靜靜偷走 TOEIC 分數嘅文法陷阱

靜靜偷走 TOEIC 分數嘅文法陷阱

你做緊閱讀部分嘅第十分鐘,枝筆停喺一條 Part 5 題目上面,四個選項睇落幾乎一模一樣。Apply. Applies. Applied. Applying. 你識呢個動詞,你知佢咩意思,你甚至連規則都記得。但個鐘已經滑過二十秒,下面嗰條題目喺度向你低聲呼喚,突然之間,兩個選項之間嘅分別感覺就好似擲銀仔咁。你塗咗一個自己大約有七成把握嘅答案,然後就跳去下一題。

呢一刻,喺十五、二十條題目入面不斷重演,就係一個明明有能力嘅考生流失分數嘅地方。唔係一次戲劇性嘅大失敗,而係慢慢一滴一滴咁漏。

呢個係冇人喺生字表入面同你講嘅真相:大部分 TOEIC 文法錯誤都唔係「我唔識個規則」,而係喺時間壓力下細微嘅句式失手。文法係你研讀咗好多年嘅同一套文法。分別在於,呢個考試刻意堆砌啲乍睇之下全部都啱嘅干擾項——而喺第十八秒嗰陣,你個腦得到嘅就只係匆匆一瞥。

呢篇文章係我哋 TOEIC 文法陷阱系列嘅總覽。我哋會預覽五大類陷阱,呢啲陷阱靜靜咁喺啲考生身上扣分——而呢啲考生若然喺一間靜室、手揸一杯咖啡,本來係會每一題都答啱。每一類陷阱喺系列入面都有一篇更深入嘅練習文章。今日我哋先描繪成片地形。

呢啲陷阱喺 TOEIC 聽力同閱讀邊度出現

文法陷阱住喺每一個用到句子嘅部分,即係話差唔多周圍都係。佢哋喺 Part 5:Incomplete Sentences 最密集,因為呢度設計上每一題都係一個文法或者生字嘅空格。佢哋喺 Part 6:Text Completion 又再出現,呢度個空格唔單止要啱一句,仲要啱成段。佢哋亦會以代名詞指涉同時態轉換題嘅形式,潛入 Part 7:Reading Comprehension 嘅單篇同多篇閱讀組合入面。

Part 6 仲有佢自己嘅篇章文法層次:嗰句啱嘅句子要喺時態、代名詞指涉、連接詞邏輯同資訊流向上面全部配合。Part 6 文法流向深入解析就講解呢一類獨立嘅陷阱。

聽力部分都唔係清白嘅。Part 2:Question-Response 會懲罰薄弱嘅附加問句同時態配對直覺。Part 3:ConversationsPart 4:Talks 包含啲推論題,佢哋嘅干擾項係改寫句——而錯嘅改寫句往往會改動一個好細微嘅文法特徵,例如時態或者數量詞,從而扭轉意思。Part 1:Photographs 嚴格嚟講好少考文法,但四句口述描述上面嘅時態同體("is being repaired" vs "has been repaired"),其實正正就係同一類陷阱嘅聲音版本。

依家等我哋預覽呢五大類。

陷阱類別一:藏喺長名詞片語下面嘅主謂一致

呢度有一句你喺考試日會以某種形式見到嘅句子。

The list of approved vendors are posted in the lobby.

呢句感覺啱,因為最貼近動詞嘅名詞——"vendors"——係複數。但真正嘅主詞係 "list",單數。正確嘅動詞係 is

呢個陷阱之所以有效,係因為喺時間壓力下,你對眼會抓住最近嘅名詞。TOEIC 句子設計嘅全部重點,就係喺主詞同動詞之間塞一個長修飾語("of approved vendors"),令最近嗰個名詞永遠都唔係真正嘅主詞。要留意 list ofone ofeach ofneither of,同埋任何將主詞推離動詞嘅介系詞片語。

Part 5 深入解析展示呢個陷阱喺 25 秒時鐘下面點運作。

陷阱類別二:字尾壓力下嘅詞性變化

如果一條 Part 5 題幹有四十個字咁長,而四個選項係 carefully, careful, carefulness, care,咁佢唔係喺度考你 "care" 係咩意思。你已經識。佢係喺度考你能唔能夠辨認到嗰個空格嘅文法職能

Please review the document carefully before signing.

呢個空格係喺度描述一個動作(副詞)、描述一個名詞(形容詞)、做名詞,定係做動詞?讀空格後面嗰個字,會比讀成句更快答到呢個問題。如果後面坐住一個動詞,咁你幾乎肯定需要一個副詞。如果坐住一個名詞,咁形容詞就好可能係答案。

我哋喺名詞-動詞-形容詞-副詞深入解析入面拆解成個呢類陷阱,包括分詞形容詞陷阱("interesting" vs "interested")同埋動名詞對名詞嘅陷阱。

陷阱類別三:鎖死動詞時態嘅時間字

好多 TOEIC 題目其實喺你睇選項之前已經偷偷話咗時態你知。觸發點係一個字。

Since 2019, our company has expanded into six new markets.

如果題幹有 sincefor the past five years 或者 over the last decade,咁個動詞幾乎肯定係現在完成式。如果有 yesterdaylast weektwo days ago,咁個動詞就係簡單過去式——絕對唔係現在完成式。如果有 by Fridayby the end of next quarter,咁個動詞就係未來完成式。

考生喺呢度經常因為先睇選項再估而失分。更快嘅做法係:喺選項出現之前,先搵到嗰個時間字,再預測時態。Yesterday, Since, By Friday逐一講解四大類主要嘅時間字。

陷阱類別四:跨句子嘅代名詞指涉

呢個陷阱喺 Part 7:Reading Comprehension 嗰啲問「第二段嘅 it 一字指嘅係……」嘅題目入面最常出現。

一個代名詞喺文法上可以指返前面幾個名詞。但只有其中一個係真正嘅指涉對象。喺時間壓力下,你會抓住最近嘅名詞,就好似你喺主謂陷阱入面抓住最近嘅名詞咁。佢往往係錯嘅。

The marketing team submitted three proposals to the board. They rejected the most ambitious one.

邊個拒絕咗?市場部定董事會?兩個喺文法上都有可能。語用嘅理解——只有董事會先可以拒絕一份提交畀董事會嘅提案——畀到你答案,但條件係你要慢落嚟諗一拍。學習者好多時跳過呢一拍,直接撳最近嗰個名詞。

代名詞指涉深入解析講解 Part 7 嘅版本,包括跨段落代名詞同埋單數 "they"。

陷阱類別五:商業英語入面嘅比較形式

TOEIC 好鍾意用比較。More efficient. As reliable as. The most cost-effective. 呢個陷阱係結構性嘅,多過係語意上嘅。

Our new system is more efficient than the previous one. Our new system is as efficient as the previous one.

轉咗個形式就轉咗個意思。而啲干擾項會畀 most efficient thanmore efficient as 或者 the more efficient 你揀——每一個都同正確句式差咗半步。喺時間壓力下,呢啲句式會變得模糊。解決方法係將四個標準框架背到滾瓜爛熟:more X than Yas X as Ythe most X in/of Zthe X-er the Y-er。一旦呢啲框架變成自動化,啲干擾項之間就唔會再睇落咁似。

比較形式深入解析喺 TOEIC 商業情境入面操練呢啲框架。

(睇埋我哋更深入嘅介系詞陷阱解析,講解 by/until/within 嘅句式;呢啲句式會以一啲令好多考生中伏嘅方式,同比較同時間生字互相影響。)

錯誤/更好/原因

錯誤 更好 原因
The list of approved vendors are posted. The list of approved vendors is posted. 主詞係 list,單數。修飾語入面嗰個複數名詞係誘餌。
Please review the document careful. Please review the document carefully. 個空格修飾一個動詞。你需要副詞,唔係形容詞。
Since 2019 we expanded into six markets. Since 2019 we have expanded into six markets. Since 將動詞鎖死喺現在完成式。
The board sent the proposal to the team and they approved it. (含糊) The board sent the proposal to the team, which approved it. 將代名詞變清晰,避開最近名詞陷阱。
Our system is more efficient as the previous one. Our system is more efficient than the previous one. 個框架係 more X than Y,絕對唔係 more X as Y

考試日策略

五大類陷阱,一個策略:喺睇答案之前先預測。

喺你對眼跌落去四個答案選項之前,迫你個腦先承諾一個預測。邊個詞性應該填入呢個空格?個時間字要求邊個時態?邊個名詞先係真正嘅主詞?

呢個就係 750 分考生同 900 分考生之間最大嘅單一分別,而佢係建立喺節奏控制上面。

你每條 Part 5 題目大約有 25 秒。呢啲時間夠你讀題幹、預測、瞄一瞄選項、再確認。但唔夠你仔細讀每一個選項,再喺腦海入面逐個比較權衡。喺 Part 6,你嘅時間預算大約係每題 45 至 60 秒,因為你仲要掃描成段嚟搵脈絡。喺 Part 7,你成個閱讀部分平均每題大約一分鐘——即係話單篇題目要快過呢個速度,先儲到時間嚟應付密集嘅多篇組合。

呢個系列入面嘅陷阱類別,喺你先預測嗰陣全部都會瓦解。佢哋喺你由選項開始嗰陣全部都會存活。

快速測驗

  1. The schedule of upcoming workshops ___ been finalized and will be sent out tomorrow.

    • A. have
    • B. has
    • C. having
    • D. were
  2. ___ the budget was approved last week, the team has already begun hiring.

    • A. While
    • B. During
    • C. Since
    • D. Until
  3. Please review the attached report ___ before our meeting on Friday.

    • A. care
    • B. careful
    • C. carefully
    • D. caring
Answer key
1. B  (subject is "schedule," singular)
2. C  (cause-and-effect "since" plus present perfect "has already begun")
3. C  (the slot modifies the verb "review")

重點回顧

  • 大部分 TOEIC 文法錯誤都係句式失手,唔係知識空白。
  • 五大類陷阱造成大部分傷害:長修飾語下嘅主謂一致、詞性變化、時間字鎖死時態、代名詞指涉,同埋比較框架。
  • 五者嘅解決方法都一樣:喺讀選項之前先預測答案。
  • 系列嘅深入解析涵蓋 Part 5 時間控制、詞性變化、時間字鎖死時態、Part 6 文法流向、代名詞指涉,同埋比較框架。

如果你想喺真實考試時間下感受呢啲陷阱,而唔淨係讀下文章,可以試吓 ExamRift 嘅 TOEIC 聽力同閱讀練習。Part 5 個計時器毫不留情,而呢個正正就係重點——喺你考試日要面對嘅同一個鐘下面練習,網址係 https://examrift.com。