One of the most important rules on the TOEFL is what I call
the Banana Rule.
Here's why I call it the Banana Rule. Look at this sentence and tell me whether it's correct:
*I like banana.
Some people know this sentence is wrong, but many people think it's correct.
This sentence is NOT correct because we have a rule in English that says:
A singular count noun cannot stand alone.
or, as I like to say for the TOEFL:
If you see a Singular
Count Noun with no
determiner, it is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!
There are many different ways to correct this sentence, including:
- I like bananas.
- I like the banana.
- I like no banana.
Of course, English wouldn't English if there weren't many important exceptions, so be sure to see the
list of exceptions that I've put together.