Good afternoon readers!
I am sorry for the delay on posts this week. I’ve been to Sao Francisco, and, albeit I left plenty of posts scheduled, those were not enough. I plan to catch up on this during the weekend that is coming, but for now, I couldn’t leave the blog with any new posts, right?
So, we are following the exam order, and today we’ll talk about the part 4, keyword transformation. This is similar to word formation, but the focus is on grammar and vocabulary. It is important to note that each correct answer receives up to 2 marks.
This part consists of six key word transformations, plus one example. Each question contains three parts: a lead-in sentence, a key word, and a second response sentence of which only the beginning and the end are given. We’ll have to fill the gap in the second sentence so it is similar in meaning to the initial sentence. The key word must be used.
The structure must be manipulated and we are allowed to use between three and eight words for each sentence, including the keyword. In some cases, a verb might need to be changed to a noun to make sense. The keyword can’t be changed. Attention: Contractions count as two words! it’s = it is = 2 words.
Another tip, granted by Cambridge, is to pay attention to the whole sentence that is being formed. It might indicate if a verb will be in plural or singular, as an example.
Although you can score up to 2 marks, you can score only 1 if your sentence is only partially correct, or zero, if you change the keyword or answer it poorly.
Let’s try?
So, as usual, I will write my answers and then provide the correct ones!
25. Passengers were instructed to move way down the bus by the driver.
26. Mira tried not to take sides between her two colleagues.
27. The carnival’s success is under threat due to lack of support.
28. The manager stated that his decision was not open to discussion.
29. No matter how late it is when you get home, please text me.
30. I just caught a sight with Emma as she walked past the restaurant.
My impressions are that I got the 25 and the 30 somehow wrong. Let’s check!
25. were instructed or told to / make their way
So I got half of the question right 
26. not to take sides or to avoid taking sides / in the argument
I got half of the question here too, because I forgot to add “in the argument”.
27. sucess is under threat / due to or because of or owing to (a/the) lack of
Finally one right 🙂
28. was not / open to further
Didn’t use further, so again, half of the question!
29. matter how / late it is or may be or might be
Yey!!! 🙂
30. Caught a glimpse or Caught a sight / of Emma
Got the first part right, the OF I missed.
I guess I would have scored the 60% required on this test. What about you? How did you go? What do you think is the most difficult part of this question?
Happy Studying!
CPE Study Guide 