The 5 principal grammatical structures tested in FCE Use of English Part 4 with practice activities and explanations. For each type I have included:
Documents with explanations and activities for students.
Powerpoints for practice in class.
A Quizizz online game (like Kahoot but better).
Fce Sentence transformations test two key areas: B2 level grammar (covered here) and common phrases and vocabulary (in my next post). These resources are designed to be used as exam preparation or as a guide to help identify which areas to study.
Modal Verbs
Students need to be comfortable with using modal verbs:
In the present:
Must/Might/may/Can't/should/ought to/needn't + base infinitive (It must be)
In the past:
Must/Might/may/Can't/should/ought to/needn't + present perfect (It must have been)
They should recognise phrases like the ones below and identify the best modal verb to replace it.
It definitely was/sure/certain/bad idea/wasn't necessary/maybe/possible/likely/ supposed
Here is a worksheet for your students:
Here is a powerpoint to use in the classroom:
And here is an online quiz:
Conditional Structures
Students need to be comfortable using 1st, 2nd and 3rd conditional structures. They also have to use:
I wish and if only with the 2nd or 3rd conditional.
rather + verb and prefer + to verb
as long as, provided, in case, unless and otherwise.
Here is a worksheet for your students:
Here is a powerpoint to use in the classroom:
And here is an online quiz:
Passive Structures
Students have to recognise when a noun changes from object to subject and vice versa as this indicates a change between active and passive structures. Also:
They need to use the passive in a range of different tenses.
They should know how to use reporting verbs in the passive (He is said to be...)
They need to be familiar with the passive causative (I Got my car fixed)
Here is a worksheet for your students:
Here is a powerpoint to use in the classroom:
And here is an online quiz:
Reported Speech
Students have to be comfortable changing between active and reported speech in any tense. Also:
They need to know how to use a variety of reporting verbs (She advised me to go / He denied going)
They need to change direct questions to reported speech (He asked whether I knew the answer)
They need to form indirect questions (Could you tell me what the answer is?)*
*ok this isn't reported speech, but it follows a similar pattern and I had to put it somewhere.
Here is a worksheet for your students:
Here is a powerpoint to use in the classroom:
And here is an online quiz:
Comparatives and Quantities
Students have to be able to use the following:
Comparative sentences with far and much.
Not nearly as adjective as.
Little, few, much and many.
So and such
Too and enough
Here is a worksheet for your students:
Here is a powerpoint to use in the classroom:
Is that it?
well.....
A few years ago we could have guaranteed that these grammar structures would account for 80% of the questions. However, although we've definitely made a good start, these days Cambridge are adding more and more to test students' knowledge of vocabulary and the kind of language chunks and collocations that we used to associate with the Advanced exam.
For students to ace the test, we are also going to have to look at vocabulary like this:
Phrasal verbs (Take up, Set off)
Connectors (despite, even though)
Common phrases (it doesn't matter, I don't feel like it)
The good news is that Cambridge use common phrases that will have come up repeatedly in the English our students have been exposed to, we just need to jog their memories. My next post will have some activities to do just that!
where can I find the answers to the above worksheets?