C2 Key Word Transformation questions
The main purpose of this post is to share two sets of C2 Key Word Transformation exercises. I recommend you to read my post on how to ace the C2 Use of English section of the exam as I offer advice about how to tackle key word transformation questions there.
All about the C2 Proficiency Key Word Transformation Task
Part 4 of the C2 Proficiency Reading and Use of English paper is a Key Word Transformation task.
You will be required to complete six key word transformations. Each question contains three parts: a lead-in sentence, a key word and a second response sentence containing only the beginning and end. Therefore, you have to fill the gap in the second sentence so that the sentence means broadly the same as the lead-in sentence. It is vital that you use the key word in bold in your answer. The key word must remain in its original form.
For this task, answers which are partly correct gain 1 mark while answers which are completely correct receive 2 marks.
Sample C2 Key Word Transformation Questions
I would now like to share twenty C2 key word transformation questions which I have broken down into two sets of ten transformations.
In order to make this post as informative as possible, I also offer an analysis of each transformation along with the answers under each set.
It’s worth mentioning that most of the questions below revolve around fixed expressions that often come up at this level.
Instructions:
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given. Here is an example:
Nobody really expected David to do so well in his maths exam.
taken
Everyone _______ did so well in his maths exam.
Answer: was taken aback that David OR was taken by surprise when David
Set 1 - Questions
1. Many employees are finding it hard to accept losing their jobs due to the recession.
REDUNDANT
Many employees are struggling to come …………………………………………… due to the recession.
2. David was very pleased to be selected for the team.
DELIGHT
Much ………………………………………………………….…………… for the team.
3. It may seem strange, but the composer has no formal training in music.
LACKS
Strange ……………………………………………………………………. kind of formal training in music.
4. I just saw Emma for a moment as she walked past the pub.
CAUGHT
I just ……………………………………………………………….. as she walked past the pub.
5. This plant often gets attacked by insects.
PRONE
This plant ………………………………………………………….. by insects.
6. In Rebecca’s opinion, she hasn’t done anything she should apologise for.
CONCERNED
As ……………………………………………………….., she hasn’t done anything she should apologise for.
7. Dr Smith was offended by some of the remarks that were made about her work.
EXCEPTION
Dr Smith ……………………………………………………….. some of the remarks that were made about her work.
8. If only I hadn’t believed his lies!
TAKEN
I wish ………………………………………………………………. by his lies!
9. More and more tourists are visiting this mountain range.
GROWTH
There ………………………………………………………………. tourists visiting this mountain range.
10. If I had known the flight was going to be late leaving, I wouldn’t have bothered rushing to the airport.
DELAY
Had I ……………………………………………………………. to my flight, I wouldn’t have bothered rushing to the airport.
Set 1 - Answers and analysis
1. Many employees are struggling to come TO TERMS WITH (1) // BEING MADE REDUNDANT (1) due to the recession
Comments:
If you ‘come to terms with something’, it means that you gradually accept a difficult or sad situation. Given that with is a preposition we need the -ing form of the verb which follows (being).
To be ‘made redundant’ has a different meaning to ‘be fired’. If you are ‘made redundant’ you lose your job due to company restructuring, financial issues or automation, and not due to poor performance or something of your own making.
2. Much TO DAVID’S DELIGHT / TO THE DELIGHT OF DAVID (1) // HE WAS SELECTED for the team.
Comments:
Idiomatic sentence openers such as ‘much to’ are worth memorising before your C2 exam. We use Much to . . . . to say that someone is very surprised, happy, unhappy, etc. about something.
The Saxon Genitive, with apostrophe ‘s (David’s), is far more common in spoken English. However, ‘to the delight of David’ is not wrong, and therefore Cambridge English would still allow candidates to write it.
‘He was selected for the team’ is very much a passive construction as the process of being selected takes precedence over the subject (David) himself).
3. Strange AS/THOUGH IT SEEMS/APPEARS // THE COMPOSER LACKS ANY kind of formal training in music.
Comments:
Cambridge English likes to test candidates on inverted structures. Adjective + as though refers to a specific grammatical structure when an adjective comes before though (or “as though/if”) in order to form an inverted, contrasting clause, meaning “although it was [adjective]”. This inverted structure emphasises the contrast and often uses as or though as a conjunction, which functions like although, but in a more emphatic or literary manner. The adjective moves to the front of the clause for emphasis.
4. I just CAUGHT A GLIMPSE / CAUGHT SIGHT // OF EMMA as she walked past the pub.
Comments:
“Catch a glimpse of” or “catch a sight of” mean to see something for a short time.
This question proves how vital it is to develop your knowledge of prepositions as you would gain one of the two marks for simply knowing “of Emma”.
5. This plant IS PRONE TO // ATTACK / GETTING ATTACKED / BEING ATTACKED by insects
Comments:
“Be prone to something” means “likely to show a particular characteristic, usually a negative one, or to be affected by something bad, such as damage or an illness.”
Perhaps the most important thing to remember with the question is the fact that ‘to’ is a preposition. Therefore, the -ing form of the verb (getting/being) should follow 'to'.
6. As FAR AS REBECCA // ‘S/ IS CONCERNED, she hasn’t done anything she should apologise for.
Comments:
"As far as I'm concerned" has the same meaning as “in my opinion”. It typically introduces a personal viewpoint that may differ from others, often dismissing other people’s thoughts and feelings or focusing only on the speaker's role or feelings. It's used to state a personal stance, decision, or feeling, essentially saying "this is how I see it" or "this is my rule".
7. Dr Smith TOOK // EXCEPTION TO some of the remarks that were made about her work.
Comments:
To "take exception to" something means to be offended or made angry by someone or something.
This question is clearly a test of a candidate’s knowledge of idiomatic fixed phrases rather than grammatical structures.
8. I wish I HADN’T BEEN // TAKEN IN by his lies!
Comments:
To "be taken in by" someone or something means to be cheated, tricked, or fooled into believing something false, often by a charming or convincing person or a clever scam.
Pay heed to the way in which it’s possible to express regrets for past actions using wish + past perfect, and indeed if only + past perfect in the original sentence.
9. There HAS BEEN GROWTH // IN THE NUMBER/NUMBERS OF tourists visiting this mountain range.
Comments:
The phrase “More and more …” suggests that the growth in the number of tourists visiting the mountain range has become more noticeable in recent times, or recent months and years. This may suggest the transformation should contain the present perfect simple tense as the trend/growth may continue into the future as well.
Therefore:
There + present perfect (has been) + noun (growth)
10. Had I KNOWN // THERE WAS GOING TO / WOULD BE A DELAY / ABOUT THE DELAY to my flight, I wouldn’t have bothered rushing to the airport.
Comments:
“Had I” is functionally identical in meaning to “If I had”. Used for hypothetical, past, or contrary-to-face situations, the difference between the two structures is purely stylistic. While “if I had” is more common in spoken English, “Had I” is a formal, inverted structure often used in formal writing, literature, or for emphasis.
“Had I” removes the need for the word “if” by inverting the subject and verb.
Set 2 - Questions
1. If you need to contact me urgently, then ring this number
NECESSARY
Should ………………………………………………………………., ring this number.
2. I’m sure that the motel will be good, as it was recommended by Paula.
BOUND
The ………………………………………………………………. recommended it to me.
3. We still had a slim chance of reaching the summit before midday, but then Jackie hurt her knee.
PAID
Jean’s injured knee ………………………………………………………………. remaining hope we had of reaching the summit
4. It never occurred to me that there’d be a cashpoint machine in the supermarket
CROSSED
It never …………………………………………………….. have a cashpoint.
5. James realised that he could never be an architect.
CUT
James realised …………………………………………………….. an architect.
6. I don’t know how I can make it up to you for spoiling the plans.
AMENDS
I don’t know …………………………………………………….. your plans.
7. When I shouted at the boys to stop throwing stones they completely ignored me.
TOOK
The boys …………………………………………………….. when I shouted at them to stop throwing stones.
8. I had to visit an expert and ask her to advise me.
SEEK
I was forced …………………………………………………….. expert.
9. Donald is far superior to me in terms of technical knowledge.
MATCH
When it comes …………………………………………………….. for Donald.
10. Kate wasn’t at all discouraged by this terrible experience.
PUT
This terrible experience …………………………………………………….. least.
Set 2 - Answers and analysis
1. Should YOU FIND IT NECESSARY / IT BE NECESSARY | TO CONTACT ME URGENTLY, ring this number.
Comments:
In first conditional sentences, it’s possible to replace ‘if’ with ‘should’ in order to increase the formality of a sentence and make the condition feel more polite. Therefore, ‘should’ inversion is more common in business or legal contexts.
Crucial aspects of “Should” inversion:
- Structure: Should + Subject + Bare infinitive (Should + you + find)
- Usage: Used for polite offers, formal requests, or to denote a low-probability condition
- Replacement: “Should” inversion functions as a replacement for “if” in first conditional sentences (e.g. If it snows ⇢ Should it snow)
- Negatives: In negative inversions, do not use contractions (e.g. Should you not …, NOT Shouldn’t you …)
2. The MOTEL IS BOUND TO BE GOOD | / AS / BECAUSE / SINCE PAULA recommended it to me.
Comments:
“be bound to” expresses high probability, inevitability or certainty about a future event or situation based on current evidence available. “Bound” is an adjective.
Form: subject + be + bound + to + infinitive
3. Jean’s injured knee PUT PAID TO | ANY remaining hope we had of reaching the summit.
Comments:
The idiom “put paid to” means to spoil and end your hopes or plans completely. It is important that the object of the sentence which follows 'paid to' is a noun, e.g. idea(s), hope(s) and plan(s).
4. It never CROSSED MY MIND | (THAT) THE SUPERMARKET WOULD have a cashpoint.
Comments:
If an idea crosses your mind, you think about it for a short time.
5. James realised THAT HE WASN’T | CUT OUT TO BE an architect.
Comments:
The phrasal verb “cut out”, usually followed by ‘for’ or ‘to be’ means to have the qualities that you need for a particular job or activity. One typically uses the phrase in negative sentences when it dawns on them that they aren’t born to do a particular profession, as with:
In the end, I decided I wasn’t cut out for the army
6. I don’t know HOW / TO / I CAN | MAKE AMENDS for spoiling the plans.
Comments:
The phrases “make it up to someone” and “make amends for” mean to do something to show you are sorry for hurting or upsetting someone.
Remember that we need to use the -ing form of a verb after the preposition ‘for’.
7. The boys TOOK (ABSOLUTELY) NO | NOTICE (OF ME) when I shouted at them to stop throwing stones.
Comments:
It is true that ‘to take no notice of someone’ has the same meaning as ‘to ignore someone’.
This question proves the importance of paraphrasing everything in the original sentence. For instance, ‘completely’ must be transformed into ‘no’ and not, for example, ‘little’.
8. I was forced TO SEEK ADVICE | FROM AN expert.
Comments:
We usually associate ‘being forced to do something’ with pressure from an external source to do something. More context is required but this example could also be about prevailing circumstances and the necessity to do something as a result of one’s own personal conviction.
The structure seek + uncountable noun means ‘try to get something’ or ‘ask for something’. The verb advise has to be transformed to the noun advice.
9. When it comes TO TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE | I’M/I AM NO MATCH for Donald.
Comments:
The phrase when it comes to something/doing something means ‘when the situation relates to’.
If someone/something is no match for someone/something, they are very inferior to the other person/thing.
10. This terrible experience DIDN’T PUT KATE OFF | IN THE least.
Comments:
If something puts someone off (something/doing something), it makes them not want to do or experience something or it discourages them in some way.
The adverbial phrase not + verb/adjective + in the least means ‘not + verb/adjective + at all’.
