Joy English
Joy English

C1 Exams

C1General exam skills25 min

Advanced exam skills: key word transformation

Independent practice in a generic advanced exam style, not an official test: rewrite sentences with a given word and choose the sentence closest in meaning.

In a sentence transformation task, you complete a second sentence so that it means the same as the first. You must use the word in capitals, and you usually need between two and five words in the gap. These tasks test structures such as inversion, wish and if only, passives with reporting verbs, modal verbs of deduction in the past and conditional forms without if.

StructurePatternExample
Negative inversionNot until / Never / No sooner + auxiliary + subjectNever had I seen such a view.
Wish about the pastwish + past perfectI wish I had listened.
Reporting passiveis thought / said + to have + past participleHe is said to have left early.
Inverted third conditionalHad + subject + past participle, would have...Had I known, I would have called.
Deduction about the pastcan't / must / might have + past participleShe must have forgotten.

Exercise 1 of 2

Complete the second sentence

Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use the word in capitals without changing it and write only the missing words, two to five in total.

  1. It was only when the lights went out that Mina noticed the noise. (NOTICE) Not until the lights went out the noise.

  2. I regret not asking for advice before I signed the contract. (ASKED) I wish I for advice before signing the contract.

  3. People think that the committee made an error. (THOUGHT) The committee an error.

  4. They never expected the project to be finished so quickly. (EXPECT) Never the project to be finished so quickly.

  5. Ravi was tired, but he kept working. (AS) Tired was, Ravi kept working.

  6. The manager did not approve the plan because the budget was too small. (HAD) The manager would have approved the plan larger.

  7. I am sure Jamal did not intend to upset you. (MEANT) Jamal to upset you.

  8. Lena realised how tired she was as soon as she sat down. (SOONER) No down than she realised how tired she was.

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Closest in meaning

Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to the one given.

  1. Hardly anyone turned up to the lecture.

  2. She might as well have stayed at home.

  3. Omar is not the sort of person to complain.

  4. The plan fell through.

  5. I couldn't help laughing.

  6. Had it not been for Aiko, we would have missed the deadline.

0 of 6 answered

Source

Original practice by Joy English in the style of the exam. Not an official test; IELTS and TOEIC are trademarks of their owners.

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