Tag: first certificate exam

Vocabulary

Useful Prepositional Phrases with AT

Suzanne

Common English phrases with the preposition AT

at a rate/speed
at all costs
at any rate
at fault
at first glance
at hand
at once
at random
at short notice
at the expense of
at this rate

EXAMPLES

Cyber crimes are rising at an alarming rate.

The lorry was going at a dangerous speed along the motorway.

Avoid taking the motorway at all costs – it’s jam-packed this morning.

I wasn’t able to go to the meeting but I hear I didn’t miss much at any rate (= anyway).

The minivan driver was clearly at fault. He was driving at a speed of 60mph while on his phone.

At first glance the exam seemed pretty easy.

“Do you have last month’s figures at hand?” (= near you) – “No, but I can go and get them.”

Why are you still watching TV? Get ready for bed at once! (= immediately)

Hang on, I can’t do two things at once! // I wish you would all stop talking at once! (= at the same time)

The magician told me to select a card at random from the deck.

I doubt the doctor will be able to see me at such short notice.

She became very successful but at the expense of many friendships.

At this rate I am never going to speak Italian. I need to study and practise a lot more.


LEARNING TIP! Try and make your own examples, especially when the phrase is new to you, and ask your English teacher or a proficient English speaker to check them for you.

AND if you can make the examples meaningful and relevant to your life it will help you even more.

vocabulary exercises

Phrasal Verbs with ‘GO’

Suzanne

Level: B1 / B2

Add a suitable phrasal verb in the correct form.

go ahead, go away, go by, go down with, go off, go out, go through, go under

1. Julie and Nick have been ____________ for eight years and plan to get married in the autumn.

2. Running a restaurant is a very tough business and sadly many restaurants _______ in the first year.

3. The man at the bar was annoying me so I told him to _______.

4. The university canteen was closed temporarily when twelve students _______ food poisoning.

5. The wedding is _______ despite the fact that the bridegroom’s mother is ill in hospital.

6. Vicky was late for work this morning because her alarm didn’t _______.

7. The security guards _______ our bags before we went into the football stadium.

8. Our holiday has _______ so fast. I can’t believe we have to fly back home tomorrow.

Scroll down for the answers 😎

More phrasal verb exercises

Exercise 1: Mixed Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 2: Mixed Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 3: Mixed Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 4: Mixed Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 5: Phrasal verbs with β€˜COME’

Exercise 6: Nouns from Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 7: Phrasal Verbs with β€˜OUT’

Exercise 8: Phrasal verbs with β€˜UP’

Exercise 9: Phrasal Verbs with β€˜GET’


Answers

1. going out
2. go under
3. go away
4. went down with
5. going ahead
6. go off
7. went through
8. gone by

Grammar Exercises

NEW! Spot the Grammar Mistakes! (49)

Suzanne

Which of these sentences are grammatically incorrect? Correct the mistakes. There may be more than one mistake in a sentence. Scroll down for the answers.

1. I have a seventy-page report to read this weekend.

2. Someone told you, didn’t he?

3. Naomi isn’t Canadian and either am I.

4. It didn’t take me long to get used to wear contact lenses.

5. Can you tell me what is the problem?

6. “Were there any emails for me?” – “No, any at all.”

7. It was the best film I’d never seen.

8. We ought to have told her the truth.


Remember, dear English learner – it is okay to make mistakes. Your English doesn’t have to be faultless.

Mistakes are an essential part of the language-learning process – we make progress by learning from them.

However, to communicate effectively (and to pass official exams!), you do need a certain level of accuracy. I hope these short exercises, which focus on the most common errors, will help you in this regard.


More Spot the Grammar Mistakes exercises


Answers

1. βœ”οΈ

2. Someone told you, didn’t they?

3. Naomi isn’t Canadian and neither am I.

4. It didn’t take me long to get used to wearing contact lenses.

5. Can you tell me what the problem is?

6. “Were there any emails for me?” – “No, none at all.”

7. It was the best film I’d ever seen.

8. βœ”οΈ


MY BEST GRAMMAR TIP!

When looking up grammar explanations I REALLY recommend doing it in your own language rather than in English. It will save you a lot of time and energy – it is a lot less effort for your brain if you read explanations that are written in your native language.

I know that traditionally English grammar is explained in English but there is no rule that you have to do it that way.

Try it and let me know. I bet you will find the process a lot smoother and quicker in the long run, especially when it comes to more complicated grammatical areas.

Here are just some of the free Grammar Exercises you will find here on Recipes for English.

Present simple or present continuous? Exercise 1

Present perfect continuous Exercise 1

Present perfect simple vs present perfect continuous Exercise 1

Question Tags, Basic  Exercise 1

Question Tags, Advanced  Exercise 1 Exercise 2

Reflexive pronouns – On my/your own vs. by myself / yourself, etc  Exercise 1

Reflexive vs Reciprocal pronouns  (myself, yourself, etc / each other) Exercise 1


Practice makes progress! πŸ’ͺ

𝑭𝑢𝑳𝑳𝑢𝑾 π’Žπ’† 𝒐𝒏 πŸ“Œ 𝑷𝑰𝑡𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑻!