# Grammar and TOEFL Writing Notes
>For who want to get a high grade in TOEFL writing section.
>Here are some directions for you to improve your writing skills.
:::success
### :bulb:What e-rater like
1. Use Present perfect and/or past perfect tense
2. Use appositive -> Most people, especially children, …
3. Use synonyms
4. Use complex sentences + compound sentences + simple sentences
5. no **typos** and **grammatical errors**!!!

### :bulb:What human rater like
1. Transition words
2. Various verb tenses
3. Grammatical complexity
4. natural sounding
:::

### use of 'the'
- when explaining a concept and not targeting a specific group, don't use 'the'.
- Be aware of nouns should add 's' to consider all objects or people in a general concept
### use of pronouns, stick with subject
- what I did wrong: Most people in the world, including me, have important events in **~~our~~** lives.
- should be: **Most people in the world**, including me, have important events in **their** lives.

## Present Perfect
### present perfect
> activity or state that is finished
- She has read a book about skydiving.
>unspecified time in the past, finished

- She has been reading a book about skydiving.
>still reading, unfinished
- She took lessons last year
- not ~~She has taken lessos last year.~~
:::danger
Do not use the present perfect with specific past time expressions except after **since**.
eg. She has taken lessons since 1999.
:::

don't usually use present perfect progressive to talk about **how many times**.
- eg. she **has typed** two e-mails this morning.
- not ~~She's been typing two emails this morning.~~

## Past Perfect
- It was 1980. She had been an author for two years.
- she was an author before 1980.
- She had been studying at the university when she got her first TV job.
- She was studying at the university. Then she got the job.
:::info
- **already, yet, ever, never** are often used with the past perfect.

- often use '**By**' (a certain time)
eg. By 1966 Leo had decided on a career.
eg2. By the time I got home, he had been sleeping for an hour.

- for conclusion
eg. She was out of breath. It was clear that she had been running.
:::

## Repetition
- use pronouns to avoid same subject.
- use **sentence additions** to avoid
- eg. Brasilia is its nation's capital, and so is Washington.

## Subordinating Conjunction
[ADJECTIVE CLAUSES](https://jjc.jjay.cuny.edu/erc/tutoring/pdfs/47.pdf)

## Synonyms (help me write some common words:smile:)
- good
- amazing, fantastic...

- bad people
- notorious people
- think
- consider, regard, believe, ponder,
- important / priceless / precious memories
- Develop skills
- cultivate skills
- bad
- unpleasant
- person
- children, adults, individual, one

## Idioms
- we elaborate on something
- knowledge CANNOT be hard, should be specialized knowledge
- homework is a noncount noun
- photos **refresh** our memories
-