Sentence Transformation

SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION

In the Use of English part of the exam (paper 3) there are five sections. Section three asks you to transform a sentence using a given word. It looks something like this;

 It was difficult for Craig to adjust to living in Spain.

 USED

 Craig couldn’t________________ living in Spain.

Here they are testing the verb ‘used to’, so they will expect the answer to be;

Craig couldn’t get used to living in Spain.

It’s important to keep the meaning of the second sentence as close as possible to the first. Here’s another example;

Luis asked me to collect him from the airport.

PICK

I was  _____________ Luis from the airport.

This is testing a phrasal verb (to pick up) so;

I was asked to pick up Luis from the airport.

Ask yourself what they are testing in the question. Are they testing vocabulary, maybe a phrasal verb? Are they testing grammar? If so, what grammar are they testing? Verb tense? Comparatives and superlatives? Reported speech ? Gerunds and infinitives? Active and passive? Past modals?

If the verb tense in the first sentence is continuous, try to keep the second sentence continuous (if possible). If it’s a perfect tense, try to keep the second sentence perfect. Keep the second sentence as close to the first as possible. Try to use the same words if you can. For example, don’t change ‘John’ to ‘he’ unless you have to.

You need to write between two and five words in the space and you must use the word given without changing it. Contractions count as two words (e.g. I’ve = I have).

Here are some transformation sentences for you to practise. They are classified into Present perfect, active/passive etc. In the exam they will be mixed.

Good Luck !