SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (1)

1. The fox was unsuccessful in reaching the grapes. (VAIN)

→ The fox tried in vain to reach the grapes.
2. The crops were badly affected by the storm. (EFFECT)
→ The storm had a badly effect on the crops.
3. The project received unanimous approval of the committee. (FAVOUR)
→ The whole committee was/were in favour of the project.
4. The personnel officer promised him that she wouldn’t tell any one that he had been in the prison.
(WORD)
→ The personnel officer gave him her word that she wouldn’t tell any one that …
5. Nobody could possibly believe the story he told us. (BEYOND)
→ The story he told us was beyond belief.
6. I had lost his phone number, so I could not contact him before. (TOUCH)
→ I could not keep/get in touch with him because I had lost his phone number.
7. I enjoy being the boss of a small company. (FISH)
→ I enjoy being a big fish in a small pond.
8. The success of our local theater has made our city famous. (MAP)
→ The success of our local theater has put our city on the map.
9. She is not upset; she is only pretending. (ACT)
→ She is not upset; she is only putting on an act.
10. The bank robbers escaped in a stolen car. (GETAWAY)
→ The bank robbers made a getaway in a stolen car.
11. As people use a lot of wood-pulp, many trees are cut down.
→ The more wood-pulp is used, the more trees are cut down
12. Because of the absence of the atmosphere on the moon, the sky there is black, just as in space.
→ Because there is no atmosphere on the moon, the sky there is black, just as in space.
13. These young men became doctors after six years training.
→ After these young men had been trained for six years, the became doctors
14. People believe that the Chinese invented paper in 105 A.D.
→ Paper is believed to have been invented by the Chinese in 105 A.D.
15. A man I don’t know told me about that.
→ I was told about that by a man I don’t know.
16. That was a silly thing to say!
→ What a silly thing to say!
17. We’ve run out of petrol.
→ There is no more petrol left.
18. It takes six hours to drive from here to London.
→ It is a six-hour drive from here to London.
19. He was sorry he hadn’t said goodbye to her at the airport.
→ He regretted not saying goodbye to her at the airport.
20. They failed to find out a solution to the problem.
→ They didn’t succeed in finding out a solution to the problem.
21. Most stores will accept a credit card instead of cash. (ALTERNATIVE)
→ Most stores will accept a credit card as an alternative to cash.
22. You can avoid tooth decay by brushing your teeth regularly. (PREVENT)
→ Brushing your teeth regularly can prevent tooth decay.
23. Some of Peter’s expressions make me think of my brother. (REMIND)
→ Some of Peter’s expressions remind me of my brother.
24. When do you think this bridge was built? (OLD)
→ How old do you think this bridge is?
25. That old typewriter is not worth repairing. (POINTLESS)
→ Repairing that old typewriter is pointless.
26. They share a lot of hobbies and interests. (COMMON)
→ They have a lot of hobbies and interest in common.
27. This train should have left 30 minutes ago. (MEANT)
→ This train was meant to leave 30 minutes ago.
28. The president arranged for me to use his chauffeur-driven car whenever I liked. (DISPOSAL)
→ The president placed/put his chauffeur-driven car at my disposal.
29. The painting is worth $25,000. (VALUED)
→ The painting has been valued at $25,000.
30. This passport can be used in most countries. (VALID)
→ This passport can be valid for most countries.
31. My bank manager and I get on together very well. (TERMS)
→ I am on very good terms with my bank manager.
32. That hotel is a bit too expensive for us, I am afraid. (REACH)
→ That hotel is a bit beyond our reach, I am afraid.
33. Absolute secrecy was crucial to the success of the mission.
→ Without absolute secrecy, the mission wouldn’t have succeeded.
34. Immediately after his arrival home a water-heater exploded.
→ Hardly had he arrived home when a water-heater exploded.
35. Rita doesn’t realize how serious her husband’s operation is going to be.
→ Little does Rita realize how serious her husband’s operation is going to be.

Words/Phrases/Idioms Meaning
 SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (2)

36. A waiter spilled soup over Lydia’s new dress last night.
→ Lydia had some soup spilled over her new dress by a waiter last night.
37. It was the goalkeeper that saved the match for us.
→ Had it not been for the goalkeeper, we would have lost the match.
38. Tim insisted on being told the complete story.
→ Nothing but the complete story would satisfy Tim.
39. Jane’s husband will be returning from South America quite soon.
→ It won’t be long after Jane’s husband returns from S.A.
40. The permit expires at the end of this month.
→ The permit is not valid after the end of this month.
41. I don’t really like her, even though I admire her achievements.
→ Much as I admire her achievement, I don’t really like her.
42. Alice and Charles did not decide to move to a bigger house until after the birth of their second child.
→ Only when A. and C. had their second child did they decide to move to a bigger house.
43. Martin may not be very well but she still manages to enjoy life.
→ Martin’s poor health doesn’t prevent/stop him from enjoying life.
44. The Pacific Ocean is on average deeper than the Atlantic.
→ The average depth of the Pacific Ocean is greater than that of the Atlantic.
45. Under no circumstances should you phone the police.
→ The last thing you should do is to phone the police.
46. We couldn’t find George anywhere.
→ George was nowhere to be found.
47. Provided your handwriting is legible, the examiners will accept your paper.
→ So long as the examiners can read your handwriting, they will accept your paper.
48. We must do something about the problem even if it costs a lot.
→ Costly as/though it may be, we must do something about the problem.
49. Immediately after his arrival, things went wrong.
→ No sooner had he arrived than things went wrong.
50. The only reason the party was a success was that a famous film star attended.
→ Had it not been for the attendance of a famous film star, the party wouldn’t have been a success.
51. Galileo is considered to be the father of modern astronomy.
→ Galileo is regarded as the father of modern astronomy.
52. It was Walter Raleigh who introduced potatoes and tobaccos into England.
→ The English owe the introduction of potatoes and tobaccos to W. R.
53. That rumour about the politician and the construction contract is absolutely false.
→ There is absolutely no truth in that rumour about the politician and the construction contract.
54. He was sentenced to six months in prison for his part in the robbery.
→ He received a six-month sentence for his part in the robbery.
55. You can eat as much as you like for $5 at the new lunch-bar.
→ There is no limit/restriction on how much/what you eat for $5 at the new lunch-bar.
56. The Yeti has very rarely been seen at this altitude.
→ There have been very few sightings of the Yeti at this altitude.
57. You think that fat people are allays jolly, but you are wrong.
→ Contrary to what you think, fat people aren’t always jolly.
58. The council rarely allows appeals against its decisions.
→ Hardly does the council allow appeals against its decisions.
59. The teachers agreed to introduce the new methods. (AGREEMENT)
→ There was an agreement among the teachers to introduce the new methods.
60. If interest rates are cut, the economic situation may improve. (REDUCTION)
→ A reduction in/of interest rates may improve the economic situation.
61. I don’t personally care if they come or not. (MATTER)
→ It doesn’t matter to me whether they come or not.
62. Local residents said they were against the new traffic scheme. (DISAPPROVAL)
→ Local residents expressed their disapproval of the new traffic scheme.
63. He can hardly read at all (VIRTUALLY)
→ He is virtually unable to read.
64. He can speak French well enough to go to the conference. (FLUENT)
→ His French is fluent enough to go to the conference.
65. His arrival was completely unexpected. (TOOK)
→ His arrival took us completely by surprise.
66. The first sign of the disease is a feeling of faintness. (ONSET)
→ The onset of the disease is a feeling is shown by a feeling of faintness.
67. He began by giving us a summary of his progress so far. (OUTSET)
→ At the outset, he gave us a summary of his progress so far.
68. As an antidote to their disappointment, he bought them ice-cream. (OFFSET)
→ To offset their disappointment, he bought them ice-cream.
69. She is a student good at mathematics. (FIGURES)
→ She is a student having a head for figures.
70. I think we ought to permit him to do whatever he chooses. (HAND)
→ I think we should give him a free hand.

Words/Phrases/Idioms Meaning
 SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (3)

71. The storm blew the roof off the house.

→ The house had its roof blown off by the storm.
72. This is the quickest way to get into the town centre.
→ There is no quicker way than this to get into the town centre.
73. Only one person knew what had caused the fire.
→ The cause of the fire was known to only one person.
74. You were rude to that woman’s husband, and she’s upset now.
→ The woman whose husband you were rude to is upset now.
75. Are they likely to pass Proficiency?
→ Is there any likelihood that they pass Proficiency?
76. 6,000 pounds is a better offer than you have ever had before.
→ You have never had an offer better than 6,000 pounds before.
77. Harry paid 50 pounds a week for bed and breakfast.
→ Bed and breakfast cost Harry 50 pounds a week.
78. You can not make use of this offer after 15 December.
→ This offer is only valid until 15 December.
79. Betty is very happy to look after handicapped people.
→ Betty is devoted to looking after handicapped people.
80. The decorators have finished the whole of the first floor.
→ We have had the whole of the first floor finished by the decorators.
81. If you want my advice, I would forget about buying a new house.
→ If I were you, I would forget about buying a new house.
82. The only way to eliminate world terrorism is by united opposition. Eliminate: chấm dứt
→ Only by united opposition can we eliminate world terrorism.
83. I’m sure you were driving too fast.
→ You must have been driving too fast.
84. It was overeating that caused his heart attack.
→ If he hadn’t overeaten, he wouldn’t have had a heart attack.
85. The storm completely wiped out all my crops.
→ I have had all my crops completely wiped out by the storm.
86. The fire led to the setting up of a public enquiry.
→ As a result of the fire, a public enquiry was set up.
87. Vitamin intake and intelligence are not connected.
→ There is no connection between vitamin intake and intelligence.
88. He suddenly thought that he might have misunderstood her.
→ It crossed his mind that he might have misunderstood her.
89. Margaret was offered a place on the course but couldn’t accept because she was ill. (TURN)
→ Margaret was offered a place on the course but had to turn down because …
90. You’ll just have to take a chance. (POT)
→ You’ll just have to take pot luck. (Take pot luck: ăn thử)
91. Assembling the furniture is extremely easy. (PLAY)
→ Assembling the furniture is a child’s play.
92. I resent the way that she clearly feels herself to be superior to me. (NOSE)
→ I resent the way that she looks down her nose at me.
93. Your attitude will have to change if you want to succeed. (LEAF)
→ You have to turn over a new leaf if you want to succeed.
94. Many species of wildlife are threatened with extinction. (VERGE)
→ Many species of wildlife are on the verge of extinction.
95. Be careful not to waste water. (ECONOMICAL)
→ Be economical with water.
96. We haven’t sold many cars this month. (DEMAND)
→ There has been little demand for cars this month.
97. The accident victim was having increasing difficulty in breathing. (DIFFICULT)
→ The accident victims were increasingly difficult to breathe.
98. I’m not going to retire unless I myself want to. (FEEL)
→ I’m not going to retire unless I feel like it.
99. After two hours the bride had still not arrived. (SIGN)
→ After two hours there was still no sign of the bride.
100. Rosa found the heat quite intolerable. (BEAR)
→ Rosa couldn’t bear the heat.
101. Everybody made fun of him because he’d his hair cut so short. (MICKEY)
→ Everybody took the Mickey out of him because he had his hair cut so short.
102. I felt stupid when I realized what I’d done. (FOOL)
→ I felt such a fool when I realized what I’d done.
103. She was very relieved when she realized that her bag hadn’t been stolen. (BREATHED)
→ She breathed a sign of relief when she realized …
104. Would you like to contribute something to our campaign? (MAKE)
→ Would you like to make a contribution to our campaign?
105. Products which seem to lack credibility are not popular. (CALL)
→ There is no call for products which seem to lack credibility.
106. Technical skills are needed to operate this new machinery. (DEMANDS)
→ Operating/ the operation of this new machinery demands technical skills.
107. We have run out of small sizes. (STOCK)
→ We have no small sizes in stock. / We are out of stock of small sizes. / Small sizes are out of stock.
108. In all probability we will finish the project on Thursday. (CHANCES)
→ The chances are that the project will be finished on Thursday.
109. They arrived at their destination alive and kicking. (SOUND)
→ They arrived at their destination safe and sound.
110. In her previous job, Mara was a picture restorer. (WORK)
→ Mara used to work as a picture restorer.

Words/Phrases/Idioms Meaning
 SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (4)

111. She complains far too often for my liking. (FREQUENT)

→ She makes frequent complaint about my liking.
112. Some people accept that a storm is inevitable. (RESIGNED)
→ Some people are resigned to the fact that a storm is inevitable.
113. The fridge is completely empty. (LEFT)
→ There is nothing left in the fridge.
114. Money is of little value on a desert island. (COUNTS)
→ Money counts for little in the island.
115. Can you tell me where the Midland Hotel is? (DIRECT)
→ Can you direct me to the …
116. The Prime Minister felt it appropriate to make a statement. (FIT)
→ The Prime Minister saw/ thought fit to make a statement.
117. I’d rather we started at seven. (PREFERENCE)
→ My preference was for a seven o’clock start.
118. The accident wasn’t his fault. (BLAME)
→ He wasn’t to blame for the accident.
119. Although he seems friendly, he’s not to be trusted.
→ Friendly as he may seem, he’s not to be trusted.
120. Not until the body was found did the police believe her.
→ It was only when the body was found that the police believed her.
121. “Whatever you do, don’t give up hope” they said.
→ They urged me not to give up hope
122. Far more people live to retirement age in Britain than in the Philippines.
→ Not as many people live to retirement age in Philippines as in Britain.
123. We have no seats left for the concert on December 12th.
→ All the seats for the concert on December 12th have been booked.
124. The foreigner declared his innocence. (DENIED)
→ The foreigner denied knowing anything about it.
125. Everyone but Jane failed to produce the correct answer. (SUCCEEDED)
→ Only Jane succeeded in producing the correct answer.
126. An open fire can’t be compared to/with central heating. (COMPARISON)
→ There is no comparison between an open fire and central heating.
127. There is no way that young man can achieve success in this test. (BOUND)
→ That young man is bound to fail in this test.
128. I was scared to tell him what I really thought. (COURAGE)
→ I didn’t have enough courage to tell him what I really thought.
129. The Greens consider Henry a good friend. (LOOK)
→ The Greens look on Henry as a good friend.
130. Teachers think that hard work is good for you. (HARM)
→ Teachers think that work does/causes you no harm.
131. Because of the delay we missed our connecting flight. (MEANT)
→ The delay meant that we missed our connecting flight.
132 Don’t wait to be asked if you want a sandwich! (HELP)
→ Help yourself to a sandwich. (= take some of it)
133. Most people regard Dr. Peters as being the best surgeon in his field. (WIDELY)
 → Dr. Peters is widely regarded as being …
134. The Prime Minister was determined to remain in office.
→ The Prime Minister had no intention of resigning office.
135. I don’t know the first thing about aeronautics.
→ I am utterly ignorant of aeronautics.
136. The students’ riotous behaviour should have been severely punished.
→ The students deserved severe punishment for their riotous behaviour.

Words/Phrases/Idioms Meaning
 SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (5)

137. The chances are that the whole thing will have been forgotten by next term.
→ In all probability/likelihood the whole thing will …
138. The numbers of cars on the roads must be reduced. (DOWN)
→ We must cut down on the number of cars on the roads.
139. Interrupting when someone is speaking is rude. (CUT)
→ It’s rude to cut in when someone is speaking.
140. We have an emergency electricity supply in case we are cut off. (BACK)
→ If we are cut off, we can fall back on our emergency electricity supply.
141. We’ve decided to leave early tomorrow morning. (SET)
→ We are going to set off early tomorrow morning.
142. I know you are hiding something from me. (BACK)
→ What are you keeping back from me?
143. Come on Thursday or Friday. It’s all the same to me. (DIFFERENCE)
→ Come on Thursday or Friday. It makes no difference to me .
144. Amanda has improved a lot this term. (PROGRESS)
→ Amanda has made great/good progress this term.
145. His appearance was completely unexpected. (EXPECTATION)
→ His appearance was beyond our expectation.
146. He is by no means a smart boy.
→ He is not completely a smart boy.
147. I take it for granted that he is influential person. (ASSUME)
→ I assume that he is …
148. He won’t let anyone touch his records. (OBJECTS)
→ He objects to anyone else touching his records.
149. He didn’t think much of the musical show yesterday. (OPINION)
→ He had a low opinion of the musical show yesterday.
150. The concert was not as good as he had hoped. (EXPECTATIONS)
→ The concert failed to come/live up to his expectations.
151. The music teacher was the only member of staff not to attend the concert. (EXCEPTION)
→ With the exception of the music teacher every member of staff attended the concert.
152. The impression most people have of him is that he is a good singer. (REPUTATION)
→ He has a reputation as a good singer.
153. He is said to be a very good violinist. (COMES)
→ He comes over/across as a very good violinist.
154. We missed the beginning of the concert because we had overslept. (CONSEQUENCE)
→ We missed the beginning of the concert as a consequence of oversleeping.
155. It is your duty to tell him what to do.
→ You are supposed to tell him what to do.
156. My boss works better when he’s pressed for time.
→ The less hurried the boss is, the worse he works.
157. Someone told me my flight was cancelled when I got to the airport.
→ Arriving at the airport, someone told me my flight was cancelled.
158. I knew I had met him before, but I can’t remember his name. (TONGUE)
→ I knew I had met him before, but his name is on the tip of my tongue.
159. His choice always followed what his wife decided. (STEP)
→ His choice was always in step with his wife’s decision/what his wife decided.
160. Remember to write to us! (DROP)
→ Remember to drop us a line/note!
161. Phone and write to him if you can’t talk directly to him. (GET)
→ Get in touch with him if you can’t talk directly to him.
162. Don’t worry. There will be another chance. (KEEP)
→ Keep your end up, there will be another chance.
Words/Phrases/Idioms Meaning
 SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (6)

163. Has she written to you lately? (HEARD)

→ Has you heard from her lately?
164. We’ve decided to replace those plastic shower curtains with these rubber ones. (SUBSTITUTE)
→ We have decided to substitute those plastic shower curtains for these rubber ones.
165. Somebody has stolen all Miranda’s jewellery. (ROBBED)
→ Miranda has been robbed of all her jewelry.
166. What Rachel does in her spare time doesn’t concern me. (BUSINESS)
→ It’s none of my business what Rachel does in her spare time.
167. It’s not my habit to get up quite so early as this. (USED)
→ I am not used to getting up quite so early like this.
168. Everything went well that morning. (NOTHING)
→ Nothing went wrong that morning.
169. A portion of strawberries and cream costs a lot in the café. (CHARGES)
→ The café charges a lot for a portion …
170. How likely am I to pass the examination, do you think? (CHANCE)
→ What chance have I of passing the examination, do you think?
171. He had no idea how difficult the exercise would be until he was half way through it.
→ Only when he was half way through the exercise did he realize how difficult it was.
172. The final version of the plan was quite different form the initial draft. (RESEMBLANCE)
 → The final version of the plan bore no/little resemblance to the initial draft.
173. They feel the same way about each other. (MUTUAL)
→ Their feeling about each other is mutual.
174. We had not expected that we should have so much difficulty in finding the place.
→ The place was much more difficult to find than we had expected.
175. The bottle must not be laid on its side. (UPRIGHT)
→ The bottle must be kept/ placed in an upright position.
176. It’s nobody’s fault that the meeting was cancelled.
→ Nobody is to blame/is responsible for the fact that the meeting was cancelled.
177. The fate of the two climbers is unknown.
→ It’s a mystery as to what happened to the two climbers.
178. There is no need for us to hurry; the play doesn’t start until 8:30. (TIME)
→ We can take our time; the play …
179. John is very self-confident. (CONFIDENCE)
→ John has a lot of confidence in himself.
180. His holiday is at exactly the same time as mine. (COINCIDES)
→ His holiday time coincides with mine.
181. He is alleged the owner of the valuable picture. (CLAIMED)
→ He is claimed to be the owner of the valuable picture.
182. The way he took everything he did for granted really annoyed her. (BACK)
→ The way he took everything he did for granted really got/put her back up.
183. It was touch and go whether he recovered or not. (BALANCE)
→ It was in the balance whether he recovered or not.
184. Which of the two books would you prefer? (RATHER)
→ Which of the two books would you rather read?
185. These books have been lent by the British Council library. (LOAN)
→ These books have been on loan from the British Council library.
186. I bought a pair of shoes this morning. They cost 40 pounds.
→ This morning I spent 40 pounds on a pair of shoes.
187. Mrs. Wilson says she is sorry she didn’t attend the meeting yesterday. (SENDS)
→ Mrs. Wilson sends her apologies for not having attended the meeting yesterday.

Words/Phrases/Idioms Meaning