TOEIC English grammar study methods and reference books

English grammar is one of the important contents in preparing for the TOEIC test. By taking proper measures, you can aim to improve not only Part 5 and Part 6, which have many problems with English grammar, but also the overall score.

However, when studying English grammar, there are many people who do not know what to start with and want to know more effective study methods.

In this article, I will explain the importance of English grammar in TOEIC, effective study methods, and recommended reference books.

Why is English grammar important for getting a high score on the TOEIC?

English grammar is an indispensable basic knowledge when dealing with English. This is because simply arranging English words in a disorderly manner does not make a meaningful sentence. Knowledge of grammar is very important even in TOEIC, which measures English proficiency, and proficiency level also affects the overall score.

In particular, English is a language in which word order is important.

For example, in Japanese, "only she can speak English" and "only she can speak English" both make sense. However, if she changed the word order of Only she speaks English. To say "She speaks English only." Or "Only English she speaks.", The meaning of the sentence changed to "She speaks only English." I will.

In addition, the point is that the rules are different between Japanese grammar and English grammar. In Japanese, sentences are basically composed of SOV (subject, object, verb), but in English, sentences are composed of SVO (subject, object, object). It can be said that it is difficult to acquire English grammar, which has different rules from the first language, Japanese, unless you consciously learn it.

What is the part that requires English grammar in TOEIC and its question format?

Of course, TOEIC requires an understanding of English grammar as a whole, but the main questions about grammar are Part 5 and Part 6 of the reading section. From here, let's look at the number of questions, question formats, and features of each question with examples.

Part5: Short sentence fill-in-the-blank question

Part 5 is a short-sentence fill-in-the-blank question that fills in the missing parts of words and phrases by selecting them from the options.

Of all 100 TOEIC questions, 30 will be asked in Part 5. In addition to questions about vocabulary, there are many questions about part of speech such as prepositions, verbs, conjunctions, and pronouns. In addition, grammar problems such as comparative mood and subjunctive mood may be asked, so I would like to keep this in mind.

【example】

No. 101 Customer reviews indicate that many modern mobile devices are often unnecessarily ——-.
(A) complication
(B) complicates
(C) complicate
(D) complicated

Source: Sample question | [Official] TOEIC Program | IIBC

Part6: Long sentence fill-in-the-blank question

The following Part 6 is a long-sentence fill-in-the-blank question. The number of questions is 16 questions, which is less than Part 5, but please note that it takes time for each question.

As with Part 5, select the appropriate words and sentences and fill in the blanks. In addition to vocabulary and part-speech questions, there are also sentence selection questions, so it is important to understand the meaning of the entire long sentence in order to increase the correct answer rate.

【example】

* Image source: Sample question | [Official] TOEIC Program | IIBC

No. 131
(A) interest
(B) interests
(C) interested
(D) interesting

No. 132
(A) develop
(B) raise
(C) open
(D) complete

No. 133
(A) After all
(B) For
(C) Even so
(D) At the same time

No. 134
(A) Let me explain our plans for on-site staff training.
(B) We hope that you will strongly consider joining us.
(C) Today's training session will be postponed until Monday.
(D) This is the first in a series of such lectures.

Source: Sample question | [Official] TOEIC Program | IIBC

What is the recommended study method for TOEIC English grammar measures?

Now that I understand the importance of English grammar in TOEIC, I will introduce what kind of study method is effective.

Let's master the basics of English grammar first

The first important thing is to master the basics of English grammar. Let's review the basic English grammar at the junior high school and high school level.

TOEIC does not have separate exam questions for each level, so there are a mixture of elementary and difficult questions. Therefore, it is said that if you keep your junior high school English perfectly, you can aim for 400-600 points.

Some of the TOEIC preparation questions are high-level based on difficult questions. However, if you do not have basic English grammar, you will not be able to study at all even if you use these workbooks.

In particular, those who have a blank in English may have forgotten the basic English they learned in junior high school. In that case, the first thing to pick up as an English grammar measure is a reference book or workbook that covers the grammar of junior high school English.

Thorough time allocation

At TOEIC, it is also important to ensure thorough time allocation.

Since the audio is automatically played in the listening parts of Part 1 to 4, the time allocation is fixed. However, in order to solve as many reading parts as possible from Part 5, it is necessary to decide the answer time for each question.

Part 5 is an ideal time to solve all 30 questions within 10 minutes. Some questions are short and can be solved quickly if you have knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, so answer each question in about 20 seconds with good rhythm.

In Part6, it is ideal to solve all 16 questions in about 10 minutes. There are 4 questions to fill in for each of the 4 long sentences, so about 2 and a half minutes per long sentence is a guide. It is also a good idea to change the allocation according to the type of problem, such as quickly solving problems that require knowledge of grammar such as part of speech and tense, and taking time for problems that require reading comprehension.

It is also recommended to practice time allocation using the workbook. Let's actually measure the time and get a feel for it.

Reference: Check the timetable on the day of TOEIC! Know the time allocation and aim for a high score ｜ English Lab

Let's hold down the tips of the answer

TOEIC is very tight with respect to the number of questions. It is important not only to allocate time, but also to keep track of the tips for answering.

Part5: Read until you know which part of speech applies

In Part 5, let's round up after reading to the point where you can understand which part of speech applies.

If you are confident in your grammar knowledge, there are many cases where you can understand the answer without reading all the question sentences in Part 5. Even while reading, if you answer when you know which part of speech applies, it will save you time.

On the other hand, if it is difficult to read only before and after the blank and answer, it may take time to read back the question sentence in a hurry. In the part-speech problem, the trick is to quickly read from the beginning of the sentence to the blank area while being aware of the composition of the sentence.

Part6: Read carefully from the beginning of the sentence

Even in Part 6 of reading a cohesive sentence, it is important to read it carefully from the beginning of the sentence.

In Part 6, in addition to the same vocabulary and part-speech questions as in Part 5, there are different types of questions within one topic, such as choosing contextual answers from choices and inserting sentences. You can't find the answer just by reading before and after the blank, and you may lose time by reading back the text.

It can be said that it is more likely that you will be able to answer smoothly if you understand the structure of the sentence from 1 without being impatient even with a long sentence problem.

10 Recommended Reference Books for TOEIC English Grammar Measures!

Here are some recommended reference books for those who want to focus on TOEIC English grammar measures.

This is a quick way to review junior high school English!

You can master the basics of English learned in the third year of junior high school in a short time with " A book that reviews English in the third year of junior high school in 10 hours with a color CD ".

This book by Mr. Ichi Inada, who teaches translation and English examinations, is a long-selling book that has exceeded the cumulative total of 1 million copies in the series. It features gentle and easy-to-understand explanations, and important points for each English syntax and grammar are written in all colors in an easy-to-read manner.

Also, at the end of the book, there are appendices that help you learn grammar, such as a "review drill" that allows you to review what you have learned and a "grammar quick-to-understand index" that allows you to quickly check what you do not understand. This book is recommended for those who want to briefly review junior high school English.

A book that even beginners of English can work on with confidence

For those who want to start over in junior high school English, we recommend " Easy to understand junior high school English again one by one. "is.

The supervisor, Nobuhiko Yamada, has developed a unique method to nurture the four "listening, speaking, reading, and writing" by making use of his own experience growing up as a bilingual in English and Japanese. He teaches a wide range of English from beginners to advanced students, including presiding over the English class "Beam International".

A CD that allows you to listen to all the English texts of the exercises in this book is included, and you can also watch a free commentary video by Mr. Yamada, so it is recommended for those who want to improve their basic listening skills as well as reading.

This is a must-see for those who are not good at TOEIC English grammar!

The " TOEIC (R) L & R Test English Grammar Drill for Earning Scores from Zero " for people with a TOEIC score of 300 is especially recommended for those who want to overcome English grammar and improve their score. ..

The author, Kyoko Takahashi, holds TOEIC preparation seminars at many universities and well-known companies. She has a track record of improving the scores of over 500 students so far. The supervisor, TEX Kato, is also a specialist who serves as a TOEIC instructor.

This book focuses on the six grammar questions that have a particularly high question rate in TOEIC, and explains the minimum necessary basic knowledge and techniques for quick solving. It also features a large number of questions that can be upgraded step by step, such as basic drills, review drills, and challenge drills.

Suppress junior high school English grammar and aim for a TOEIC score of 600!

For those who want to take TOEIC measures while mastering English grammar learned in junior high school, the " TOEIC (R) Test 600 points in junior high school English grammar! The score goes up to this point with "Review" in junior high school English! "is.

The author, Yuko Koishi, is a specialist in English qualification exams that provides guidance on measures such as TOEIC, TOEFL, and Eiken at language schools and universities.

In this book, after explaining and practicing basic English grammar, we explain the tendency of questions peculiar to TOEIC. It is characteristic that the countermeasures different from the English for the exam are explained in detail. This book is recommended for those who want to review the basic English grammar and at the same time improve their TOEIC score.

High school English version of the popular series you want to continue reading!

The high school English version " Book for reviewing English for 3 years in high school in 10 days with color CD " following the first book "Book for reviewing English for 3 years in junior high school with color CD " is also basic. This is a book that you should keep in mind when learning typical English grammar.

This book is recommended for those who have become frustrated with high school English and those who want to master high school English in a short period of time together with junior high school English. If you have two books in the series, you can cover basic English that is useful for TOEIC preparation.

Don't miss the "33 Iron Rules" of the TOEIC grammar question!

The recommended reference book for TOEIC grammar problems is " TOEIC (R) TEST English Grammar! Only when TOEIC comes out! 』. The author is Yuko Koishi.

This book focuses on Part 5 and Part 6 of the TOEIC test, and introduces "33 iron rules" for speedy solving. In addition to abundant exercises that are conscious of the actual performance, you can also learn the tips for improving the score by reading aloud the explanation of "Tetsunori" by the author, Mr. Koishi.

A good book that combines quality and quantity!

TEX Kato-san's " TOEIC L & R Test Grammar Questions 1000 Questions " is just what I want to practice! This book is recommended for those who say. Contains 1049 questions that cover the grammar that will be asked in Part 5.

In addition, since the incorrect answer options are explained in detail up to "why is wrong", the degree of understanding of English grammar will be deepened. This book, which is highly supported by readers, is a must-have for TOEIC English grammar measures.

All questions commentary by TOEIC specialized school instructors must be listened to!

In 2021, the revised version of " 1 Station 1 Title! TOEIC L & R TEST Grammar Limited Express " was released from the "Grammar Limited Express Series", which boasts sales of over 700,000 copies.

The author, Tetsuya Hanada, is a TOEIC preparation specialist who launched the TOEIC® L & R TEST specialized school "Hanada Juku". It is popular if you can improve your score in a short period of time with a charismatic lecture.

In this book, which is filled with the results of the enthusiastic research of taking the TOEIC® L & R TEST every time for more than 20 years, you can also listen to the commentary voice by Mr. Hanada himself.

For those who want to pinpoint and control important grammar!

For those who want to learn only the important parts of grammar in a short period of time, or those who want to review the grammar again just before the actual performance, we recommend " 10 days of intensive grammar! TOEIC (R) Test Grammar Edition ”.

The author, Akira Yashima, self-taught while working as a salaryman at a foreign-affiliated company, increased the TOEIC score from 475 points to 990 points, and teaches the know-how cultivated in that.

In this book, a schedule where you can learn how to solve one item per day from DAY1 to DAY10. Although it is compact, it is a book with condensed information.

A popular series of TOEIC measures by a popular instructor of "Study Supplement"! <

Lastly, I would like to introduce " Revised version of the TOEIC test class that is the easiest to understand in the world [Part5 & 6 Grammar] ". This is a book that explains the basic grammar in detail by holding down the points for each item.

Masao Seki is the author of the "World's Most Easy-to-Understand" series, which has sold over 800,000 copies, and is a popular lecturer at the online prep school "Examination Supplement" operated by Recruit. He teaches a wide range of people from junior high school students to working adults, and has gained a lot of support for learning methods that deepen understanding, not just "rote memorization".

This is a good book recommended for those who want to know how to learn grammar and what they don't understand.