Which grammar topics do I need to control, and how am I able to identify which ones I need more practice with?
Join me today and you will find out 😉
| NO. | GRAMMAR CONTENTS | EXAMPLE(S) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Present Tenses: Simple, Perfect, Continuous and Perfect Continuous Aspects | I rarely commute to my office by train. I have already done the shopping. This week he is rehearsing for the concert. We have been talking on the phone for about 1 hour. |
| 2. | Past Tenses | I saw you when you were crossing the street. We had been waiting on the platform for an hour when the train finally arrived. She had already visited L.A. before we first met. I would/used to run on the fields all day long when I was a child. |
| 3. | Future Tenses | I will give you a ride to school. You will have arrived home by the time I take the plane. During our meeting tomorrow we will be looking into this case in detail. In January, I will have been working at this company for 5 years. |
| 4. | State Verbs | I suppose you must be tired. It tastes like chocolate. My family own a restaurant. I prefer mango to grapes. |
| 5. | Prepositions following Verbs and Adjectives | I would like to congratulate you on winning the race. This dish is typical of the north of the country. |
| 6. | Prepositions of Time | The train is leaving in 10 minutes. Let’s go window shopping at the weekend. We had a blackout of two hours on Friday evening. |
| 7. | Prepositions of Place | I had to stay in the queue for about an hour. I found a letter at the front door. You have been on the phone all morning. |
| 8. | Zero, First and Second Conditionals | Water evaporates if/when it boils. We won’t go skiing unless the storm ends. If he trained harder, he would win the tennis world championship. |
| 9. | Third and Mixed Conditionals | If she had won the race, she wouldn’t have been so deeply disappointed the other day. If she had won the race yesterday, now, she would feel happier. She could have won the race if her family approved of her decision. |
| 10. | WISH, IF ONLY and HOPE | I wish I were on an island. If only you had listened to me. I hope you will have a great time! |
| 11. | Countable and Uncountable Nouns | We took a taxi on the way to the hotel because we had four suitcases. I couldn’t find my luggage when I was about to check in. |
| 12. | Articles | We have a new Physics teacher. The Physics teacher is from London. “Teachers affect eternity.” (by Henry Brooks Adams) |
| 13. | SO, SUCH, TOO and ENOUGH | I was so worn out that I decided to have a rest. It was such a beautiful day! It is too dark to go out. We don’t have enough time to finish the project. |
| 14. | Infinitive and verb “ING” | I’d rather go hiking than watch TV. I’d prefer to read the book rather than watch the movie. I enjoy going waterskiing. |
| 15. | Adjectives with “ED” and “ING” | She was fascinated by the vew from the top of the mountain. We found the whole book fascinating. |
| 16. | Adverb Formation | RELAXINGLY, SAFELY, GENTLY, ORGANICALLY, INDUSTRIALLY, EASILY, WELL |
| 17. | Reported Speech and Reporting Verbs | “What time did you leave the hotel last night?” – The detective asked her what time she had left the hotel the previous night. “I didn’t steal this purse!” – She denied having stolen that purse. |
| 18. | Modal Verbs to express Certainty, Possibility, Ability, Obligation and Permission | She can’t be in the office. I saw her leaving. They must have got great news. They were on cloud nine! He might have done his homework or read a novel. I could ride my bike when I was 2. We had to fill in an application form. You can borrow my goggles if you want. |
| 19. | Relative Clauses and Relative Pronouns | The girl who assisted you in the shop is my cousin. The exhibition, which we were invited to, was amazing. |
| 20. | Comparisons | Shopping alone is not as/so enjoyable as going with friends. Doing bungee jumping is far more dangerous than roller-skating. The deeper into the sea we are, the darker it is. This has been the most challenging journey ever. |
| 21. | The Passive | A new law was passed earlier this week. They got arrested in the end by the police. It is thought to be quite dangerous. It has been announced that overfishing must be stopped. |
| 22. | Causative HAVE and GET | We have just got our car repaired. I had my wallet stolen last weekend. |
| 23. | Linking Words and Phrases: EVEN THOUGH, DESPITE, WHEREAS, etc. | Even though the weather forecast is for heavy rain, we will go for a walk. We went out despite the stormy weather. I am into sports, whereas my sister is interested in video games. |
The examples above show the list of the grammar structures that a B2 First candidate must be familiar with and show good control of. It is important to remember that each grammar theme has exceptions to the general rule, which of course should be learnt and practised.
Where in the B2 First and B2 First for Schools am I assessed on grammar fluency?
Looking at the exam structure, https://exams-catalunya.com/en/exam/b2-first-fce#tab-2, it is the Reading and Use of English paper that most requires your grammar knowledge of the English language, mainly in Parts 2 and 4.
In for an activity to challenge your grammar fluency? Find below an exercise based on Part 4 of the Reading and Use of English paper. Play with various ways to say it differently while keeping the meaning of the original sentence, and put your paraphrasing skills to the test. Ready, steady, GO!
| NO. | Key Word Sentence Transformation | Your Answer 😉 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | More people have joined the tennis club this year. INCREASE There …………………………………………………………………….. in the number of people joining the tennis club this year. | |
| 2. | My grandmother was 60 when she started jogging. TAKE My grandmother …………………………………………………………………….. until she was 60. | |
| 3. | I will send out all the invitations to the party before lunchtime. HAVE By lunchtime, …………………………………………………………………….. all the invitations to the party. | |
| 4. | “Thank you for your help”, an elderly lady says to a teenager on the bus. BEING “You …………………………………………………………………….. “, an elderly lady says to a teenager on the bus. | |
| 5. | “My neighbours are very noisy”, Joel said to the policeman. ABOUT Joel …………………………………………………………………….. to the policeman. | |
| 6. | There was a long queue because everyone had arrived at 3 o’clock. GOT There were many people in the queue as everyone …………………………………………………………………….. same time. | |
| 7. | When I was a pupil, I used to have good marks. RESULTS As a pupil, I …………………………………………………………………….. school. | |
| 8. | We need to walk faster or the bank will be closed when we get there. UNLESS The bank will be closed when we get there …………………………………………………………………….. faster. | |
| 9. | We missed the bus because we didn’t leave home early enough. IF We wouldn’t have missed the bus …………………………………………………………………….. home early enough. | |
| 10. | I regret not listening to my parents yesterday. WISH I …………………………………………………………………….. attention to my parents today. | |
| 11. | It hasn’t rained for over a week. ANY There …………………………………………………………………….. for over a week. | |
| 12. | “How can I get to the train station?”, asked the tourist. WAY The tourist wanted to …………………………………………………………………….. train station. | |
| 13. | The Drama class was cancelled because of a lack of interest among the students. ENOUGH The Drama class was cancelled because not …………………………………………………………………….. interested. | |
| 14. | Anna wasn’t allowed to go to the party on Friday. LET Anna`s parents refused …………………………………………………………………….. go to the party on Friday. | |
| 15. | The journey back home was so long that we were very exhausted. WAS The long journey back home …………………………………………………………………….. us. | |
| 16. | “Please pay attention to how I carry out the experiment”, the Science teacher told his pupils. WATCH The Science teacher told his pupils …………………………………………………………………….. as he carried out the experiment. | |
| 17. | ‘Don’t dive off the rocks – it’s very dangerous,’ the lifeguard told the teenagers. WARNED The lifeguard …………………………………………………………………….. dive off the rocks because it was very dangerous. | |
| 18. | I know I didn’t leave my backpack at school because I took my phone out on the train. CAN’T I took my phone out on the train, so …………………………………………………………………….. my backpack at school. | |
| 19. | We were warned by the policeman about the traffic jam ahead. THAT The policeman warned …………………………………………………………………….. a traffic jam ahead. | |
| 20. | Last year’s holiday by the sea was more exciting than this year’s holiday at the campsite. AS This year’s holiday at the campsite …………………………………………………………………….. last year’s holiday by the sea. | |
| 21. | Everyone will get a free light snack at the beginning of the race. GIVEN Free light snacks …………………………………………………………………….. everyone at the beginning of the race. | |
| 22. | My mother is going to shorten my jeans. HAVE I …………………………………………………………………….. by my mother. | |
| 23. | Despite having plenty of money, Adam decided not to buy the baseball boots. EVEN Adam decided not to buy the baseball boots …………………………………………………………………….. plenty of money. |
Proofread your answers while bearing in mind the checklist below:
- I have used between two and five words.
- I have been loyal to the tense(s) from the original/first sentence.
- I have used the word given.
- Likewise, I have made NO changes to the word given.
I am sure you have done your best. If you struggle with any of the above grammar structures, do more practice once you have looked into all the rules and the exceptions to these norms.
Stay tuned for more words of advice and handy material!
