HOW TO DO KEY WORD TRANSFORMATION EXERCISES

STEP 1: READ BOTH SENTENCES AND UNDERLINE DUPLICATE

INFOR- MATION. EXAMPLE : Most people these days feel lost without their mobile phones. IDEA Mo
st people these days have no idea how to manage without their mobile phones.
STEP 2: LOOK AT THE KEY WORD GIVEN. WHAT IS IT? IS IT A NOUN , PREPOSITION ,
ADVERB , CONJUNCTION, VERB CONJUGATED,? IS IT USED IN ANY COMMON SET PHRASES,
PHRASAL VERBS, COLLOCATIONS?
STEP 3: USING THE KEY WORD , THINK OF A WAY TO PARAPHRASE THE PART THAT
YOU HAVE NOT UNDERLINED • Is the key word part of a phrasal verb , a set phrase, a passive
sen- tence? • You need to decide what part of speech the key word is, and what can go with it. • Think
about what the question tests and all the changes you need to make. • Check you haven’t left out or
added any information.

HOW TO DO KEY WORD TRANSFORMATION EXERCISES

EXAMPLE : For questions 25
30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word gi
ven. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the word give
n.
Here is an example (0).
Example: (0) It is no use trying to convince her. She won’t listen. POINT
There …....................................................... convince her. She won’t listen.
Example:

How to do this exercise

1) READ BOTH SENTENCES AND UNDERLINE DUPLICATE INFORMATION.

It is no use trying to convince her. She won’t listen. POINT

 There …....................................................... convince her. She won’t listen.
2) LOOK AT THE KEY WORD GIVEN.
In the example above the key word is POINT IS IT USED IN ANY COMMON SET PHRASES,
PHRASAL VERBS, COLLOCATIONS?

3) THINK OF A WAY TO PARAPHRASE THE PART THAT YOU HAVE NOT UNDERLINED,
USING THE KEY WORD.
We can use the phrase “there is no point in trying” to paraphrase “It’s no use trying”.
They are synonymous expressions.
NUMBER OF WORDS
Count the number of words you have used in the gap. You must use
between three and six words, including the word given. If you use only two or more than six, you will lose
marks.

CONTRACTIONS

Contractions like ‘he’s’ or ‘won’t’ are counted as two words, so be careful.

‘Can’t’ is the only exception because it contracts ‘cannot’ which is just one word. Also remember that you
have to use the key word in the gap as part of the 3-6 words without changing it. Do not forget to use the
key word.
CHANGES
At C1 level you will frequently be required to make two changes in the second sentence such as using a
set expression as well as a change from active to pas- sive.
MARKING
Up to two marks will be awarded per each correct answer.

INVERTED CONDITIONALS
SHOULD - 1st CONDITIONAL
If you + verb = should you + verb If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Should you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
WERE - 2nd CONDITIONAL
If I were = Were I If I were you, I think I would study more for your exam tomorrow.
Were I you, I think I would study more for your exam tomorrow.
HAD - 3rd CONDITIONAL
If I had done = Had I done If I had known it would be so easy, I would have done it ages ago.
Had I known it would be so easy, I would have done it ages ago.
In negative clauses with inversion, we don’t use contracted forms:
Had the people not been informed, the situation would have been much worse.
ADVANCED CONDITIONALS
BUT FOR (phrase) = if it were not for/if it had not been for
Used for saying that something would have happened if something else or someone had not prevented
it.
• He would have played but for a knee injury.
IF + WERE TO In formal situations, we can use if + were to when we talk about things that might
happen but which we think are unlikely.
• If he were to fail his driving test tomorrow, he would have to take it again.
If you applied now, there’s a good chance you would get the job. APPLY
Were ......you to apply now........ , there’s a good chance you would get the job.
I didn’t know about your problem so I didn’t offer to help. KNOWN
Had ...I known about your problem.... , I would have offered to help.

I didn’t crash the car thanks to your warning. BUT

I would ............have crashed the car but for ............your warning.
The snow prevented us from arriving on time. BEEN
We would have arrived on time.... had it not been for/ if it had not been for .... the snow.
There is a phone in each room, in case you want to leave earlier. SHOULD
There is a phone in each room should you want to leave/ if you should want to
leave earlier.
COMPARATIVE – SUPERLATIVE
Anything near / Nowhere near /Not in any way / in no way / by no means / not by any means
Not nearly / Not anything like / Nothing like / Not quite / Not at all than that/those of , from that/those
of, to that/those of..
The exam was not as difficult as you said it was. NEARLY
The exam ...was not nearly as difficult ...as you said it was.
This is the nicest car I’ve ever seen. HAVE
I...have never seen such a nice car .
John is a much better footballer than Mike.
NOWEHERE
Mike …………is nowhere (near) as good at……playing football as John.
Running a marathon was not at all as hard as I thought it was going to be. NOTHING
Running a marathon .....was nothing like as hard as ...... I thought it was going to be.
I’ve never seen a more capable and dedicated person. A
I’ve never seen... such a capable ...and dedicated person.
She had the most beautiful voice in the school choir. MORE
Nobody in the school choir ...had a more ... beautiful voice.
Susan has a higher salary than Dawn. THAT
Dawn’s........ salary is lower than that ........ of Susan.
He is certainly the best student in his class. DOUBT
He is without (a shadow of) a doubt the best student in his class.
Key words
As...as / so...as / so...that/ more ...than / less ..than / fewer..than / much more / many more / Such a /
such an / a more / a less / the most / the least / big- ger than .../ too...

Anything near / Nowhere near /Not in any way / in no way / by no means / not by any means
Not nearly / Not anything like / Nothing like / Not quite / Not at all / than that/those of , from
that/those of, to that/those of.

COMPARATIVE STRUCTURES/ ADVERBS

It hasn’t snowed quite as much this year as in previous years. SLIGHTLY
This year, it has snowed ...slightly less than it did..... in previous years.
Their technology is far less advanced than ours. CONSIDERABLY
Our technology ....... is considerably more advanced ...... than theirs.
The number of unemployed people in France has gradually gone up. MORE
There.......... are more and more unemployed people .......... in France.
There has been a steep fall in the number of visitors to the island. DRAMATICALLY
The number of visitors to the island.... has fallen dramatically.
It looks like Investors have become more and more interested in healthcare stocks. INCREASINGLY
Healthcare stocks seem... to have become increasingly interesting for ... in- vestors
I don’t sing anywhere near as well as my brother does. DEFINITELY
My brother is.... definitely a better singer than .... I am.
As we get older, we progressively lose flexibility. LESS
As we get older, we become... less and less flexible.
He’s just as good a leader as you. BIT
He is.... every bit as good a... leader as you. House prices are constantly increasing. HIGHER
House prices.... are getting higher and higher.
Key words : Adverbs (slightly, considerably, more, increasingly, etc.)

Phrase to Verb - Verb to Phrase

Out of all her novels, I definitely like the second the most. FAR
Her second novel is ..... by far her best ..... work.
In the end we went to the beach on Saturday. ENDED
We...... ended up going ..... to the beach on Saturday.
He spent a lot of time at work and that affected both his health and his mar- riage. EXPENSE
He spent a lot of time at work,... at the expense of not only... his health but also his marriage.
I saw the the neighbour for a second as he passed by. SIGHT
I ...caught sight of ... the neighbour for a second as he passed by.
I heard the door and when I went out I couldn’t see her anywhere. SIGN
I heard the door and when I went out... there was no sign of ... her.
He lost his job because the company didn’t need him any more. REDUNDANT
If the company had needed him, he ... wouldn’t have been made redundant.
I never planned to hurt you AIM
It... was never my aim to make ... you suffer.
He has no interest whatsoever in working abroad. APPEAL
The idea of working abroad ... does not appeal to him ... in the least.
Key words : Nouns (sign, expense, aim, appeal, etc.) Verbs ( ended, like, plan, working, etc)
Phrase to Phrase
He didn’t seem happy to have won - quite the opposite ; he looked almost angry. FAR
He didn’t seem happy to have won, .....far from it......He looked almost angry.
Providing the best possible service to our customers is our number one pri- ority. UTMOST
It is of.. the utmost importance that ... we provide the best possible service to our customers. He spent a
lot of time at work, at the expense of his marriage.

She works long hours, at the expense of her personal life. DETRIMENT
She works long hours,... to the detriment of ... her personal life.
“As guests arrive, I always make sure to greet them at the door” said the host. POINT
The host said he... always made a point of greeting ... guests as they arrived.
Amelia made every effort to arrive at the meeting on time. BEST
Amelia .... did her best to get .... to the meeting on time.
It’s a mystery to me how he managed to convince them. CLUE
I .... haven’t got a clue/ don’t have a clue .... how he managed to convince them.
When it comes down to it, it’s not worth taking the risk. AMOUNTS
What... it amounts to is that ... it is too risky.
Key words
Nouns (point, clue, use, importance, etc.)
Verbs ( amounts, like, plan, working, etc)
Adverbs/ Adjectives (best, utmost, far, most,etc.)
Prepositions (of, in, on, at , for, etc.)