Ace TOEIC Part 5: 6 grammar traps to avoid

Part 5 (incomplete sentences) has 30 grammar and vocabulary questions. Handled well, it's the most profitable part of the Reading section: fast points if you know the classic traps.

The 3-second method

Before reading the whole sentence, look at the four options. They often reveal what's being tested: if they're four forms of one word (succeed, success, successful, successfully), it's a word-form question. No need to translate everything.

The 6 recurring traps

1. Word form: spot the role in the sentence. An adverb (-ly) modifies a verb; an adjective describes a noun.
2. Subject-verb agreement: watch for subjects separated from the verb by a clause.
3. Tense and sequence: a marker like since, ago, by next year forces a specific tense.
4. Prepositions: interested in, responsible for, depend on — memorise them in chunks.
5. Relative pronouns: who (person), which (thing), whose (possession).
6. Linking words: however, therefore, despite + noun vs although + clause.

The timing mistake

Many candidates spend too long on Part 5 and run out of minutes for Part 7, where every question is worth the same. If a question blocks you for more than 30 seconds, answer and move on.