TOEIC Part 5 (Incomplete Sentences) is 30 questions, numbers 101 to 130, each a single sentence with one blank and four choices (A–D). It opens the Reading section and it's the fastest part on the test: aim for about 20 seconds a question, roughly 10–12 minutes total.
The trick is to look at the four options first. Four forms of one word means it's a grammar question, decide the part of speech. Four different words means it's vocabulary, read for meaning. That one habit is most of the battle.
What's in this guide
What TOEIC Part 5 actually is
Part 5 is the first part of the TOEIC Reading section. According to the official ETS Examinee Handbook, it contains 30 questions, numbered 101 to 130. The directions are simple: "A word or phrase is missing in each of the sentences below. Four answer choices are given below each sentence. Select the best answer to complete the sentence."
Every question is one self-contained sentence, no passage, no context beyond the sentence itself. That's what makes Part 5 both fast and unforgiving: there's nowhere to hide, but also nothing extra to read.
| Reading part | Name | Questions | Item numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 5 | Incomplete Sentences | 30 | 101–130 |
| Part 6 | Text Completion | 16 | 131–146 |
| Part 7 | Reading Comprehension | 54 | 147–200 |
Why Part 5 is your points bank
The Reading section gives you 75 minutes for 100 questions, and there's no separate timing between parts. That means Part 5 has a double value: it's worth 30 questions and it's where you buy time for Part 7, the long-passage monster at the end. Every minute you overspend on a single-sentence grammar item is a minute stolen from a 5-question reading set later.
Part 5 feeds the Reading section score, which the Handbook confirms runs from 5 to 495 (it sums with Listening to the familiar 10–990 total). Because the test is statistically equated, you can't put a point value on one question, but 30 fast, high-accuracy answers is one of the cleanest ways to lift a Reading score, especially compared with the slow grind of Part 7.
If a Part 5 question takes you more than ~30 seconds, mark your best guess and move. There's no penalty for a wrong answer, and the time is worth far more to a Part 7 set than to one stubborn sentence.
The 5 patterns ETS tests, with real examples
Part 5 looks varied, but almost every question is one of five recognisable types. The examples below are the real opening questions (101–105) from ETS's official sample test, a perfect cross-section, because they happen to show four of the five patterns in a row.
1. Word form (part of speech)
The four options are the same word in different forms. Your job is to decide what part of speech the blank needs, noun, verb, adjective or adverb, from the words around it.
Real example, Question 101
"Customer reviews indicate that many modern mobile devices are often unnecessarily ______."
- (A) complication (B) complicates (C) complicate (D) complicated ✓
Why (D): after the linking verb "are" and the adverb "unnecessarily," the blank needs an adjective to describe the devices. "Complicated" is the adjective form. You never had to understand the sentence deeply, just the grammar around the gap.
2. Connecting words (prepositions & conjunctions)
The options are linking words, since, although, because, during, despite, and the answer depends on the logical relationship between two parts of the sentence.
Real example, Question 102
"Jamal Nawzad has received top performance reviews ______ he joined the sales department two years ago."
- (C) since ✓, links the reviews to a starting point in time ("since he joined").
The clue: "two years ago" plus the present-perfect "has received" signals a time span from a starting point, the job of since.
3. Verbs (tense, voice & agreement)
The options are forms of a verb, and you choose based on tense, subject–verb agreement, or active vs. passive voice. Look for time markers (already, next week, since) and whether the subject is singular or plural.
4. Pronouns & determiners
The options are pronouns or determiners, it / them / those / their, and you pick the one that agrees with the noun it stands for.
Real example, Question 104
The answer is (D) those, a determiner pointing to a specific plural group. Pronoun questions are pure grammar: match number (singular/plural) and role, and you don't need the sentence's meaning at all.
5. Vocabulary & collocation
Here the four options are different words of the same part of speech, and only one fits the meaning, often because of a collocation (words that naturally go together, like "make a decision" or "meet a deadline"). These are the questions where you must read for meaning.
Real example, Question 105
The answer is (B) synthetic. All four options are adjectives that fit grammatically, only the meaning tells them apart. This is the tell of a vocabulary question: when the grammar can't decide it, the meaning must.
Four forms of one word (complicate / complicates / complicating / complicated) → a grammar question; solve it by part of speech, fast. Four different words (synthetic / durable / gradual / hollow) → a vocabulary question; read the sentence for meaning. Deciding which before you read closely is what buys you speed.
Drill Part 5 in the real format
Practise Incomplete Sentences by task type, with an answer and a one-line explanation on every question, then see them again inside a full timed Reading section.
Practise TOEIC grammar free →The 20-second method
Speed in Part 5 comes from a fixed routine, not from reading faster. Run every question through the same four steps:
- Glance at the four options. Same word in different forms, or four different words? This tells you instantly whether you're solving grammar or meaning.
- If it's grammar, find what the blank needs. Look at the words touching the gap: an adverb before it and a linking verb usually wants an adjective; "the ______ of" usually wants a noun; a subject with no verb wants a verb. Decide the part of speech, then pick the option that matches.
- If it's vocabulary, read the whole sentence once. Meaning is the only judge, so read the full sentence and test each word, a collocation or a context clue usually settles it.
- Eliminate and commit. Rule out what's grammatically impossible, choose the best of the rest, and move. If you're still stuck past ~30 seconds, guess and go.
The Part 5 pacing target (75-minute Reading section)
- Part 5 (101–130): done by the 12-minute mark, ~20 seconds each
- Part 6 (131–146): done by the 20-minute mark
- That leaves ~55 minutes for Part 7's 54 questions
- Golden rule: never let one sentence cost you a reading set
The traps that cost easy points
- The "sounds right" word form. ETS loves offering a noun where an adjective belongs. Don't trust your ear, check the grammar of the words next to the blank.
- Near-synonyms in vocabulary questions. Two options often mean almost the same thing; the answer is the one that collocates with the surrounding words. Learn common collocations, not just word lists.
- Ignoring time markers. On verb questions, a single word, already, since, next, yesterday, usually fixes the tense. Missing it turns a 10-second question into a guess.
- Over-reading. On grammar questions you rarely need the sentence's meaning. Reading every clause "to be safe" is how a 20-second question becomes a minute.
How to practise Part 5 so it sticks
Part 5 rewards pattern recognition, and pattern recognition is built by volume plus review. Two habits move the needle fastest:
- Sort every miss into one of the five patterns. Were you wrong on a word form, a connecting word, a verb, a pronoun, or a vocabulary choice? A stack of "word form" misses tells you exactly what grammar to review, far more useful than a raw score.
- Practise under a clock. Untimed grammar drills teach accuracy but not the 20-second reflex Part 5 actually rewards. Do timed sets, such as our 25-minute Express Mini (28 Reading questions), then full Reading sections, so the pace becomes automatic.
That's how our free mocks are built: full-length Reading sections in the current official format, auto-scored on the 5–495 scale, with the AI coach tagging which Part 5 pattern each miss belongs to, then turning your weakest pattern into targeted drills. And once your grammar is quick, read our Part 7 guide to spend the time you've banked where it counts.
Put the method to work
A free, full-length TOEIC Reading section in the official format, with instant scoring and a per-pattern Part 5 breakdown that shows exactly what to fix next.
Take a free mock test →The grammar Part 5 actually tests
The five patterns above tell you how to attack a question. This is what to review so the grammar half of Part 5 stops costing you points. Almost every grammar item comes from one of the topics below, and each has a reliable signal you can spot in seconds.
| Grammar point | What to check | Signal in the sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Word form | Which part of speech the blank needs | Four forms of one word in the options |
| Verb tense | Past, present, present perfect or future | Time words: already, since, yesterday, next week, by Friday |
| Subject–verb agreement | A singular subject takes a singular verb | Find the real subject, ignore the words between it and the verb |
| Active vs passive | Does the subject act, or receive the action? | A form of be plus a past participle means passive |
| Comparatives & superlatives | -er / more vs -est / most | The word than, or the sitting before the blank |
| Relative pronouns | who, which, that, whose | A blank right after a noun, starting a description |
| Conjunction vs preposition | because vs because of, although vs despite | Is the blank followed by a full clause, or just a noun? |
| Gerund vs infinitive | -ing vs to + verb after another verb | The verb before the blank: enjoy wants -ing, plan wants to |
The most common connecting-word trap is because vs because of (also although vs despite, while vs during). If a full clause with its own verb follows the blank, you need a conjunction (because, although, while). If only a noun phrase follows, you need a preposition (because of, despite, during).
The word-ending cheat sheet
Word-form questions are the fastest points in Part 5 once you can read a word's ending and name its part of speech, even without knowing the word. Learn these suffixes and most word-form items answer themselves.
| Part of speech | Common endings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | -tion, -sion, -ment, -ness, -ity, -ance, -ence, -ship | completion, agreement, ability, importance, ownership |
| Verb | -ize, -ise, -ify, -ate, -en | finalize, clarify, activate, strengthen |
| Adjective | -ous, -ive, -al, -ful, -less, -able, -ible, -ic | generous, effective, financial, careful, reliable |
| Adverb | -ly (added to an adjective) | quickly, financially, effectively |
Most adverbs end in -ly, but a few common adjectives do too: friendly, likely, costly, lively, timely, orderly. And -ate can be a verb (activate) or an adjective (accurate). When an ending is ambiguous, fall back on the job of the blank: an adverb modifies a verb or an adjective, an adjective modifies a noun.
The vocabulary and collocations worth memorising
Vocabulary questions are the ones grammar cannot rescue: all four options fit the slot, and only meaning, usually a collocation, tells them apart. The TOEIC draws from a predictable bank of workplace English, so the right words are very learnable. Our TOEIC vocabulary trainer drills these; here are the highest-value groups.
Verb + noun collocations
- make a decision / a payment / an appointment
- meet a deadline / a requirement / demand
- place an order · submit a proposal · reach an agreement
- conduct research / a survey · implement a policy / a strategy
Adjective and verb + preposition pairs
- responsible for · interested in · capable of · familiar with
- comply with · depend on · consist of · contribute to
When the four options are prepositions, the word before the blank almost always fixes the answer. Learn these pairs as single units.
ETS also leans on near-synonyms that look interchangeable but are not. These pairs show up again and again:
| Confusable pair | How to keep them apart |
|---|---|
| affect / effect | affect is the verb (to influence); effect is usually the noun (the result) |
| raise / rise | raise takes an object (raise prices); rise does not (prices rise) |
| economic / economical | economic means about the economy; economical means money-saving |
| considerable / considerate | considerable means large in amount; considerate means thoughtful of others |
| advise / suggest | you advise someone to do something, but you suggest doing it (no "to" plus person) |
A two-week Part 5 practice plan
Pattern recognition is a reflex, and reflexes come from short, daily, reviewed reps, not one long cram. This plan turns the patterns, endings and collocations above into automatic speed in about two weeks.
| Days | Focus | Daily rep |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Word form & endings | 20 questions, sort each into a pattern, review every miss |
| 4–6 | Verbs, agreement, connecting words | 20 questions, name the grammar rule behind each answer |
| 7–9 | Vocabulary & collocations | 20 questions plus 15 minutes of collocation review |
| 10–12 | Mixed sets, on the clock | 30 questions in 10 minutes, flag anything over 30 seconds |
| 13–14 | Full Reading sections | Two timed Reading sections, then check your Part 5 pace |
For every question you miss, write the pattern (word form, verb, connector, pronoun or vocabulary) and the reason in one line. After a week the log shows your single weakest pattern, and fixing that one thing lifts your score faster than more random practice. Drill Part 5 by type here.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in TOEIC Part 5?
How long should I spend on Part 5?
Is Part 5 grammar or vocabulary?
What's the fastest way to answer Part 5?
Is there a penalty for guessing on Part 5?
What grammar do I need to study for TOEIC Part 5?
How do I know a word's part of speech from its ending?
How can I improve my Part 5 vocabulary?
Is TOEIC Part 5 harder than Part 6?
How long does it take to get faster at Part 5?
Sources
- ETS, TOEIC Listening & Reading Examinee Handbook (2025). Part 5 structure (30 questions, items 101–130), directions, and 5–495 Reading scaling.
- ETS, TOEIC Listening & Reading Sample Test. The real Part 5 sample questions 101–105 and answer key used as examples in this guide.
- ETS, TOEIC L&R Score Descriptors (2025). What Reading scores mean by level.