3 OPTIMISE YOUR GRAMMAR | Higher
Continuous tenses
1 Complete the sentences with the correct
form of the verbs in the box. There are two
extra verbs you do not need.
carry out | come up with | discover | eat
explore | generate | look for | manufacture
1 They              the jungle for
days but they haven’t found that plant yet.
2 Fiona              a good income
from her invention recently.
3 We              Harry’s keys for
hours when Jan finally found them.
4 Its 9 am. I              experiments
in the lab all day, so call me later.
5 Jake              eating his supper
when I called round to see him.
6 Tom              any more products
until he finds a workshop he can use.
2 Find and underline the mistakes in the
sentences, then correct them. Tick (✓) the
correct sentences.
1 When I phoned, they are working on something
top secret, so they couldn’t talk about it.
            
2 I can’t leave the house right now. They were
delivering the new computer this morning.
3 The machine had been running for hours when
its motor suddenly stopped.              Popular inventions
4 It’s time for Sam to stop using the computer now.
He had been surfing the internet for hours.
            
5 Alison isn’t carrying out any more tests on her
invention today.              body. He tried tying a scarf around his head to make them
Comparatives and superlatives
3 Complete the dialogues using the
words given. Write the adjective in the
correct form.
1 A: I didn’t know you used internet banking.
B: I started using it recently. It’s
 over 100 inventions to his name when he died in 1937.
I / expected / easy / much
2 A: Why are you reading that magazine?
B: I think 
to keep up with / it’s important / technology / late
3 A: This laptop 
is / cheap / than yours / a lot
B: Yes, but you have to install a lot of software.
4 A: What do you think about giving Tina a
credit card?
B: I think that’s 
bad / idea / ever
Optimise B2 Optimise B2 Teacher’s Resource Centre © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2017.
This sheet may be photocopied and used within the class.
B2
4 Complete the second sentence so it has a
similar meaning to the first. Do not change
the word given. Use two to five words,
including the word given.
1 The smartphone that you have is better than this
one. AS
I don’t think this smartphone is
             one that you have.
2 One of the world’s best scientists is Albert
Einstein. EVER
Albert Einstein is considered to be one of
             .
3 When it takes a long time to create something,
we feel more satisfied when we complete it. THE
             to create something,
the greater the satisfaction when we complete it.
4 The compass was an important invention but
the invention of the wheel was more important.
 EVEN
The invention of the compass was important, but
the invention of the wheel was          .
Unit round-up
5 Complete the text with the correct form of
the words and phrases in the box.
always come up | important | mix | much cold
popular | refreshing | skate | successful | warm | work
One afternoon in 1873, Chester Greenwood
(1)              outside
for a while when he realised his ears were
(2)              than the rest of his
(3)              but that didn’t work.
His grandmother (4)              on
her sewing machine at the time, so he shaped some wire
and asked her to sew fur on the circular ends. These ear
warmers turned out to be one of his
(5)              ideas and he sold
thousands of them. However, Chester
(6)              with new ideas and had
Another successful invention was the popsicle,
or ice lolly. Back in 1905, Frank Epperson
(7)              soda and water in a
glass one afternoon and he left the mixture out overnight.
In the morning Frank discovered ice on a stick. Nothing
is (8)              on a hot day! Today
more than two billion popsicles are eaten every year and
(9)              flavour is cherry. One
invention for keeping warm and one for cooling down,
both are (10)              each other
when dealing with extreme temperatures.
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