Idiomatic Expressions and Sentence Transformations, Exams of English

Download Idiomatic Expressions and Sentence Transformations and more Exams English in PDF only on Docsity! WRITING 4 SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION 1. The fox was unsuccessful in reaching the grapes. (VAIN) →The fox tried in vain to reach the grapes. 2.The crops were badly affected by the storm. (EFFECT) →The storm had a badly effect on the crops. 3.The project received unanimous approval of the committee. (FAVOUR) →The whole committee was/were in favor of the project. 4. The personnel officer promised him that she wouldn’t tell anyone that he had been in the prison. (WORD) →The personnel officer gave him her word that she wouldn’t tell anyone that he had been in the prison. 5. Nobody could possibly believe the story he told us. (BEYOND) →The story he told us was beyond belief. 6. I had lost his phone number, so I could not contact him before. (TOUCH) → I could not keep/get in touch with him because I had lost his phone number. 7. I enjoy being the boss of a small company. (FISH) →I enjoy being a big fish in a small pond. 8. The success of our local theater has made our city famous. (MAP) →The success of our local theater has put our city on the map. 9. She is not upset; she is only pretending. (ACT) →She is not upset; she is only putting on an act. 10. The bank robbers escaped in a stolen car. (GETAWAY) →The bank robbers made a getaway in a stolen car. 11. As people use a lot of wood-pulp, many trees are cut down. →The more wood-pulp is used, the more trees are cut down 12. Because of the absence of the atmosphere on the moon, the sky there is black, just as in space. →Because there is no atmosphere on the moon, the sky there is black, just as in space. 13. These young men became doctors after six years training. →After these young men had been trained for six years, the became doctors. 14. People believe that the Chinese invented paper in 105 A.D. →Paper is believed to have been invented by the Chinese in 105 A.D. 15. A man I don’t know told me about that. 1 →I was told about that by a man I don’t know. 16. That was a silly thing to say! →What a silly thing to say! 17. We’ve run out of petrol. →There is no more petrol left. 18. It takes six hours to drive from here to London. →It is a six-hour drive from here to London. 19. He was sorry he hadn’t said goodbye to her at the airport. →He regretted not saying goodbye to her at the airport. 20. They failed to find out a solution to the problem. → They didn’t succeed in finding out a solution to the problem. 21. Most stores will accept a credit card instead of cash. (ALTERNATIVE) →Most stores will accept a credit card as an alternative to cash. 22. You can avoid tooth decay by brushing your teeth regularly. (PREVENT) →Brushing your teeth regularly can prevent tooth decay. 23. Some of Peter’s expressions make me think of my brother. (REMIND) →Some of Peter’s expressions remind me of my brother. 24. When do you think this bridge was built? (OLD) →How old do you think this bridge is? 25. That old typewriter is not worth repairing. (POINTLESS) →Repairing that old typewriter is pointless. 26. They share a lot of hobbies and interests. (COMMON) →They have a lot of hobbies and interest in common. 27. This train should have left 30 minutes ago. (MEANT) →This train was meant to leave 30 minutes ago. 28. The president arranged for me to use his chauffeur-driven car whenever I liked. (DISPOSAL) →The president placed/put his chauffeur-driven car at my disposal. 29. The painting is worth $25,000. (VALUED) →The painting has been valued at $25,000. 30. This passport can be used in most countries. →This passport can be valid for most countries. 31. My bank manager and I get on together very well. (TERMS) →I am on very good terms with my bank manager. 32. That hotel is a bit too expensive for us, I am afraid. (REACH) 2 64. He speaks more persuasively than his brother. →He is a more persuasive speaker than his brother. 65. He can hardly read at all. (VIRTUALLY) →He is virtually unable to read. 66. He can speak French well enough to go to the conference. (FLUENT) →His French is fluent enough to go to the conference. 67. His arrival was completely unexpected. (TOOK) →His arrival took us completely by surprise. 68. The first sign of the disease is a feeling of faintness. (ONSET) →The onset of the disease is a feeling is shown by a feeling of faintness. 69. He began by giving us a summary of his progress so far. (OUTSET) →At the outset, he gave us a summary of his progress so far. 70. As an antidote to their disappointment, he bought them ice-cream. (OFFSET) →To offset their disappointment, he bought them ice-cream. 71. It was Walter Raleigh who introduced potatoes and tobaccos into England. → The English owe the introduction of potatoes and tobaccos to W. R. 72. That rumour about the politician and the construction contract is absolutely false. →There is absolutely no truth in that rumor about the politician and the construction contract. 73. He was sentenced to six months in prison for his part in the robbery. →He received a six-month sentence for his part in the robbery. 74. You can eat as much as you like for $5 at the new lunch-bar. →There is no limit/restriction on how much/what you eat for $5 at the new lunch- bar. 75. The Yeti has very rarely been seen at this altitude. →There have been very few sightings of the Yeti at this altitude. 76. You think that fat people are allays jolly, but you are wrong. →Contrary to what you think, fat people aren’t always jolly. 77. The only thing that kept us out of prison was the way he spoke to the local dialect. →But for his command of the local dialect, we could have been jailed. 78. The council rarely allows appeals against its decisions. →Hardly does the council allow appeals against its decisions. 79. She is a student good at mathematics. (FIGURES) 5 →She is a student having a head for figures. 80. I think we ought to permit him to do whatever he chooses. (HAND) →I think we should give him a free hand. 81. Margaret was offered a place on the course but couldn’t accept because she was ill. (TURN) →Margaret was offered a place on the course but had to turn down because she was ill. 82. You’ll just have to take a chance. (POT) →You’ll just have to take potluck. 83. Assembling the furniture is extremely easy. (PLAY) →Assembling the furniture is a child’s play. 84. I resent the way that she clearly feels herself to be superior to me. (NOSE) →I resent the way that she looks down her nose at me. 85. Your attitude will have to change if you want to succeed. (LEAF) →You must turn over a new leaf if you want to succeed. 86. Many species of wildlife are threatened with extinction. (VERGE) →Many species of wildlife are on the verge of extinction. 87. The storm blew the roof off the house. →The house had its roof blown off by the storm. 88. This is the quickest way to get into the town centre. →There is no quicker way than this to get into the town centre. 89. Only one person knew what had caused the fire. →The cause of the fire was known to only one person. 90. I’m not going to retire unless I myself want to. (FEEL) → I’m not going to retire unless I feel like it. 91. After two hours the bride had still not arrived. (SIGN) →After two hours there was still no sign of the bride. 92. Rosa found the heat quite intolerable. (BEAR) →Rosa couldn’t bear the heat. 93. You were rude to that woman’s husband, and she’s upset now. →The woman whose husband you were rude to is upset now. 94. Are they likely to pass Proficiency? →Is there any likelihood that they pass Proficiency? 95. 6,000 pounds is a better offer than you have ever had before. →You have never had an offer better than 6,000 pounds before. 96. Harry paid 50 pounds a week for bed and breakfast. 6 →Bed and breakfast cost Harry 50 pounds a week. 97. You cannot make use of this offer after 15 December. →This offer is only valid until 15 December. 98. Be careful not to waste water. (ECONOMICAL) →Be economical with water 99. We haven’t sold many cars this month. (DEMAND) →There has been little demand for cars this month. 100. The accident victim was having increasing difficulty in breathing. (DIFFICULT) →The accident victims were increasingly difficult to breathe. 101. Betty is very happy to look after handicapped people. →Betty is devoted to looking after handicapped people. 102. The decorators have finished the whole of the first floor. →We have had the whole of the first floor finished by the decorators. 103. If you want my advice, I would forget about buying a new house. →If I were you, I would forget about buying a new house. 104. The only way to eliminate world terrorism is by united opposition. →Only by united opposition can we eliminate world terrorism. 105. Everybody made fun of him because he’d his hair cut so short. (MICKEY) →Everybody took the Mickey out of him because he had his hair cut so short. 106. I felt stupid when I realized what I’d done. (FOOL) →I felt such a fool when I realized what I’d done. 107. She was very relieved when she realized that her bag hadn’t been stolen. (BREATHED) → She breathed a sign of relief when she realized that her bag hadn’t been stolen. 108. Would you like to contribute something to our campaign? (MAKE) →Would you like to make a contribution to our campaign? 109. Products which seem to lack credibility are not popular. (CALL) →There is no call for products which seem to lack credibility. 110. Technical skills are needed to operate this new machinery. (DEMANDS) →Operating/ the operation of this new machinery demands technical skills. 111. We have run out of small sizes. (STOCK) →We have no small sizes in stock. 112. In all probability we will finish the project on Thursday. (CHANCES) →The chances are that the project will be finished on Thursday. 7