CPE Use of English Grammar 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'conditional inversion' example in CPE-level English?
- If she comes, I will go.
- Had she known the truth, she would have acted differently. (Correct answer)
- She knows the truth already.
- She did not know the truth then.
Correct answer: Had she known the truth, she would have acted differently.
Conditional inversion omits 'if' and inverts the subject and auxiliary, as in 'Had she known…' instead of 'If she had known…'
Question 2: What does 'ellipsis' mean in English grammar at CPE level?
- Adding unnecessary words for emphasis
- Omitting words that are understood from context to avoid repetition (Correct answer)
- Using very long sentences
- Placing adverbs at the beginning of sentences
Correct answer: Omitting words that are understood from context to avoid repetition
Ellipsis involves leaving out words that can be inferred from context, making speech and writing more concise and natural.
Question 3: Which modal verb expresses a deduction about a past event in CPE grammar?
- She must be tired (present deduction)
- She must have been tired (past deduction) (Correct answer)
- She might be tired (present possibility)
- She could be tired (present possibility)
Correct answer: She must have been tired (past deduction)
Must have + past participle expresses a confident deduction about a past event based on available evidence.
Question 4: In CPE Use of English Part 3 (word formation), what transformation is typically required?
- Changing a word's meaning by using antonyms
- Forming a new word (e.g., noun to adjective) to fit the gap (Correct answer)
- Reordering words within a sentence
- Adding a prefix to create the opposite meaning only
Correct answer: Forming a new word (e.g., noun to adjective) to fit the gap
Part 3 requires candidates to change the word form given in capitals (e.g., noun to adjective, verb to noun) to correctly complete each sentence.
Question 5: What is a 'participle clause' used for in advanced English writing tested at CPE level?
- To list items in a series with commas
- To add information about an action concisely without using a full clause (Correct answer)
- To form yes/no questions
- To express future plans only
Correct answer: To add information about an action concisely without using a full clause
Participle clauses (e.g., 'Having finished the report, she left the office') provide additional information concisely, typically sharing the same subject as the main clause.
Question 6: What is the function of 'so…that' and 'such…that' structures in CPE grammar?
- To ask for clarification
- To express result or consequence of a degree or quality (Correct answer)
- To form relative clauses
- To report what someone said
Correct answer: To express result or consequence of a degree or quality
'So…that' and 'such…that' express that a quality or action reaches a degree sufficient to cause a particular result.
CPE Use of English Grammar 2
What is a 'conditional inversion' example in CPE-level English?