Dave
11 feb 20232 min
Examiners' tips on how to pass Reading and Use of English part 4
Introduction
Known as ‘keyword transformation', this is one of the trickiest parts of the exam.
It tests your grammar and vocabulary.
You are given a sentence and a KEYWORD. You must complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first sentence using 2-5 words, including the word given.
Example:
British food is better than Italian food.
AS
Italian food __________________ British food.
NOTE!
You MUST use the keyword, and you can't CHANGE the keyword.
You must use between 2 and 5 words.
It might be possible to make a sentence with more words, but you won’t get any points.
Double-check your spelling!
Write your answers in CAPITAL LETTERS (paper-based exam).
General Tips
Don’t Lose Time
Since this part of the exam is difficult, you might be tempted to spend more time trying to work out the correct sentence.
However, you might not be familiar with the required expression so don’t waste precious time trying to work it out.
In that case, make your best guess and move to the next one.
If there is an answer you know, double-check what you have written and move on.
General Tips
Make sure the nouns and verbs in your sentence 'agree' with each other.
I play
you play
he plays.
Try to keep the same meaning from the first sentence.
Use the same words where possible.
Example:
David finds maths very interesting.
IN
David is very interested in maths.
Case Studies
Example 1:-
Diann can't wait to see the new Netflix series.
FORWARD
Diann is really ________________________________ the new Netflix series.
Start by matching parts of the second sentence to the first sentence to see what's missing.
Diann can't wait to see the new Netflix series.
FORWARD
Diann is really ________________________________ the new Netflix series.
Now we need a phrase starting with 'is really...’ which includes the word ‘FORWARD’ and means 'can't wait to hear'.
The answer could be something like 'LOOKING FORWARD TO' .
Since the original sentence included the verb 'see' then a more accurate rendering would be 'LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING'.
Diann can't wait to see the new Netflix series.
FORWARD
Diann is really LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING the new Netflix series.
Example 2:
It's a shame I can’t watch Netflix.
COULD
I ................................................................................... Netflix.
So, now we need an expression that means the same as ’It's a shame I can’t watch’.
It also needs to start with ‘I’ and include ‘COULD’.
Note that the sentence is in the present but 'could' is normally used to talk about past ability so we need a sentence that uses 'could' to talk about present ability.
The past subjunctive is used in conditional sentences.
So, we need a conditional sentence with 'could' that expresses the same thing as 'It's a shame...'.
It's a shame I can’t watch Netflix.
COULD
I WISH (THAT) I COULD WATCH Netflix.
EXAM TRAINER
B2 EXAM PRACTICE FOR READING AND USE OF ENGLISH PART 4
Click on the buttons below to do the training and sample practice tests.