Formal Vocabulary
Choose the most appropriate formal word to complete the sentence.
The committee decided to __________ the proposal after several concerns were raised.
A. chuck out
B. reject
C. get rid of
D. bin
B. reject
Choose the best subordinating conjunction.
The pupils continued editing their work ______ the classroom became noisy.
A. because
B. although
C. before
D. unless
B. although
That pencil belongs to Emma. It is ______.
A. her
B. hers
C. she’s
D. their
B. hers
Choose the best synonym for significant.
A. tiny
B. ordinary
C. important
D. confusing
C. important
Which sentence is written in the present tense?
A. The pupils are writing their answers.
B. The pupils wrote their answers.
C. The pupils write their answers carefully.
D. The pupils were writing their answers.
C. The pupils write their answers carefully.
The pupils were asked to ______ their work before handing it in.
A. check
B. look at
C. inspect
D. peek at
C. inspect
Choose the sentence where the subordinate clause is punctuated correctly.
A. Although the evidence was unclear the detective made a decision.
B. The detective made a decision, although, the evidence was unclear.
C. The detective, made a decision although the evidence was unclear.
D. Although the evidence was unclear, the detective made a decision.
D. Although the evidence was unclear, the detective made a decision.
Choose the sentence that uses a possessive pronoun correctly.
A. That coat is my.
B. That coat is me.
C. That coat is I.
D. That coat is mine.
D. That coat is mine.
What does ambiguous mean in this sentence?
The instructions were ambiguous, so several pupils completed the task in different ways.
A. very clear
B. confusing or unclear
C. extremely short
D. easy to remember
B. confusing or unclear
Choose the correct verb form.
While the rain ______, we waited inside the classroom.
A. falls
B. fell
C. is falling
D. was falling
D. was falling
The school will ______ parents about the changes to the timetable.
A. tell
B. inform
C. chat to
D. mention
B. Inform
The experiment will fail ______ the equipment is set up correctly.
A. while
B. although
C. unless
D. since
C. unless
The red books are ours, but the blue books are ______.
A. their
B. they’re
C. theirs
D. there
C. theirs
Choose the best synonym for deteriorate.
If the old bridge is not repaired soon, its condition may deteriorate.
A. improve
B. collapse
C. worsen
D. disappear
C. worsen
Which sentence is written in the past progressive tense?
A. The children play football.
B. The children played football.
C. The children are playing football.
D. The children were playing football.
D. The children were playing football.
The witness was asked to ______ exactly what happened.
A. say
B. go over
C. talk about
D. describe
D. describe
Which sentence contains a subordinating conjunction?
A. The rain stopped, and the match continued.
B. The rain stopped; the match continued.
C. The match continued after the rain stopped.
D. The rain stopped, but the match continued.
C. The match continued after the rain stopped.
Which sentence uses its correctly?
A. The school changed it’s timetable.
B. The school changed its timetable.
C. The school changed its’ timetable.
D. The school changed it timetable.
B. The school changed its timetable.
Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
The scientist’s explanation was so ______ that everyone understood the difficult idea.
A. obscure
B. reckless
C. frantic
D. precise
D. precise
Choose the correct verb form.
While the teacher ______ the instructions, several pupils were checking their equipment.
A. explained
B. explains
C. was explaining
D. is explaining
C. was explaining
The council decided to ______ the old building because it was unsafe.
A. demolish
B. knock down
C. smash up
D. get rid of
A. demolish
Choose the sentence that uses a subordinating conjunction to create the clearest meaning.
A. Since the instructions were confusing, several pupils asked for help.
B. The instructions were confusing, several pupils asked for help.
C. Several pupils asked for help and the instructions were confusing.
D. The instructions were confusing; several pupils asked for help, since.
A. Since the instructions were confusing, several pupils asked for help.
Choose the sentence that uses possessive pronouns correctly.
A. The responsibility was hers, not ours
B. The responsibility was her’s, not our’s
C. The responsibility was her, not our.
D. The responsibility was she’s, not ours.
A. The responsibility was hers, not ours
What does relentless mean in this sentence?
The explorers struggled through the relentless storm for hours.
A. never stopping
B. gentle and calm
C. easy to avoid
D. quickly forgotten
A. never stopping
Choose the sentence where the tense is used correctly.
A. Yesterday, the scientists are observing the results carefully.
B. At the moment, the scientists observed the results carefully.
C. Yesterday, the scientists were observing the results carefully.
D. At the moment, the scientists were observing the results carefully.
C. Yesterday, the scientists were observing the results carefully.