FCE – Use of English, Part4 – Key word transformation tips

Exam Tip No1!

Each question is marked in two halves and it's perfectly possible to get one whole
point in the exam just for getting a single word correctly, even if you don't know
the other words to put in the gap. So, you should always give every question a try.

Exam Tip No2!

The important thing in key word transformations is that you keep the meaning the
same - EXACTLY the same. So, it's important that you read through the first
sentence and your second sentence to ensure you have kept the meaning the
same. Look at these two sentences:
Tommy said he was ready for his driving test and would take it in July.
Tommy said he was ready for his driving test and could take it in July.
One letter has been changed, from "would" to "could" but it changes the meaning
of the sentence totally. Be careful of this!

Exam Tip No3!

The most common grammatical topics covered in Key Word Transformations are:
 modal verbs and semi-modal verbs
 verb patterns such as verb/infinitive, verb/gerund/ verb + preposition +
gerund, etc.
 active voice to the passive voice
 direct speech to reported speech
 phrasal verbs and multi-word verbs
 common idioms
 third conditional
 look like and seem / do and make / regret and wish
 comparatives

Exam Tip No4!

A good way to practice this part of the FCE exam is to get used to writing and re-
writing sentences using different structures and without changing the meaning.

In how many ways can you rewrite this sentence?

Mr. Jones made us stay late because we arrived late.

Here are a few answers:

We were made to stay late by Mr. Jones because we arrived late.
Mr. Jones forced us to stay late because we arrived late.
We were forced to stay late by Mr. Jones because we arrived late.
Mr. Jones made us stay late because of our lateness.