Reading & Use of English Part 4 — Key Word Transformation for the FCE Exam

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

• !Changing the meaning of the original sentence while using the key word correctly
• !Writing more than 5 words in the gap (the limit is 2–5 words)
• !Forgetting to include the key word unchanged in the gap

Study tips

• 1Study the 15 most common grammatical transformations in FCE Part 4: passive voice, reported speech, conditionals, comparatives, causative have/get, modals, so/such, too/enough.
• 2After writing your answer, verify: (1) same meaning? (2) key word used unchanged? (3) 2–5 words in gap?
• 3Practice with the FCE Use of English Part 4 transformer exercise books — the patterns repeat.

Sample FCE Reading & Use of English Part 4 — Key Word Transformation questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real FCE questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1. 1

   ORIGINAL: "It was so cold that we couldn't stay outside." KEY WORD: TOO. REWRITE: "It was _____ outside."

   • Atoo cold to stayCorrect
   • Bso cold staying
   • Cvery cold for staying
   • Dcold enough to stay
   Why this answer?

   "Too + adjective + to + infinitive" expresses the same meaning as "so + adjective + that + clause." "Too cold to stay" correctly uses "too" as the key word and preserves the meaning of impossibility due to the cold.