A Key Grammar Structure in the New TOEFL: Participial Constructions

Participial Constructions

A participial construction refers to a sentence structure in which a participial phrase is attached to an independent clause, usually separated by a comma. Below is an example:

Many students begin preparing for the SAT in Grade 10, hoping to earn a high score and gain admission to a prestigious university.

The sentence begins with the independent clause “Many students begin preparing for the SAT in Grade 10.” It’s then followed by a comma and a participial phrase. One fundamental rule of English grammar is that two independent clauses cannot be connected by a comma alone. However, an independent clause and a phrase can be joined with a comma.

In this sentence, the participial phrase “hoping to earn a high score and gain admission to a prestigious university” modifies the subject of the main clause. Since the second part is a phrase rather than a complete sentence, joining it with a comma is grammatically correct.

We know that the latter part is a phrase because it doesn’t contain its own subject–verb combination forming an independent clause.

Structure of Participial Construction

The structure of a participial construction is relatively simple: an independent clause followed by a comma and a participial phrase.

Keep in mind that the participial phrase must logically refer to the subject of the main clause. If the subject doesn’t match, the sentence becomes unclear or grammatically incorrect.

Participial Constructions Everywhere in the New TOEFL

One interesting fact is that participial constructions appear frequently throughout the new TOEFL. This is especially noticeable in the Reading section. When I took the new TOEFL myself, I remember seeing this structure in almost every passage in Part 3 (“Read in Daily Life”) and Part 4 (“Academic Passage”).

For this reason, if you aim to achieve a high score on the new TOEFL, a solid understanding of participial constructions is essential.

The same applies to the Writing section. As you know, demonstrating strong control of English, particularly the fluent use of advanced grammar and vocabulary, is key to earning a high score in writing.

Example Sentences with Participial Construction

Here are some example sentences with the participial construction that you often see in the actual test.

Example Sentence 1

The revised policy clarified the evaluation criteria, minimizing ambiguity in the review process.

The main clause states that the revised policy clarified the evaluation criteria. The participial phrase “minimizing ambiguity in the review process” explains the result of that action.

In other words, the policy clarified the criteria, and as a result, ambiguity in the review process was reduced.

Notice that the participial phrase logically refers to “the revised policy.” It is the policy that minimizes ambiguity, so the subject of the main clause and the implied subject of the participial phrase match correctly.

Example Sentence 2

The structured feedback improved students’ performance, increasing their awareness of recurring errors.

Here, we need to examine the relationship between the main clause and the participial phrase. More specifically, we should ask what is increasing the students’ awareness of recurring errors.

In the main clause, the subject is “the structured feedback.” The participial phrase “increasing their awareness of recurring errors” is also understood in relation to that same subject.

Because the main clause and the participial phrase share the same subject, the sentence is both clear and grammatical. The feedback improved students’ performance and also increased their awareness of recurring errors.

Now compare this with the following sentence:

This sentence is problematic because the participial phrase is still expected to relate to “the structured feedback.” However, feedback cannot logically ask someone to do something. As a result, the sentence becomes unclear.

Example Sentence 3

The library will extend its weekend hours, allowing students to prepare for final exams more effectively.

In this sentence, the participial phrase beginning with “allowing” expresses the result of the action in the main clause.

The subject of the main clause is “the library,” and the participial phrase is also understood in relation to “the library.” In other words, the library’s decision to extend its weekend hours makes it possible for students to prepare for final exams more effectively.

Instead of using another full clause, the sentence uses a participial phrase to present the result in a more concise way. This kind of structure is common in academic writing because it helps connect ideas efficiently.