CPE Use of English Part 4

Key Word Transformation

Part 4 of the Use of English is a sentence transformation exercise, meaning you are given a sentence that you have to rewrite in different words but with the same meaning. This is called paraphrasing and it is important in many other parts of the exam. 

Now that you are approaching C2 level, the grammar and vocabulary involved are much more complex than before and the scope of the task is wider. 

This time, you have to use between three and eight words to complete the answer. 

For example: 

1. As well as being extremely rude, the customers were aggressive to staff. BUT   

Not ______________ they were also extremely rude. 

Answer: Not only were the customers aggressive to staff, // but they were also extremely rude.  

There are two possible points for the answer. A fully-correct answer gets two points and a partially-correct answer gets one point.

More tips for the Part 4 exercise. 

As we have said, the level of grammar and vocabulary is at almost its highest level in English, so there is quite a bit of nuance in meaning. You have to find items such as synonymous phrases that match the meaning of the original sentence, and these may have to be placed within complex grammatical structures, such as inversion (like in the example above) or advanced conditionals. 

Importantly, remember that there are a maximum of two points available for each correct answer, so your grammar and lexis should connect well.