B2 Key Word Transformations Practice (Free)

Model completion: since I last visited / since I visited

It has been three years since I last visited that museum. Insert SINCE I LAST VISITED (4 words); SINCE I VISITED (3) also works. The original identifies the most recent visit and the time that has passed. It has been + period + since + past simple expresses that same interval. For would introduce a duration directly, but the words after this gap form a clause, and SINCE must remain unchanged. Do not use the present perfect after since here: the visit is a finished past event.

Model completion: could not afford to buy / couldn't afford to buy / could not afford / couldn't afford / was unable to afford

I could not afford to buy the jacket. COULD NOT AFFORD TO BUY contains 5 words. COULD NOT AFFORD (3) and WAS UNABLE TO AFFORD (4) also preserve the meaning: afford can take the object the jacket directly. Couldn’t counts as could not, so its contracted versions have the same word counts. Too expensive for me to buy means the price was beyond what I could pay. If you include the action buy, use afford + to-infinitive. Cannot changes the past situation into the present, and could afford reverses its meaning. Keep the negative past meaning and AFFORD unchanged.

Model completion: has been learning German for

Marta has been learning German for five years. HAS BEEN LEARNING GERMAN FOR contains 5 words. The present perfect continuous links the past starting point to an activity that continues now: has + been + -ing. For introduces the duration five years; since would need a starting point, such as 2021. Had been would move the continuing activity into a past-time frame, whereas is still learning tells us it continues in the present. BEEN is kept unchanged.

Model completion: not warm enough to / not sufficiently warm to / insufficiently warm to

The water was not warm enough to swim in. NOT WARM ENOUGH TO contains 4 words. Too cold means colder than the temperature swimming requires. Express the same limit with the opposite adjective WARM, a negative, and enough after the adjective. Not warm by itself says only that the water was not warm; enough is needed to connect its temperature to the purpose. Too warm would mean the opposite problem. Keep the final in because we swim in water. NOT SUFFICIENTLY WARM TO (4 words) and INSUFFICIENTLY WARM TO (3) express the same lack of sufficient warmth and are also accepted.

Model completion: advised me to book / advised that I should book / advised that I book

Liam advised me to book my ticket that day. ADVISED ME TO BOOK contains 4 words. You should expresses advice; the usual reporting pattern is advise + person + to-infinitive. Me identifies the person receiving the advice, while my ticket and that day preserve the original person and timing. ADVISED THAT I SHOULD BOOK (5 words) and ADVISED THAT I BOOK (4) are also accepted: advise can introduce a that-clause, with should or the base verb expressing the recommended action. Told me I must would strengthen the message and omit ADVISED. The sentence reports advice; it does not claim that I actually booked.

Model completion: has been cancelled / has been canceled / has been called off

Tomorrow’s meeting has been cancelled. HAS BEEN CANCELLED contains 3 words. The meeting receives the action, so change the active present perfect has cancelled into the passive has been cancelled. The unspecified someone can be omitted because the agent is not important. Was cancelled changes the tense; has been cancelling would suggest the meeting performed an ongoing action. Keep has + BEEN + past participle to preserve the original completed action and present relevance. HAS BEEN CANCELED (3 words) is the accepted American spelling. HAS BEEN CALLED OFF (4 words) is also valid: call off a meeting means cancel it.