MISSING SUBJECTS, VERBS, OBJECTS, AND COMPLEMENTS

All clauses have a subject and a verb. Clauses with an action verb often take a direct object as well.

S V O
People need vitamins

The verb missing from an independent clause may be a single-word verb (need, was, took, had, walked) or a verb phrase consisting of one or more auxiliary verbs and a main verb (will need, has been, should take, would have had, had walked). The verbs may be active (need, take) or passive (was needed, is taken).

The missing subject and direct object may be a noun, a noun phrase (some famous people, a vitamin pill, my friend Tom), or a pronoun. (He, she, it and they are subject pronouns; him, her, it, and them are object pronouns.)

After the verb to be and certain other nonaction verbs, a subject complement is used rather than a direct object. (Subject complements are also known as predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives.)

S V Comp.
She is an architect.
The teacher seemed upset.

In the Structure session of TOEFL, it is common for any of these elements or a combination of two or more of these elements to be missing from the stem. The most common problem in structure involves a missing verb. A missing subject and a missing subject-verb combination are common as well. The missing element may also be part of rather than all of the verb or noun phrase.