause using a subordinating conjunction.
1. Adverbial Clauses of Time
Time clauses are introduced by conjunctions such as when , before , after , as soon as , until , and once .
The Future Time Clause Rule : This is a classic TOEIC testing point. In sentences that refer to the future, the main clause uses a future tense (e.g., will deliver or is going to announce ), but the subordinate time clause must use the present simple tense to refer to that future time.
Correct: The manager will sign the contract as soon as the client approves the revisions.
Incorrect: The manager will sign the contract as soon as the client will approve the revisions.
2. Adverbial Clauses of Reason
Reason clauses explain why something happens, introduced by because , since , and as .
Since the regional sales manager is out of the office, the assistant will lead the meeting.
3. Adverbial Clauses of Condition
Condition clauses specify the circumstances under which an action occurs, introduced by if , provided that , as long as , and unless .
Unless means "if... not." It introduces a negative condition.
We will cancel the contract unless they deliver the items by Friday. (Equivalent to: if they do not deliver... )
Relative Clauses and Relative Pronouns
A relative clause (or adjective clause) modifies a noun in the main clause (called the antecedent). The clause is introduced by a relative pronoun, and the choice of pronoun depends on whether the antecedent is a person or a thing, and whether the pronoun acts as a subject, object, or possessive modifier within the clause.
- Antecedent Subject Pronoun Object Pronoun Possessive Pronoun
- People who / that whom / that whose
- Things which / that which / that whose / of which
- Who vs. Whom
Who functions as the subject of the relative clause and is followed immediately by a verb.
The technician who repaired the server is from the IT department. (Subject of repaired )
Whom functions as the object of the relative clause and is followed by a noun or pronoun (a new subject).
The consultant whom we hired last month has proposed a new strategy. (Object of hired )
Preposition + Whom : In formal English, prepositions must precede whom , not who .
The client to whom we sent the proposal has accepted our terms.
Whose
Whose indicates possession and must be placed directly before a noun. It can refer to both people and organizations or things.
We hired a graphic designer whose portfolio was highly impressive.
The corporation whose headquarters are in Tokyo is expanding to Europe.
Reduced Relative Clauses
In business writing, relative clauses are often shortened to make sentences more concise.
Active Reduction : Remove the relative pronoun and the verb be , leaving the present participle ( -ing verb).
The employees who are working overtime -> The employees working overtime...
Passive Reduction : Remove the relative pronoun and the verb be , leaving the past participle ( -ed verb).
The equipment that was purchased last year -> The equipment purchased last year...
On the Exam : Look for nouns followed by a blank and a prepositional phrase (e.g., The report ________ by the director ). If the main verb is elsewhere in the sentence, the blank requires a past participle (e.g., written ) acting as a reduced relative clause.
Conditional Sentences
Conditional sentences contain an if -clause (condition) and a main clause (result). The TOEIC exam tests your ability to match the verb tenses in these two clauses correctly.
The Four Standard Conditionals
Zero Conditional (General Truths) :
Structure: If + Present Simple, Present Simple
If you press this button, the machine shuts down.
First Conditional (Real Future Possibilities) :
Structure: If + Present Simple, Will / Can / May + Base Verb
If our profits increase, we will hire more technicians.
Second Conditional (Hypothetical Present or Future) :
Structure: If + Past Simple, Would / Could + Base Verb
If the company had a larger budget, it would upgrade all office computers.
Grammar Rule : Use were instead of was for all subjects in the if -clause. (e.g., If he were the director, he would approve the expense. )
Third Conditional (Unreal Past Conditions) :
Structure: If + Past Perfect, Would have + Past Participle
If we had submitted the proposal earlier, we would have won the contract.
Inverted Conditionals (Advanced Structure)
In formal business English, the word if can be omitted. When this happens, the subject and the auxiliary verb must be inverted. This is a very common testing point for high-level questions in Part 5.
First Conditional Inversion (Should) : Replace if with should .
Standard: If you need assistance, please contact customer support.
Inverted: Should you need assistance, please contact customer support.
Second Conditional Inversion (Were) : Replace if with were .
Standard: If he were the manager, he would implement the changes.
Inverted: Were he the manager, he would implement the changes.
If there is no verb "be", use: Were + Subject + to + verb (e.g., If the company merged -> Were the company to merge ... )
Third Conditional Inversion (Had) : Replace if with had .
Standard: If we had known about the budget cuts, we would have modified the plan.
Inverted: Had we known about the budget cuts, we would have modified the plan.