Lesson 26 of 41 in the Test Ninjas TOEFL course: Build a Sentence, Writing. Long sentences often go wrong in the middle.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Lesson at a glance
Detail
This lesson
Module
Build a Sentence (Writing)
English focus
Agreement with long subjects (each of, the number of, everyone who); verb and adjective complements (want someone to, have to + base, worth -ing); modifier placement (phrases after the noun, adjective order, intensifiers)
Task skill
Deciding what attaches to what: the head noun sets the verb, the word before the slot sets the pattern, and describers sit next to what they describe
Time
About 60 minutes
Access
Included in the TOEFL plan
What this lesson teaches
Long sentences often go wrong in the middle. This lesson builds three habits that fix that. First, find the head of a long subject and make the verb agree with it.
Second, let the word before a gap choose the pattern that follows (want me to, have to pay, worth visiting). Third, keep every describing word next to the word it describes.
In Build a Sentence, these habits tell you where each tile attaches, and which of two look-alike tiles is the extra tile.
By the end of the lesson, you can
Find the head noun of a long subject and make the verb and pronoun agree with it: each of the + plural → singular (has, its); the number of → singular; a number of → plural; everyone who → singular, also inside the who-clause.
Use the pattern the word before demands: want / would like / ask + person + to + verb; have to and modals + base verb; worth + ‑ing. Put modifiers in place: a phrase straight after its noun, adjectives in the order size → age → shape → color → origin → material, and intensifiers (much, far, that much, every single, just) directly before the word they strengthen.
In Build a Sentence, ask what each tile attaches to, including fixed words in the middle of the reply (of, that), and leave the twin form (has/have, pay/paying, borrow/borrows) as the extra tile.
What’s inside
Around the 4 teaching cycles below, the lesson opens with a quick check and closes with applied practice, a Check and a debrief. How every course lesson is built.
Teaching cycles in lesson 26
Cycle
Focus
What it teaches
Drills
Cycle 1
English
Agreement: find the head of a long subject
6
Cycle 2
English
What comes next: want someone to, have to, worth -ing
6
Cycle 3
English
Modifiers next to what they describe
6
Cycle 4
Task skill
What attaches to what
7
Word bank
The 10 words and phrases this lesson teaches. They come from the real course questions you practice on in the Apply step, so you meet each one again in context.
first choice noun phrase
the option you want most
The summer program in Lisbon was Amara’s first choice, but she’s happy with Rome too.
Goes with:
my first choice; put X down as my first choice
Word family:
second choice (noun phrase); choose (verb); put something down as your first choice (phrase)
journal article noun
a piece of research published in an academic journal
For her history paper, Fatima cited two journal articles about early printing.
The new stadium is far larger than the old one: it holds three times as many fans.
Goes with:
far larger than
Word family:
far + comparative: far easier, far quieter (phrase); much larger (phrase); large (adjective)
supply cabinet noun
a cupboard where shared equipment and supplies are kept
The spare safety goggles are in the supply cabinet at the back of the lab.
Goes with:
the supply cabinet; office supplies
Word family:
supplies (plural noun): paper, pens, tools; supply (verb): provide
charge for verb + preposition
to ask money for something
The campus gym doesn’t charge for towels, but lockers cost a dollar a day.
Goes with:
charge (money) for something
Word family:
charge (noun): a small charge; free of charge (phrase)
every single determiner phrase
each one, with no exceptions; used for emphasis
Jonas has practiced the piano every single day since September.
Goes with:
every single day / time / one
Word family:
every (determiner); each (determiner); every single one (phrase)
move into phrasal verb
to start living or working in a new place
Our team moves into the new office on the fifth floor next Monday.
Goes with:
move into a new apartment / office
Word family:
move out of (phrasal verb); move-in day (noun); move (noun): the move
housing noun (uncountable)
places for people to live, such as houses and apartments
Housing near the city center is expensive, so many workers live in the suburbs.
Goes with:
affordable housing; housing costs
Word family:
house (noun); house (verb): the building houses a gallery; housing costs (noun phrase)
dorm noun
a building where students live; short for dormitory
Grace lived in a dorm for her first year and then moved into an apartment with friends.
Goes with:
live in a dorm; a dorm room
Word family:
dormitory (noun, formal); dorm room (noun); dorm life (noun)
by tonight prepositional phrase
before the end of this evening
Please send me your slides by tonight so I can check them before the meeting.
Goes with:
finish / send something by tonight
Word family:
by Friday / by noon (phrase); until tonight (phrase: continues up to then)
The takeaway: Before you place a tile, ask what it attaches to: the head noun sets the verb, the word before the slot sets the pattern, and describers sit next to what they describe.
In the full course
Agreement, complements and modifiers is part of the full TOEFL course
Unlock all 41 lessons with the TOEFL plan, or try one of the free lessons first.
✓All 4 teaching cycles of this lesson, with 25 drills and feedback on every answer
✓The 10-word bank, each word with a recall drill
✓A walk-through, guided practice and a Check on Build a Sentence