b2 Use of English Part 4 1
b2 Use of English Part 4 1
INTERCAMBIOIDIOMASONLINE
PART 4
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Rephrasing (transformation) types in the FCE exam
In this part of the exam you have six sentences to complete. You need to read
the first sentence in each question. From this you need to look at the second
sentence and think about what information is missing. You must then
complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first with
2-5 words (NO MORE). Another thing to understand is that you are provided
with a word that you must use in exactly the same form (if it is TOLD, you
cannot use tell, telling or any variation of the word. ONLY TOLD). Each of the
questions is worth 2 points and the points are based on lexical (vocabulary) or
structural (grammatical) points. What they assess in this part of the exam are
as follows:
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Phrasal verbs
Carry on – continue
Join in – participate in
Be into - like
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Travel and getting around
Hold up – delay
Pick up – collect
Hurry up – go faster
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Education and lifestyles
Get at – suggest
Catch on – understand
Go for – choose
Be into – like
Go over - review
Take in – understand
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Work and obligations
Keep on – continue
Go over – review
Take on – hire/employ
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Money and spending
Bank on – depend
Come by – visit
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Time
Be up to – do sth
Hang on - wait
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Eating and drinking
Go for – choose
Go/keep on – continue
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Health and fitness
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People and their lives
Get at – suggest
Look up to – admire
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Technological advances
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Wildlife and the environment
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Life, crime and society
Be into – be interested in
Blow up – explode
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Design and creativity
Go over – review
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Happiness and relationships
Look up to – admire
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Fixed expressions:
As well as
As long as
Be worth + ing
A part of
Just in case
In order to
In terms of
Give consideration to
Keep in touch
Either way
On board
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Education and lifestyles
Make sense
Pay attention to
See no point in
On your own
On purpose
By accident
Be willing
Be praised for
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Money and spending
Be on sale
Make an impression on
The advantage/disadvantage of
Time
As soon as
By the time
Take ages
Take by surprise
A matter of time
At this point
At a time
During which
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Eating and drinking
Be keen on
There is no comparison
As far as I know
Likely to result in
Take care
At its height
At that time
Ever since
On the outskirts
Technological advances
In fact
On average
As a result
All in all
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Wildlife and the environment
By chance
By no means
On purpose
By accident
In no time
Set a fire
A means by which
On purpose
Commit a crime
Commit suicide
On account of
Be at fault
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Design and creativity
In fashion
Out of fashion
It seems that
A matter of time
As part of
By the time
Bear in mind
Brace yourself
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PRESENT TENSES
USUALLY/NORMALLY
*Be careful with word order. Between the subject and verb OFTEN
SOMETIMES
BE: I am always tired when I finish work. ALMOST NEVER/HARDLY EVER
He isn´t usually late for school. NEVER
VERBS: You never get up at 5:00 am.
ONCE A + WEEK/MONTH/YEAR
*Be careful with word order. Put the expression at the end TWICE A + WEEK/MONTH/YEAR
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Past simple
Past continuous
1. We use the past continuous to talk about a past action that is in progress.
2. We use the past continuous to talk about non-important information in the past.
3. We use the past continuous with words such as while/whilst/as.
4. We use the past continuous to talk about past actions in progress at a specific time.
Past perfect
1. We use the past perfect to talk about the first of two completed past actions.
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PRESENT PERFECT GRAMMAR
- We use the present perfect simple to talk about actions that happened in the past but no
time is mentioned or if we are still inside the time period (today, this week, this month, this
year, recently).
- We also use the present perfect to talk about experiences when the time is not important (in
my life)
We use the present perfect continuous to talk about actions that started in the past but continue.
Subject + have + been + gerund e.g. I have been working in this job
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Passive
The best way to form the passive is with this simple 5 step rule:
An important part of the passive is knowing how to conjugate the verb to be.
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Impersonal passive: It is said (that)… rumours or general beliefs
People say that going outside with wet hair will make you ill.
It is said that going outside with wet hair will make you ill.
Going outside with wet hair is said to make you ill (infinitive form if it starts with the action)
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Reported speech
We use reported speech to report what somebody else has said or to repeat something that has
already been said.
- Tense change
- Do not change the tense if the reporting verb is in the present (say, tell, ask) or if the
information is still true, in certain tenses including: past perfect, modal verbs (would, should,
might or could)
If the verb is a general opinion, belief or continues, do not change the tense.
“I am keen on doing sport” said Marc. Marc said that he is keen on doing sport.
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Focus on:
- the change in subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, they, we) or object pronoun (me, you, him,
her, them, it, them, us) or possessive determiner (my, your, his, her, their, our)
- The change in time and place
TIME PLACE
Now – then/at that moment Here – there
Yesterday – the day before This place – that place
Last week – the week before
Ago – before
Tonight – that night
Tomorrow – the next day
Next week – the following week
The principle is the same as reported speech. You need to change the tense in the same ways. There
are two types of questions that you need to look at.
As if it were the
affirmative +
“Did you go out last night” asked Marc. Marc asked if you had gone out the night before.
“Are you fond of watching TV?” asked Marc. Marc asked if/whether you are fond of watching TV.
“When did you see this movie?” asked Marc. Marc asked when you had seen that movie.
“Where do you live?” asked Marc Marc asked where you live.
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Gerund versus Infinitive
Gerund
Infinitive
1. Purpose of another action e.g. I do the shopping once a week to buy food.
2. After an adjective e.g. It is easy to pass the exam with this course.
3. After certain/some verbs e.g. He managed to get a 10 on the exam.
Here is a list of the most common verbs that are followed by either the gerund or infinitive:
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Change in meaning between gerund and infinitive:
Gerund form normally means that the action was completed, the infinitive not completed.
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CONDITIONALS
*When = instead of if e.g. When you finish work, you can call me.
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Second (2nd) conditional:
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Third (3RD) conditional:
e.g. If I had saved more money last year, I would have gone to Bali on holiday.
If I had saved more money last year, I would have gone to Bali on holiday.
I would have gone to Bali on holiday if I had saved more money last year. NO COMMA
e.g. If I had saved more money last year, I would have gone to Bali on holiday.
e.g. If I had saved more money last year, I could have gone to Bali on holiday.
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Wish/ if only: (Wish can be substituted with if only)
(Past simple) change the present I wish I had more free time to spend with my children.
(Past perfect) change the past I wish I had taken more free time to spend with my children.
(Would) annoyance/dislike I wish I would have more free time to spend with my children
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Passive voice
The examiner tells candidates the rules before the start of the exam.
TOLD At the beginning of the exam candidates ................................................................... the rules.
Comparatives
Reported speech
Phrasal verbs
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Quantifiers
Tense change
Conditionals
I only told you because I thought you would be excited about the opportunity.
TOLD I ................................................................... you if I thought you weren't excited.
Unreal conditionals
Auxiliary verbs
Perhaps we missed the train and will have to get a later one.
MIGHT We ................................................................... the train and will have to wait.
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1. You seem to have picked up English very quickly.
ADVATAGE It looks like you __________________ your chance to
learn English.
2. You need to use every opportunity you can to practice your English in
order to progress.
HAVE You _____________ frequently to learn well.
3. It really doesn´t matter to me where we live, so long as we are together.
PROVIDING I really don´t ______________________ we stay
together
4. Were you able to speak English as a child?
HOW Did you _____________________ English when you
were a child.
5. There were more than 500 participants in this year’s competition.
ENTERED More than 500 _________________________ year´s
competition.
6. You should use only English during the speaking exam.
TO You must _____________________ in the speaking exam.
7. What exactly are you getting at when you say fluent?
SUGGESTING What exactly _____________________ by saying
fluent?
8. Recently I have gone off eating fish as I have eaten it too much.
ON I am not so _____________________ fish recently as I eat it
too often.
9. It´s not easy to stand for this type of behaviour
UP I really don´t like having _____________________ this type
of behaviour.
10.We need to continue with our studies until the end of term.
CARRY we had better _____________________ until the end
of term.
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11.Let´s cancel the meeting this afternoon, I won´t be able to make it.
OFF I reckon we _____________________ the meeting this
afternoon, I won´t get there on time.
12. Would you mind passing me the salt?
COULD _____________________ me the salt, please?
13.What do you normally go for in a restaurant?
EAT What do you normally _____________________ in a
restaurant?
14.“It is getting late so we had better set off for home”, said Ash.
Head Ash said that it was getting late and
_____________________ home.
15.The hotel turned out to be more expensive than we had thought.
ENDED The hotel _____________________ more expensive than
we had thought.
16.He said that he needed to sell his car.
RID “I need to _____________________ my car”, he said.
17.Even though I am not a fan of his music, I will still go to the concert.
OF In _____________________ being a fan of his music, I will
still go to the concert.
18.What did you get up to in the club last night?
DO What _____________________ the club last night?
19.My brother shouted, “Wait for me!”
TOLD My _____________________ wait for him.
20.It is hard to pay all of the bills on my salary.
AFFORD I can´t _____________________ all the bills on my salary
alone.
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21.Jose is into spending time alone.
BY Jose enjoys spending time _____________________
22.Although he is tired, he continued working on the project.
Despite _____________________ tiredness, he carried on
working on the project.
23.We don´t have a lot of time left to finish the coursework.
RUNNING We _____________________ time to finish the coursework.
24.I have always thought that learning languages with grammar is a waste
of time.
POINT I can´t _____________________ learning languages with
lots of grammar.
25.He finds it hard to speak even basic English to native speakers.
BY He can´t _____________________ speaking to native
speakers.
26.If you want to travel around the world, you will have to do without some
things and save.
UP You will need _____________________ money if you want
to travel around the world.
27.According to the teacher, we have an exam next month.
Said The teacher _____________________ we have an exam
next month.
28.In hindsight, Marc regretted having stayed up so late.
ONLY “_____________________ hadn´t stayed up so late”, said
Marc.
29.I enjoy spending time with my parents.
OUT I am into _____________________ my friends.
30.Why don´t we start a business exporting wine from Castilla La Mancha?
UP Let´s _____________________ business exporting wine
from Castilla La Mancha?
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31.We took on a new teacher as we have so many students.
HAD We _____________________ teacher because the language
school had lots of students.
32.The businessman opted out of the agreement as it seemed like a bad
idea.
NOT The businessman _____________________ ahead with the
agreement.
33.The teacher likes students who participate in class.
ON The teacher _____________________ students who
participate in class.
34.He was accused of killing the pedestrian by the police.
OF The police _____________________ running over the pedestrian.
35.I am really getting good at learning new vocabulary.
TO I am really _____________________ new vocabulary.
36.We should go out this evening to celebrate the birth of your child.
TO We _____________________ out this evening to celebrate
the birth of your child.
37.Did you really have no idea that I was married to Inés?
UNAWARE _____________________ that Inés was my wife?
38.Just in case you weren´t able to collect my son, I made other
arrangements.
UP I made other arrangements in case you _____________________
my son.
39.“I am not a fan of swimming in the sea” he said.
FOND He said that he _____________________ swimming in the
sea.
40.They carried out the road works on Main Street the week before last.
WERE The road on Main Street works _____________________
week before last.
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41.You should listen to your personal trainer, you would get fit quicker.
BETTER If you want to get fit quickly, you _____________________
to your personal trainer.
42.Inés was upset when she found out that she had failed the exam.
DISAPPOINTED Inés _____________________ have failed the exam.
43.John dropped out of university as he didn´t enjoy his course.
STOPPED John _____________________ university because he didn´t
like his course.
44.I probably won´t go back to university any time soon.
UNLIKELY I _____________________ to return to university any time
soon.
45.We need to review the course vocabulary to pass the exam.
OVER We _____________________ the course vocabulary to pass
the exam.
46.Alex had trouble passing the A-level exams.
FOUND Alex _____________________ pass the A-level exams.
47.I wish I had studied more for the exams.
ONLY _____________________ done more studying for the
exams.
48.Your dad speaks German more clearly than you do.
AS You can´t _____________________ as your dad can.
49.I told them not to take their time as we didn´t have a lot.
UP I said to them _____________________ we didn´t have much
time.
50.I didn´t expect to pay so much for that meal last night.
FAR I _____________________ that meal than I had expected.
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51.She is looking forward to her sister´s visit.
ABOUT She is really _____________________ her sister coming to
visit.
52.The boss apologised for losing his temper with his secretary.
SORRY The boss said that _____________________ getting cross.
53.They arrived home late because they had missed the last train.
BACK As they had missed the last train home
_____________________ late.
54.This term has been so stressful that I can’t go out on many weekends.
SUCH This has _____________________ year that I can´t go out on
many weekends.
55.Yours is such an excellent idea that it’s hard to take in.
SO Your idea _____________________ it is hard to believe.
56.This coffee is so strong that I can’t drink it all at once.
SUCH This is _____________________ I can´t drink it in one go.
57.If this coffee weren´t so strong, I could drink it.
AS I can´t _____________________ it is too strong.
58.Their house is so old that it needs refurbishing.
SUCH Theirs is _____________________ it needs refurbishing.
59.This sandwich was so expensive that nobody could afford it.
SUCH It _____________________ that nobody had enough money to
buy it.
60.I haven´t done any exercise for ages.
BEEN It _____________________ since I did some exercise.
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61.She was so angry because of my lateness.
AS _____________________ late, she got really angry.
62.I am not used to wearing winter clothes.
TEND I _____________________ wear winter clothes.
63.You are looking forward to your next holiday as you will relax.
WAIT You _____________________ away on holiday because you
want to relax.
64.Tom said to Oliver, “I can´t stand speaking French in front of people”.
HATES Tom said _____________________ French in front of
people.
65.You are not supposed to memorize vocabulary if you don’t understand
the context.
ALLOWED You _____________________ memorize vocabulary unless
you understand the context.
66.If I were you, I would hang out with Tom because he is really funny.
SPENDING I ____________________ Tom, he is really funny.
67.This is the first time I have met your husband.
HAD I __________________________ your husband until today.
68.It´s not a good idea to try to do a government exam.
WORTH It is hardly ___________________ do a government exam.
69.Singing lessons are something I have never wanted to do.
APPEALED Singing lessons _________________ me.
70.Jaime says that he will pass the exam on his own, without the help of the
teacher.
BY Without any help, Jamie says he can pass the exam
_________________.
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71. I hardly ever get the opportunity to have a good time
ALMOST I ____________________ the chance to have a good time.
72.In the end, he was a bad person to hang out with.
TURNED He __________________ be a bad person to spend time
with.
73.I haven´t had the opportunity to buy a house yet.
STILL Buying a house ________________ possible for me.
74.“I think we ought to take a long look in the mirror” she said.
BETTER “I reckon _____________________ a long look at
ourselves” She said.
75.I haven´t got anything in mind for my thesis yet.
THOUGHT I still haven´t _______________ idea for my thesis.
76.Suddenly, I felt very alone and started to worry about my future.
SUDDEN All ____________________ felt lonely and I started to
become concerned about my future.
77.I helped him avoid a huge mistake with my advice.
PREVENTED My advice ___________________ a huge mistake.
78.I´m not sure we can afford to buy a house at the moment.
FOR I really don´t think we ________________________ a house
at the moment.
79.I asked a few friends of mine over to have a couple of drinks.
IF I asked _______________ to come over to have some
drinks with me.
80.I don´t have many interests outside of my friendship circle.
FEW I have ______________ interests outside of my friendship
circle.
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81.In the past we didn´t have the internet in our office.
USE We didn´t ____________ the internet in our workplace.
82.I really don´t know how you managed to pass that exam, it was a
nightmare.
SUCCEEDED I don´t understand ___________________passing that
exam, it was almost impossible.
83.We started studying English over a decade ago and have only just got
the B2.
UP We ___________________ English more than 10 years ago,
but we have only recently passed the B2.
84.In the past we always used to go away on the weekends.
WOULD We _________________ on holiday at the weekends in the
past.
85.I have enjoyed much more success this year than in the past.
SUCCESSFUL I have _________________________ this year than in
the past.
86.Nobody does as good a job as Marc by far in the office.
BETTER Marc ____________________ than anyone else in
the office.
87.I have never heard such nonsense in my whole life.
EVER In my life I __________________ so many lies.
88.I will only help you providing that you ask for my help.
LONG I will help you __________________ you ask me.
89.This is the most logical solution to the problem.
SENSE This is the only solution that ______________.
90.I really am not up for taking part in such a time consuming course.
WILLING I don´t think I ___________________ take part in
such a difficult course.
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91.You are really annoying me, is it intentional?
ON Are you annoying _________________.
92.It is a good idea to depend on this course.
BANK I would recommend ____________________.
93.It is very difficult to accept the consequences of what we have done.
FACE It is tough to ____________________ what we have done.
94.I think we need to review phrasal verbs to pass the exam.
OVER It might be a good idea _______________ verbs in order to
pass the exam.
95.I used to admire my old boss, but then he let me down quite badly.
LOOKED I _________________ boss until he disappointed me so
badly.
96.I would love playing rugby as a child in my home town of Rugby.
WENT I used to like playing rugby as a child in my home town, but I
___________________.
97.I am getting really good at rephrasing, it´s easy!
TAKEN I ___________________ to rephrasing, it´s not difficult.
98.Who would take care of you when you were a kid?
AFTER Who used to __________________ a child?
99.I can´t work out the solution to this sum, I´m going to fail this subject.
FIND I don´t know _________________ solution to this sum, I
won´t pass the subject.
100. How many new employees has your company taken on this year?
OVER How many people has your company ___________ past
year?
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Answer sheet
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27.has said that
28.If only I
29.hanging out with
30.set up a
31.had to hire a new
32.decided not to go
33.is keen on
34.accused him of
35.taking to learning
36.ought to go
37.Were you really unaware
38.Could not/couldn´t pick up
39.Was not/wasn´t fond of
40.were done the
41.had better listen
42.was disappointed to
43.stopped going to
44.am unlikely
45.should go over
46.found it difficult to
47.If only I had
48.speak German as clearly
49.to hurry up as
50.paid far more for
51.excited about
52.he was sorry for
53.they got back
54.been such a stressful
55.is so excellent that
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56.such strong coffee that
57.drink this coffee because/as
58.such an old house that
59.was such an expensive sandwich
60.has been ages
61.As I was
62.do not/don´t tend to
63.cannot/can´t wait to go
64.that he hates speaking
65.aren’t/are not allowed to
66.recommend spending time with
67.had never met
68.worth trying to
69.have never appealed to
70.by himself
71.almost never have
72.turned out to
73.still has not been
74.we had better take
75.thought about an
76.of a sudden I
77.prevented him from making
78.can pay for
79.if some friends wanted
80.very few
81.use to have
82.how you succeeded in
83.took up studying
84.would always go
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85.been much more successful
86.works much better
87.have not ever heard
88.as long as
89.makes sense
90.am willing to
91.me on purpose
92.banking on this course
93.face up to
94.to go over phrasal
95.looked up to my
96.went off it
97.have really taken to
98.look after you as
99.how to find the
100. hired over the
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