Joy English · Level C1 · General exam skillsjoy-english.com
Advanced exam skills: key word transformation
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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.
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.
- It was only when the lights went out that Mina noticed the noise. (NOTICE) Not until the lights went out ___ the noise.
- I regret not asking for advice before I signed the contract. (ASKED) I wish I ___ for advice before signing the contract.
- People think that the committee made an error. (THOUGHT) The committee ___ an error.
- They never expected the project to be finished so quickly. (EXPECT) Never ___ the project to be finished so quickly.
- Ravi was tired, but he kept working. (AS) Tired ___ was, Ravi kept working.
- The manager did not approve the plan because the budget was too small. (HAD) The manager would have approved the plan ___ larger.
- I am sure Jamal did not intend to upset you. (MEANT) Jamal ___ to upset you.
- Lena realised how tired she was as soon as she sat down. (SOONER) No ___ down than she realised how tired she was.
Closest in meaning
Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to the one given.
- Hardly anyone turned up to the lecture.
- She might as well have stayed at home.
- Omar is not the sort of person to complain.
- The plan fell through.
- I couldn't help laughing.
- Had it not been for Aiko, we would have missed the deadline.
Answer key
Complete the second sentence
- did Mina notice / did mina noticeNot until at the start of a sentence needs inversion: did + subject + base verb.
- had asked / 'd asked / had asked someone / 'd asked someoneA wish about a past regret uses the past perfect: had asked. Would have asked is not used after I wish for my own past actions.
- is thought to have made / is thought to have committedThe reporting passive for a past event is is thought + to have + past participle.
- did they expect / had they expectedNever at the start needs inversion. Did they expect keeps the simple past of the first sentence; had they expected is also possible.
- as heThe structure adjective + as + subject + be expresses concession: Tired as he was. Use he, because Ravi is named later in the sentence.
- had the budget been / if the budget had beenThis is a third conditional about the past. The if-clause can be inverted (had the budget been) or kept with if (if the budget had been).
- can't have meant / cannot have meant / couldn't have meant / could not have meant / can't possibly have meant / cannot possibly have meant / couldn't possibly have meant / could not possibly have meant / certainly never meant / definitely never meantStrong certainty about a negative past possibility is expressed with can't (or couldn't) have + past participle. Certainly never meant is also possible.
- sooner had she sat / sooner had lena sat / sooner did she sit / sooner did lena sitNo sooner takes inversion, usually with the past perfect (had she sat), and is followed by than. No sooner did she sit is also possible.
Closest in meaning
- b) Almost nobody attended the lecture.Hardly anyone means almost nobody, not literally nobody.
- c) Going out achieved nothing, so staying at home would have been just as good.Might as well suggests that there was no advantage in the other option.
- a) Omar complains very rarely, if at all.Not the sort of person to describes a character trait: he would not normally complain.
- b) The plan failed to go ahead.Fall through means that an arrangement fails and does not happen.
- d) I was unable to stop myself laughing.Couldn't help + -ing means that you cannot prevent yourself from doing something.
- d) Thanks to Aiko, we met the deadline.Had it not been for means that without her help the result would have been different, so we met the deadline.