Have a look at this example sentence transformation, which I have written for a CAE (C1) exam:
Sam said that she would no longer tolerate her colleagues being late.
PUT
Sam said that she would no longer .................................................... .
In the exam you must use the word given (put) and three to six words. (TIP: Always count the words in your answers!) The meaning in your answer needs to be similar to the first sentence.
Sentence transformations are worth two points, so there are two things you have to do. In the question above you have to:
1. Transform the verb (tolerate) into a phrasal verb (using 'put').
2. Transform the adjective (late) into the noun. (What's the suffix?)
Can you work out the answer? (I've put it at the end of this article.)
It is a common misbelief that students cannot prepare for these sentence transformation questions. However, this question tests your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. At advanced level questions will test grammatical knowledge of, for example. conditionals, passive voice and structures using inversion. They also test your knowledge of word formation and vocabulary such as phrasal verbs and expressions.
There is limited practice for this type of exercise online, so it is advisable to purchase an exam practice book. The more sentence transformations you do, the more you will get used to the type of questions. Furthermore, as you practise them, you are also practising the skill of paraphrasing, or saying something in a different way, so your English language will improve and become more flexible.
Can you work out which two things you must do in this sentence transformation?
I have never seen such an impressive museum.
SO
Never .............................................................................. by a museum.
You have to:
1. Use the key word (so) with a different adjective (no noun). What's the adjective?
2. Use inversion. (When a sentence starts with a negative adverb such as 'never', the subject and auxiliary verb must be inverted. This means they swap positions.)
(The answer is at the end of the article.)
So, as I said before, practice makes perfect. Your private teacher can also help with this exercise as they will be able to explain the grammar and vocabulary as you go, as I've done in this article.
A good tip is to make notes on what you learn as you do exercises like this. For example, you may wish to note down the phrasal verb with the meaning of 'tolerate' or perhaps make a note that you need to revise 'inversion' with your teacher.
Every question will be different, but you'll find that the same grammatical knowledge and vocabulary will keep popping up.
Answers
PUT UP WITH HER COLLEAGUES' LATENESS
HAVE I BEEN SO IMPRESSED
