Si estás preparando el B2 First (FCE), una de las partes más técnicas del examen es el Use of English Part 4: Key Word Transformation. MADRE MIA! :( 

En este ejercicio debes transformar una frase usando una keyword obligatoria, manteniendo exactamente el mismo significado.

Para hacerlo bien necesitas dominar muchas áreas de gramática, por ejemplo:

• Phrasal verbs
• Gerunds and infinitives
• Modal verbs
• Comparatives
• Conditionals
• Passive voice
• Dependent prepositions
• Contrast clauses
• Present perfect tenses

En Queens English Academy entrenamos esta parte con muchos ejercicios variados, porque el examen no repite siempre la misma estructura.

A continuación encontrarás 30 preguntas de práctica, con una gran variedad de estructuras típicas del nivel B2.

⚠️ Importante:
Las soluciones están al final del artículo, así que intenta resolver las frases antes de mirar las respuestas :) You’re welcome!

Key Word Transformation: 30 preguntas

Completa la segunda frase usando entre 2 y 5 palabras, incluyendo la keyword. VAMOS!

1

I started learning English three years ago.

FOR

I _____________________________ three years.

2

It wasn’t necessary for us to buy tickets.

NEED

We _____________________________ tickets.

3

The weather was so bad that we cancelled the trip.

SUCH

It ________________________________ we cancelled the trip.

4

People believe that the painting is very valuable.

BELIEVED

The painting _______________________________________ very valuable.

5

I regret not accepting the job.

WISH

I _______________________________________ the job.

6

She prefers reading books to watching TV.

RATHER

She _______________________________________ watch TV.

7

He is too young to travel alone.

ENOUGH

He isn’t _______________________________________ travel alone.

8

Perhaps she forgot the meeting.

MAY

She _______________________________________ the meeting.

9

It took me two hours to finish the report.

SPENT

I _______________________________________ the report.

10

He loves her and she loves him passionately.

OTHER

They love  _______________________________________ a passion.

11

I last saw him in 2020.

SINCE

I _________________________________________________ 2020.

12

It’s possible that they are waiting outside.

MIGHT

They _______________________________________ outside.

13

This exercise is easier than the last one.

AS

The last exercise _______________________________________ this one.

14

They cancelled the match because of the rain.

DUE

The match was cancelled _______________________________________ was raining.

15

He started working here in January.

BEEN

He _______________________________________ here since January.

16

She said: “I will call him tomorrow.”

GIVE

She said she _______________________________________ the next day.

17

It’s impossible for him to finish today.

ABLE

He will  _________________________________________________ today.

18

The film was more interesting than the book.

AS

The book _______________________________________ the film.

19

I’m sure she didn’t understand the instructions.

HAVE

She _______________________________________ the instructions.

20

The shop closed two hours ago.

FOR

The shop _______________________________________ two hours.

21

She apologised for arriving late.

SORRY

She ___________________________________________ on time.

22

I didn’t expect the exam to be so difficult.

TURNED

The exam _______________________________________ more difficult than expected.

23

He doesn’t like getting up early.

KEEN

He _______________________________________ up early.

24

The teacher took the phone from the student.

BY

The student’s phone  ______________________________________ the teacher.

25

He finally managed to bake a delicious cake.

SUCCEEDED

He finally  _______________________________________ a delicious cake.

26

I haven’t eaten sushi before.

FIRST

This is _____________________________________________ eaten sushi.

27

The weather meant we could not play football.

PREVENTED

The weather _______________________________________ football.

28

She is the best student in the class.

OTHER

She is ___________________________________________________student in the class.

29

She lost the keys because it was dark outside.

NOT

She wouldn’t have lost the keys  _______________________________________ dark outside.

30

The boy continued to sing even though the microphone stopped working.

CARRIED

The boy _______________________________________ of the fact that the microphone stopped working.

⚠️ STOP — Don’t scroll yet! Are you crazy?!

Have you tried all 30 questions? No, DO IT!

Check:

• Did you use 2–5 words?
  
• Did you include the keyword exactly as given? No changes!
  
• Does the meaning stay the same? Check all the information!
  

If yes… now check the answers below :) 

✅ SOLUCIONES Y EXPLICACIONES

(OBTIENES DOS PUNTOS POR PREGUNTA, ¡COMPRUEBA SI RESPONDISTE CORRECTA AMBAS PARTES DE CADA FRASE O SOLO UNA PARTE!)

1

I started learning English three years ago.

FOR

I HAVE BEEN / LEARNING ENGLISH FOR three years.

(this is testing present perfect continuous tense, remember ‘for’ is for duration of time!)

2

It wasn’t necessary for us to buy tickets.

NEED

We DIDN’T NEED / TO BUY or NEEDN’T / HAVE BOUGHT tickets.

(past tense necessity, typically tested. Needn’t have + past participle is for when actions are completed unnecessarily! complicated!)

3

The weather was so bad that we cancelled the trip.

SUCH

It WAS SUCH / BAD WEATHER (THAT) we cancelled the trip.

(so + adjective only and such + noun expression (you can stick an adjective before the noun))

4

People believe that the painting is very valuable.

BELIEVED

The painting IS BELIEVED / TO BE very valuable.

(this is called a ‘distancing passive’, it’s when you say what people think in general. E.G. she is thought to be happy with her marks.)

5

I regret not accepting the job.

WISH

I WISH I HAD / ACCEPTED the job.

(the use of ‘wish’ for past regrets uses the past perfect structure. I wish + subject + had/n’t + past participle verb)

6

She prefers reading books to watching TV.

RATHER

She WOULD RATHER READ / BOOKS THAN watch TV.

(for a preference clause we use subject + would + rather + infinitive verb + than…)

7

He is too young to travel alone.

ENOUGH

He isn’t OLD / ENOUGH TO travel alone.

(be careful! We put adjectives BEFORE enough… never after)

8

Perhaps she forgot the meeting.

MAY

She MAY HAVE / FORGOTTEN the meeting.

(this is how we form modal verbs for possibility in the past tense. Might + have + past participle)

9

It took me two hours to finish the report.

SPENT

I SPENT TWO HOURS / FINISHING the report.

(to spend time doING something, we use the ING form in this expression)

10

He loves her and she loves him passionately.

OTHER

They love EACH OTHER / WITH a passion.

(the expression each other means ‘uno al otro’, we can use one another to sound a bit more formal)

11

I last saw him in 2020.

SINCE

I HAVE NOT / SEEN HIM SINCE 2020.

(present perfect is often tested in this part, remember the structure!)

12

It’s possible that they are waiting outside.

MIGHT

They MIGHT BE / WAITING outside.

(a fairly easy modal verb structure in present continuous)

13

This exercise is easier than the last one.

AS

The last exercise WAS / NOT AS EASY AS this one.

(a comparative structure using (not) as + adjective + as: they love to test comparatives like this!)

14

They cancelled the match because of the rain.

DUE

The match was cancelled DUE TO THE FACT / IT was raining.

(a difficult one! Due to = because of. Then we can use ‘the fact + subject + verb’ if a noun does not follow)

15

He started working here in January.

BEEN

He HAS BEEN / WORKING here since January.

(another present perfect continuous structure! This is intentional! I want you to practice this a LOT!)

16

She said: “I will call him tomorrow.”

GIVE

She said she WOULD GIVE / HIM A CALL the next day.

(typical reported speech structure being tested, remember: ‘Will’ becomes ‘would’ in reported speech)

17

It’s impossible for him to finish today.

ABLE

He will  NOT / BE ABLE TO FINISH today.

(negative ability expression using an infinitive structure… sounds complicated right? Just remember: I am able to + infinitive )

18

The film was more interesting than the book.

AS

The book WAS NOT AS / INTERESTING AS the film.

(another negative comparative structure, often tested, did you get both comparative questions correct so far?)

19

I’m sure she didn’t understand the instructions.

HAVE

She CAN’T HAVE / UNDERSTOOD the instructions.

(can’t have + past participle= impossibility in the past! We can also say ‘couldn’t have understood’ but it’s not an impossibility because it shows a tiny bit of doubt…)

20

The shop closed two hours ago.

FOR

The shop HAS BEEN / CLOSED FOR two hours.

(present perfect in passive form: testing two things in one question!)

21

She apologised for arriving late.

SORRY

She SAID SORRY / FOR NOT ARRIVING on time.

(Be careful! Look how the end of the sentence CHANGED! the maximum is 5 words, so ‘said she was sorry for not arriving’ is not possible, too many words)

22

I didn’t expect the exam to be so difficult.

TURNED

The exam TURNED OUT / TO BE more difficult than expected.

(phrasal verb: turned out means the final result of something. If we describe it we say ‘to be + adjective: the cake turned out to be dry and disgusting!)

23

He doesn’t like getting up early.

KEEN

He IS NOT KEEN / ON GETTING up early.

(to be keen on doing something means that you like it a lot, in this case he is NOT keen on doing the activity!)

24

The teacher took the phone from the student.

BY

The student’s phone WAS / TAKEN BY the teacher.

(a simple passive structure, keep the tense the same as the first sentence. Verbs change when using passives! The verb to be signifies the tense and the main verb ALWAYS becomes a past participle)

25

He finally managed to bake a delicious cake.

SUCCEEDED

He finally SUCCEEDED IN / BAKING  a delicious cake.

(a gerund or infinitive example: we use gerund forms after prepositions in phrases like this)

26

I haven’t eaten sushi before.

FIRST

This is THE FIRST TIME / I HAVE eaten sushi.

(a rephrasing of a standard present perfect structure, an easy expression! 2 points?)

27

The weather meant we could not play football.

PREVENTED

The weather PREVENTED US / (FROM) PLAYING football.

(a dependent preposition phrase: to prevent someone (from) doing something. An impressive way of saying something or someone stopped you from doing something.)

28

She is the best student in the class.

OTHER

She is BETTER THAN / ANY OTHER student in the class.

29

She lost the keys because it was dark outside.

NOT

She wouldn’t have lost the keys  IF IT HAD / NOT BEEN dark outside.

(this is the hardest conditional structure you will have! A THIRD CONDITIONAL. Study zero, first, second, third before your B2 exam)

30

The boy continued to sing even though the microphone stopped working.

CARRIED

The boy CARRIED ON SINGING / IN SPITE of the fact that the microphone stopped working.

(super hard! You need to know the phrasal verb for continue ‘carry on’ and ING form. Then remember it’s in spite of (not despite of!))

IN CONCLUSION :) 

El Use of English Part 4 no es un ejercicio de vocabulario difícil, sino de reconocer patrones gramaticales. Cuanto más practiques estructuras como comparativos, modales, pasivas y condicionales, más fácil te resultará esta parte.

En Queens Academy, entrenamos esta sección con simulacros reales y análisis detallado para que los estudiantes lleguen al examen con confianza. JOIN ONE OF OUR COURSES AND UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL!

Link to our courses here: https://queensacademy.es/cursos-de-ingles-en-enero/

EXTRA STUDY

Here is a wonderful video testing more Use of English Part 4 sentences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmWsbrQEoTA

✨ Si tu objetivo es aprobar el B2 First, dominar el Key Word Transformation marcará una gran diferencia. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! :)