Use of English Part 2-Open Cloze

For FCE (First Certificate in English) Level

Use of English Part 2 is an open cloze exercise, meaning that it is a gapfill for which you don't have options. You have to think of them on your own. This exercise tests your grammatical level more, so you should expect the gaps to require grammar words. The name of the game is to be able to finish each sentence in a grammatically-correct way. 

Here are a few tips on what you should expect of the Part 2 Open Cloze exercise. 

Complexity: 

At the FCE level, the Open Cloze exercise typically assesses your ability to choose appropriate grammar words, such as pronouns, prepositions, and auxiliary verbs. Sentences tend to be moderately complex, requiring you to grasp basic sentence structures and common grammatical patterns.

Lexico-grammatical Range: 

Expect to encounter a range of grammar elements like articles, determiners, conjunctions, and basic prepositions. While some fixed phrases might appear, they usually involve straightforward idiomatic expressions.

Sentence Structure: 

Most sentences at this level are fairly straightforward, but you may encounter minor complexities involving verb tenses, word order, and basic sentence connections.

Contextual Understanding: 

Focus on understanding the context of each sentence. Look for clues that help you determine the intended meaning and select the appropriate word to fill the gap.

Precision:

Attention to detail is crucial. Be precise with your choices of articles, pronouns, and prepositions. Pay special attention to verb forms and tenses to ensure accuracy.

Preparation Advice: 

For FCE, start by revisiting basic grammar rules and structures. Practice exercises that involve choosing the correct articles, pronouns, and prepositions. Expand your vocabulary with common idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs. Reading and contextual comprehension exercises can also be beneficial.

Typical word types

The following types of word are typical. There may be others, but these are very normal to see in this exercise: 

Pronouns:

Pronouns are often tested in open cloze exercises. Candidates need to choose the correct pronoun based on the context.

Relative Pronouns:

Correct use of relative pronouns like "who," "which," and "that" is important for maintaining sentence coherence and connecting smaller sentences together into extended sentences. A relative pronoun is used to introduce a relative clause, which is part of a longer sentence that explains something about the subject (the noun) in that sentence. 

Auxiliary Verbs:

These are frequently tested, as they play a crucial role in forming verb tenses and questions.

Prepositions:

Correct preposition usage is a common focus, especially when it comes to idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs. They also follow certain verbs, adjectives and nouns, and they also often precede gerund words (ie: -ing words when they are used as nouns). 

Articles: 

The correct choice between "a," "an," and "the" is vital, as well as understanding when articles are omitted.

Determiners and Quantifiers: 

Determiners like "this," "these," "those," and "each" are important for specifying nouns. Quantifiers, like "some," "any," "much," "many," "few," and "several" are essential for determining quantity.

Fixed Phrases: 

This category may include not only prepositional phrases but also idiomatic expressions and collocations. Items such as any of the words in a phrase like 'at the moment' or 'get rid of' are often tested.

Conjunctions, Linking Words or phrases: 

Knowing how to use conjunctions like 'and', 'but', 'although', 'however', etc., is crucial for sentence structure and coherence. 

They help connect ideas in a sentence or paragraph, so words such as 'therefore', 'in addition', 'for example', etc. might also be tested.  

Modal Verbs: 

Understanding how to use modal verbs like 'can', 'could, 'may', 'might', 'must' etc., is important for expressing ability, necessity, permission, and more.

Negation: 

Knowing how to form negative sentences and questions is a fundamental aspect of grammar that would also be assessed. 'No' or 'not' are good examples of this, so you need to know when and how to negate the sentence.