Make and Do can sometimes be confused in collocations so it’s important to learn them as they can be tested in the Use of English exam.
The general definition in terms of collocations is:
Make – to create or produce something
Do – to perform an activity or job
Look at the following words and decide whether they are used with make or do. Answers are underneath.
The accuracy of your pronunciation can affect the mark that you get in the Speaking exam so it’s important to try and improve it. This activity practices different phonemes in similar sounding words and can prove to be quite difficult – especially with words which have minimal pairs eg. hit /hɪt/ and heat /hi:t/.
As each word represents a number, one person says a word and their partner has to write down the number of the word that they think their partner is saying.
Example.
If I say – ‘hit, hat, heat, hit, hut, hate, height, hit, hot’, this as a number is; 037 024 801. Therefore, my partner should have written down this number.
This is a great activity to use to practice pronunciation and to be able to distinguish different vowel sounds in English. You can also use other words eg. pit, pot, put, pat, pert, part, pout, peat.
In this part of the exam you need to be able to change the word given into an adjective, a noun or an adverb to name a few. Therefore, you need to learn how different words can be changed. Adding a prefix to the word can change the meaning to the opposite or negative of the original.
The most common prefixes are:
DIS
IL
IM
IN
IR
MIS
UN
In general, you have to learn which prefix is used with which words. However, there are some rules.
We use IL with words that begin with L : Illegal
We use IM with words that begin with M or P : Impossible, Immoral
We use IR with words that begin with R : Irresponsible
Look at the words below and choose the correct prefix. The answers are underneath.
Certain
Agree
Dependent
Relevant
Practical
Polite
Inform
Logical
Understand
Appoint
Take
Like
Appear
Qualify
Happy
Answers: Uncertain, disagree, independent, irrelevant, impractical, impolite, misinform, illogical, misunderstand, disappoint, mistake, dislike, disappear, disqualify, unhappy
In Use of English Part 1 you are tested on your ability to differentiate between different words based on their grammatical structure i.e. use of dependent prepositions or word order.
Below are groups of words taken from the exercises with their dependent prepositions. This list is not exhaustive and so you will need to continue reading and revising in order to have the best chance in the exam.
so = someone sth = something
The passive is formed by the verb to be + done / eaten / cleaned etc
These websites have practice exercises:
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-passive.php#.U3SWTfldVVs
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/passiv.htm
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/passive-exercise-1.html
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/passive/menu.php
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-passive.php#.U3SWTvldVVs
At the end of speaking part 3, the examiner will ask you to tell him/ her your decision.
Here, you should give a brief summary of your opinions with reasons and examples as well as your decision.
You words like:
both – we both thought that the car is the best means of transport because….
but – Mark thought that living in a house is better than living in a flat but i disagree because…
whereas – I think that English is the most important language whereas Mark thinks that Chinese is because…
on the other hand – On one hand mobiles phones are an essential part of modern life, however on the other hand they can be disruptive because…
Spelling is very important in all aspects of the exam and it’s important that you check your work for mistakes.
Below is a list of commonly misspelled words.
Believe
Recommend
Definitely
Beginning
Embarrass
Separate
Foreign
Receive
Address
Accommodation
Business
Government
Environment
Surprise
Mystery
Necessary
This website has more words for you to check and learn.
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/spelling-and-word-lists/misspelled.html
A Year in the Life of an FCE Student 