TOEFL Build a Sentence (2026):
Complete Guide with 20 Practice Items

What Is the TOEFL Build a Sentence Task?

Build a Sentence is a brand-new task added to the TOEFL iBT Writing section on January 21, 2026. You see a set of scrambled words that form part of a conversation between two people, and you must reassemble them into a grammatically correct English sentence within a short time window.

There are roughly 10 Build a Sentence items in the new Writing section, completed in about 7 minutes total — so about 40 seconds per item.

What's being tested: core English grammar — subject-verb-object order, clause structure, conjunctions, prepositions, relative clauses. No creativity required. Just the ability to recognize natural English word order.

How the Task Looks On Screen

You'll see a short dialogue setup like this:

> Maya: How was the walking tour of the old city? > Ben: _ _ _ _ _ _ fantastic.

Then a word bank:

> `tour guides` | `the` | `who` | `us` | `showed` | `around` | `were`

Your job: drag or type the words into the correct order:

> The tour guides who showed us around were fantastic.

Note the hidden full sentence: `The tour guides who showed us around (the old city) were fantastic.` — Ben's response echoes and completes Maya's question.

The 4-Step Method to Solve Any Build a Sentence Item

Step 1: Find the main verb

Scan for the verb(s). In our example: `showed`, `were`. Two verbs → two clauses.

Step 2: Identify the subject

Whose "being/doing" is the sentence about? `The tour guides`. Main-clause subject found.

Step 3: Spot the connector

Look for a relative pronoun (`who`, `which`, `that`), conjunction (`and`, `but`, `because`), or preposition (`of`, `with`, `around`). These tell you where to glue the pieces.

In our example: `who` signals a relative clause modifying `tour guides`.

Step 4: Build main clause first, then insert the modifier

• Main: `The tour guides were fantastic.`
• Modifier: `who showed us around`
• Final: `The tour guides who showed us around were fantastic.`

4 steps, 15 seconds of thought, done.

20 Practice Items with Answers

Items 1–5: Simple main clauses

1. `my | exam | passed | I | finally | Chemistry` → `I finally passed my Chemistry exam.`

2. `bus | the | ten | leaves | at | minutes | in` → `The bus leaves in ten minutes.`

3. `movie | saw | we | last | night | a` → `We saw a movie last night.`

4. `class | missing | I'm | today | sorry | about` → `I'm sorry about missing class today.`

5. `assignment | the | due | is | Friday | on` → `The assignment is due on Friday.`

Items 6–10: Relative clauses

6. `book | that | recommended | you | me | was | great` → `The book that you recommended to me was great.` (Note: `to` often added.)

7. `student | who | won | scholarship | my | is | the | roommate` → `The student who won the scholarship is my roommate.`

8. `restaurant | went | where | we | yesterday | closed | already | has` → `The restaurant where we went yesterday has already closed.`

9. `professor | whose | class | take | I'm | writing | a | book` → `The professor whose class I'm taking is writing a book.`

10. `apartment | that | saw | we | morning | this | was | perfect` → `The apartment that we saw this morning was perfect.`

Items 11–15: Conjunctions and linkers

11. `coffee | although | like | tea | prefer | I | I` → `Although I like coffee, I prefer tea.`

12. `exam | because | hard | studied | I | the | passed | I` → `Because I studied hard, I passed the exam.`

13. `run | go | or | swim | gym | to | the | we | could` → `We could go to the gym, run, or swim.`

14. `email | but | got | didn't | your | reply | I | yet` → `I got your email but didn't reply yet.`

15. `late | sure | make | aren't | you | we` → `Make sure we aren't late.`

Items 16–20: Complex structures

16. `told | me | have | arrived | already | they | that` → `They told me that they have already arrived.`

17. `if | rains | tomorrow | it | stay | will | I | home` → `If it rains tomorrow, I will stay home.`

18. `harder | is | I | than | thought | the | class` → `The class is harder than I thought.`

19. `finished | had | I | before | called | homework | my | you` → `I had finished my homework before you called.`

20. `wasn't | for | help | I | your | here | still | would | be` → `If it wasn't for your help, I would still be here.` (Or: `Were it not for your help...` — both accepted.)

The 5 Grammar Patterns You MUST Know

| Pattern | Key words | Example | |---------|-----------|---------| | Relative clause | who, which, that, whose, where | The book that I read... | | Time clause | before, after, when, while, until | Before you called, I had finished... | | Conditional | if, unless, as long as | If it rains, I will stay home | | Comparison | than, as…as, more…than | Harder than I thought | | Reported speech | that + subject + verb | She said that she was tired |

Master these five, and you'll solve 90% of Build a Sentence items.

3 Common Mistakes That Cost You Points

1. Adding words that aren't in the bank. You can only use what's given. If the answer feels incomplete, you probably misread a preposition.
2. Missing the relative pronoun slot. `who`, `which`, `that` usually follow a noun — don't place them at the start of a main clause.
3. Mixing up tense. `had arrived` (past perfect) signals a time clause; if you see `had`, look for `before/after`.

How to Practice in 5 Days

• Day 1: Items 1–5, untimed. Write the answer out longhand.
• Day 2: Items 6–10, 60-sec timer per item.
• Day 3: Items 11–15, 45-sec timer.
• Day 4: Items 16–20, 40-sec timer (real exam pace).
• Day 5: All 20 items in random order, full 40-sec timer.

Track how many you get right on Day 1 vs Day 5 — the jump is usually 30–40%.

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