WHAT IS THE SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION EXERCISE?
Part 4: transformations (rephrasing) in PDF B2 USE OF ENGLISH PART 4
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:
Rephrasing examples with inversions:
Fill in the gaps with 2-5 words, including the word GIVEN:
- If you had enough money to afford the trip, I would also go. ABLE
Were ____________________ pay for the trip, I would also go.
2. If I had enough time, I would help you with the project. TO
Were ____________________ enough time, I would help you with the project.
3. If I could invent anything, I would solve the current water crisis. ABLE
Were ____________________ invent anything, I would solve the current water crisis.
4. Were you to call your ex girlfriend, I doubt she would pick up the phone. CALLED
If ____________________ your ex girlfriend, I doubt she would pick up the phone.
5. Not only are we late for the meeting, but we are also unprepared.. TOO
We are both late for the meeting ____________________.
6. We should never answer our parents back when they are telling us off. NEVER
____________________ answer our parents back when they are telling us off.
7. I didn’t say that at any time. POINT
At ____________________ I say that.
8. I seldom make it to work on time when I catch the bus. RARELY
____________________ make it to work on time when I catch the bus.
DOWNLOAD IN PDF WORKSHEET: INVERSIONS REPHRASING
HOW DO YOU DO IT EFFECTIVELY?
Try the Deleting Technique. You take the sentence transformation, for example:
You’ll have a great time no matter where you go
REGARDLESS You’ll have a great time ________ where you go
YOU MUST CONSIDER WHAT IS THE SAME IN BOTH SENTENCES AND THEN DELETE WHAT IS THE SAME IN THE FIRST SENTENCE
You’ll have a great time no matter where you go
REGARDLESS You’ll have a great time ________ where you go
YOU ARE LEFT WITH NO MATTER AND ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS THINK OF THE SYNONYM FOR IT.
Answer: regardless of
Follow up activity 110 EXPRESSIONS FOR KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS FOR THE FCE (B2) AND CAE (C1): You should write down the answers and the common vocabulary. These are almost always synonyms. Write them in a list like…
put up with = tolerate
so that = in order
as long as = provided that
FIND OUT HOW TO DO THIS EXERCISES SUCCESSFULLY HERE
WHAT DO I NEED TO STUDY?
The best way to improve this part of the exam is to do examples of exams and to learn from your mistakes, but you might like to look at.
Lexical: phrasal verbs, word patterns, fixed expressions, contextual vocabulary etc. TO IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF PREPOSITIONS: HERE
Structural: passives, relative clauses, reported speech, quantifiers, connectors, tense changes, gerund versus infinitive, modal verbs, inversions (rarely), conditionals etc.
