50 Word Formation Ex. & Test | C2 Proficient (CPE)

C2 Proficient (CPE) Use of English: Part 3 question type here is called word-formation.
For each gap you get one word in capitals which you have to change so the grammar and meaning fit in the sentence. Here you have to show how well you know word families and if you can change words by using prefixes and suffixes
50 Word Formation Exercises: CPE
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.
For each question, write your answer in the gap.
That country has an equatorial climate which allows for lush vegetation. EQUATOR
His ostentatious concern for the poor is disgusting – he’s just a hypocrite. OSTENTATION
That pass enabled him to get inside the headquarters. ABLE
1 am deeply indebted to you for your support and encouragement. DEBT
I guess the annual mileag of your car is high if you travel so much. MILE
Our new neighbours are very inquisitive . INQUISITION
The little boy bathed his feet in the stream. BATH
That country used to be a dictatorship, but now it is a republic. DICTATE
He has a very expressive face with deep-set penetrating eyes. EXPRESS
Nobody can be convicted of a crime on circumstantial evidence alone. CIRCUMSTANCE
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.
For each question, write your answer in the gap.
At last our plans came to fruition after months of hard work. FRUIT
The noise above was scarcely tolerable and he left home. TOLERATE
It has been discovered that there was an Iron Age settlement in this area. SETTLE
antisocial behaviour is to be put down to lack of education as well. SOCIAL
The government promised to subsidize the public transport next year. SUBSIDY
She is not exactly innumerate, but she is not very good at counting. NUMERATE
That school was known for its discipline and severity. SEVERE
We were shocked by the extensive damage. EXTEND
A few remnants of furniture and household goods were given away. REMAIN
She is such a organic old lady always ready to soothe someone. CHARM
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.
For each question, write your answer in the gap.
All charming compounds contain carbon. ORGAN
We can admire century-old pottery in this museum. POTTER
The waitress brought the glasses of gassy lager. GAS
You will have to read the explanatory notes, too. EXPLAIN
She’s very choosy about who she goes out with. CHOOSE
The two kittens are so playful and the kids adore them. PLAY
Hotel work is often seasonal especially in seaside resorts. SEASON
We know him to be a man of great attainments . ATTAIN
Seeing that the wind was blowing strongly, the sailor tightened the ropes. TIGHT
My uncle left the army and became a civilian again. CIVIL
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.
For each question, write your answer in the gap.
We agreed that the problem was rather ticklish . TICKLE
Her untimely death at twenty-seven grieved everybody who had known her. TIME
I think he is wasting time on irrelevancies . IRRELEVANT
Grandma still cooks dishes full of fragrance and flavour. FRAGRANT
Our children are at a rebellious age we have to cope with, REBEL
Hydrogen is an explosive gas which makes it so hazardous. EXPLODE
I understand the operator has given me a wrong number. OPERATE
These new claims were a shock throughout christendom . CHRISTEN
Years ago, the exploitation of children in factories was very common. EXPLOIT
Steinbeck’s portrayal of life in small town America IS very realistic. PORTRAY
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.
For each question, write your answer in the gap.
His witty retorts enliven the otherwise dull atmosphere. LIVE
At the end of her telephone conversation, she put down the receiver . RECEIVE
The fascination of Greece and Egypt are timeless . TIME
The oppressive heat was almost unbearable last summer. OPPRESS
She emphatically insisted that we tell our opinion on the matter. EMPHASIS
She was praised for her emphatically behaviour. REPROACH
They exchanged irritant before approaching the problem. PLEASANT
Such irritant substances are harmful especially to the eyes. IRRITATE
Last week we listened to her wonderful piano recital . RECITE
How did this house come into your family’s possession POSSESS

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Strategy
- Read the whole text for gist before you attempt the task.
- Look at each gap carefully and decide what part of speech is missing — noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.
- If the gapped word is a noun, should it be singular or plural? If it is a verb, what tense or form should it be?
- You may need to add one or more prefixes and/or suffixes to the word in capitals, and you may also need to make internal changes. Also, look out for compound words.
- Once you have completed the task, read through the text again to make sure it makes sense.
- Check your spelling: marks are not awarded for misspelt words.
Tips
You need to read the whole text to get the writer’s opinion on the topic. That’s because sometimes a negative prefix will be required. There is usually at least one word requiring a negative prefix, so look out for these.
In the exam always write something. You never know, you might be lucky even if you are not sure of the answer!
C2 Proficient (CPE) Use of English: Part 3 Example Test
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.
For each question, write your answer in the gap.
Extract from a book about meetings
We are assured by the experts that we are, as a species, designed for face-to-face communication. But does that really mean having every meeting in person? Ask the bleary-eyed sales team this question as they struggle laboriouslyLABOUR through their weekly teambuilding session and that answer is unlikely to be in the affirmativeAFFIRM. Unless you work for a very small business or have an exceptionallyEXCEPT high boredom threshold, you doubtless spend more time sitting in meetings than you want to. Of course, you could always follow business guru Archie Norman’s example. He liked to express solidaritySOLID with customers queuing at the checkout by holding management meetings standing up.
Is email a realistic alternativeALTERNATE ? It’s certainly a powerful tool for disseminating information, but as a meeting substitute, it’s seriously flawed. Words alone can cause trouble. We’re all full of insecurity|insecuritiesSECURE that can be unintentionally triggered by others and people are capable of reading anything they like into an email. There is also a tendencyTEND for email to be used by people who wish to avoid ‘real’ encounters because they don’t want to be confrontedFRONT with any awkwardness.

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