In Part 3 of First Certificate Paper 3 Use of English you have to do sentence transformations. You are given a sentence and a key word. You are also given the beginning and the end of a second sentence. You have to complete the second sentence with between two and five words, including the key word, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. There are ten questions in this part.
In this lesson you learn how to do these transformations. This type of question often asks about an aspect of grammar (active and passive, reported speech, conditional sentences etc.). However, in this lesson you look at questions where the answer depends on knowing an expression, a phrasal verb, a word and the preposition which follows it, or different word order. Few questions ask for just one thing (for example, active to passive). Most need a change of vocabulary, or the addition of extra words or some other change.

For Questions 1-12, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. Contractions (I’m etc) count as 2 words. There is an example given at the beginning, and hints on the activity at the end.

Example:

The telephone rang while she was in the bath.
Having
The telephone rang __________________________ bath.

This gap can be filled by the words "while she was having a" so you write:

The telephone rang while she was having a bath.
1. He didn't tell me his name over the phone.
called
He didn't tell me ___________________________________________ over the phone.

2. They found it tiring working for him.
made
Working for him ___________________________________________ .

3. "Is this your wallet?" The policeman asked me.
belonged
The policeman asked me ___________________________________________ to me.

4. He looks like another person who works here.
else
He reminds ___________________________________________ who works here.

5. He decided not to smoke any more as a result of his illness.
gave
He ___________________________________________ as a result of his illness.

6. I don't fancy going to the cinema this afternoon.
feel
I ___________________________________________ to the cinema this afternoon.

7. He took his old car to the car showroom and bought a new one instead.
changed
He ___________________________________________ a new one at the car showroom.

8. My new car is too big for this garage.
get
I can't ___________________________________________ this garage.

9. Everyone behaves respectfully towards Jane, although she's very young.
treats
Everyone ___________________________________________, although she's very young.

10. She was one of my friends when I was at junior school.
friend
She used ___________________________________________ mine when I was at junior school.

11. I'll phone you when I've finished.
soon
I'll give ___________________________________________ as I've finished.

12. I'll contact you as soon as I get back from holiday.
touch
As soon as I get back from holiday, I'll ___________________________________________ you.

Hints

  1. Adjectives which show how you feel, the result, often have -ed. For example, I was interested, I felt worried etc. When you talk about the cause, you use -ing. For example, the book was interesting, I found the situation worrying.
  2. In this question, you have to use reported speech. Remember that “belong” is followed by a preposition.
  3. What preposition follows "remind"? Remember that "remind" is followed by an object.
  4. What is the multi-word verb which means "stop"? What is it followed by?
  5. This is an expression with "feel", meaning "I don't really want to".
  6. You change one thing for another.
  7. When your trousers are too small, you can't get into them!
  8. "Treat" is followed by an object and a preposition. Remember that "respectfully" is an adverb. After a preposition, you need a noun.
  9. You need a ‘question word’. “Called” is passive. Pay careful attention to the tense.
  10. What comes after “used”?
  11. Think of an expression with "give" which means "to phone". Think of an expression with "soon" which means "when".
  12. Think of an expression which means "contact" but uses "touch".
Sentence transformations
Follow the instructions exactly - don't change the prompt word and use 2 to 5 words including the prompt word.
Write the prompt word in your answer - you must not leave a blank or a dash to indicate the prompt word.
Write only the missing words on the answer sheet.
Check your spelling.
 
For Questions 1-12, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. There is an example given at the beginning.

Example:

0. The telephone rang while she was in the bath.
Having
The telephone rang while she was having a bath.
1. There are seven different films for us to choose from at the cinema.
choice
We have ___________________________________________seven different films at the cinema.

2. Don't blame me for your accident.
fault
It wasn't ___________________________________________an accident.

3. He finds it difficult to learn foreign languages.
problems
He___________________________________________ foreign languages.

4. He's not just a good teacher, but a good writer as well.
addition
He's a good writer ___________________________________________a good teacher.

5. He told me he didn't want to play football with me.
rather
He told me___________________________________________ football with me.

6. They didn't manage to play tennis due to the bad weather.
prevented
The bad weather___________________________________________ tennis.

7. Pat hadn't been to Milan before.
visit
It ___________________________________________Milan.

8. Golf would be a way for you to get some exercise.
take
You should ___________________________________________ order to get some exercise.

9. Kathy was the only person who was happy with the result.
apart
Nobody ___________________________________________happy with the result.

10. He's so unhelpful that it's a waste of time asking him.
point
He's so unhelpful that ___________________________________________asking him.

11. There's no food left in the house.
run
We___________________________________________ food.

12. My boss told me I could go home early.
permission
My boss ___________________________________________home early.

Hints

  1. "Choice" is followed by a different preposition from "choose".
  2. Whose fault was it? Not mine! Whose accident was it? Not mine either!
  3. You have problems. What preposition follows "problems". Remember to use a gerund after a preposition.
  4. The expression is "in addition to". Remember "to" is a preposition, so what comes next?
  5. "I'd rather" means "I'd prefer". It is followed by the infinitive without "to". Remember to make the infinitive negative.
  6. "Prevent" is usually followed by a preposition, and then a noun or gerund.
  7. This means that Pat went to Milan for the first time. You need the verb to be in the past tense. Visit, therefore, is a noun, so you need to write Pat's.
  8. Here you need a phrasal verb which means "to start a hobby or sport". Remember the preposition before "order".
  9. Apart from...
  10. "There's no point in" means "It's a waste of time".
  11. You need a phrasal verb which means that there's none left.
  12. You give someone permission + infinitive.
In this section it's important to remember that the second sentence must have a similar meaning to the first. For each question choose the best way of completing the second sentence. Think about why the other options are not correct.
1) They've already sold all the tickets.
been
All the tickets ..................... sold.
a) already have been
b) are already been
c) have already been

2) I expect you were very angry.
must
You ......................... very angry.
a) must be
b) must have been
c) must were

3) 'I didn't break the glass' said Paul
denied
Paul ............................... the glass.
a) denied breaking
b) has denied breaking
c) denied to break

4) They'll understand you if you speak slowly.
won't
They ..............................you speak slowly
a) won't understand you if
b) won't understand you without
c) won't understand you unless

5) Bob last saw Mary in 1980.
seen
Bob .............................. 1980.
a) hasn't seen Mary since
b) hasn't seen Mary for
c) has seen Mary since

6) David is too young to drive a car.
old
David .............................. drive a car.
a) is old enough to
b) isn’t old enough to
c) isn't enough old to

7) It was hard for Sarah to understand him.
in
Sarah ................................. understanding him.
a) was difficult in
b) had difficulty in
c) has difficulty in

8) I haven't smoked since 1990.
gave
I ............................... 1990.
a) gave away smoking in
b) gave in smoking in
c) gave up smoking in
This part of the Use of English paper tests both grammar and vocabulary. Some of the structures that are often tested include:

active/ passive
comparatives
conditionals
different forms of the same word
modal verbs
multi-word verbs
past simple/ present perfect
reported speech
Look at the correct answers for the last exercise again. Decide for yourself what was being tested in each question. Sometimes more than one thing is being tested in the same question. Then check your answers in the answer key.
1. They've already sold all the tickets.
been
All the tickets have already been sold.

2. I expect you were very angry.
must
You must have been very angry.

3. 'I didn't break the glass', said Paul.
denied
Paul denied breaking the glass.

4. They'll understand you if you speak slowly.
won't
They won't understand you unless you speak slowly.

5. Bob last saw Mary in 1980.
seen
Bob hasn't seen Mary since 1980.

6. David is too young to drive a car.
old
David isn't old enough to drive a car.

7. It was hard for Sarah to understand him.
in
Sarah had difficulty in understanding him.

8. I haven't smoked since 1990.
gave
I gave up smoking in 1990.
In this part of the Use of English paper, you need to be able to think of different ways of saying the same thing. It is important that both sentences have a similar meaning. Practise recognising sentences that mean the same by matching the sentences that have similar meanings.
My watch is being repaired.
 a) I'm allowed to use the phone at work.
My watch was repaired yesterday. b) I need to have my watch repaired.
I must have my watch repaired. c) This coffee isn't cool enough to drink.
I can use the phone at work. d) Nobody likes the coffee.
I can't use the phone at work. e) They don't let me use the phone at work.
This coffee is too hot to drink. f) This coffee is so cold I can't drink it.
This coffee is too cold to drink. g) Someone repaired my watch yesterday.
Everybody hates the coffee. h) I'm having my watch repaired at the moment.
For questions 1-10, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.
1. People used to eat more bread than they do nowadays.
as
People don't ___________________________________________ they used to.

2. James started work here five years ago.
worked
James ___________________________________________ five years.

3. Maria doesn't want to go swimming today.
rather
Maria ___________________________________________ go swimming today.

4. I've never read such a bad book.
I
It's the ___________________________________________ read.

5. 'I wouldn't touch that switch if I were you,' said Jane to her son.
warned
Jane ___________________________________________ touch the switch.

6. I'm sure Carol was at the party last night.
must
Carol ___________________________________________ at the party last night.

7. We couldn't have finished the job without your help.
hadn't
If we ___________________________________________ , we couldn't have finished the job.

8. Why wouldn't your sister allow you to see her new house?
let
Why wouldn't ___________________________________________ see her new house?

9. Could you ring me at 10 o'clock, please?
you
I'd like ___________________________________________ at 10 o'clock, please.

10. It's ages since anyone has thought of a good story.
up
No one ___________________________________________ a good story for a long time.

 
In this lesson you have:
Gained familiarity with the sentence transformation task
Seen what kinds of structures are likely to be tested
Developed a strategy to help you do this task
The next lesson focuses on part 4 of the Use of English paper. It develops your familiarity with the error correction exercise through a series of graded activities.