TOEFL Content Vs Function Words

Content words include main verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, negative auxiliary verbs, demonstratives, and question words. These are words that must be included in the sentence for it to make sense, and are words that should be stressed within the sentence. Here are some examples:

• Main Verbs: go, talking, writes
• Nouns: teacher, chair, New York
• Adjectives: large, brilliant, pretty
• Adverbs: quietly, slowly, elegantly
• Negative Auxiliary Verbs: aren’t, won’t, can’t
• Demonstratives: those, this, that
• Question Words: how, when, why

Function words include pronouns, preposition, articles, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs, and the main verb ‘to be’. These words add proper grammatical structure and flow to your sentence, but should not be stressed – think of them as background words. Here are some examples:

• Pronouns: she, they, he
• Prepositions: above, in, with
• Articles: few, a, the
• Conjunctions: nor, yet, so
• Auxilary Verbs: might, were, do
• Verb ‘to be’: am, is, was

TOEFL Online Tests

TOEFL Practice Papers (15 questions), Free Online TOEFL Sample Test (10 questions), ETS TOEFL Practice Test Questions (7 questions), IBT TOEFL Practice (15 questions).