Advanced English Grammar and Vocabulary Practice

Exercise 1: Conjunctions (Although, In Spite Of, Despite)

Complete the sentences using the correct conjunction.

1. Although the weather was bad, we enjoyed the game.
2. Although I was very hungry, I couldn’t eat.
3. In spite of the difficulty, they managed to solve the Maths problem.
4. Clare did the work in spite of being ill.
5. Peter did not do well in the exam in spite of working very hard.
6. Mary never talked to him although she loved him.
7. The children slept deeply in spite of the noise.
8. In spite of earning a low salary, Sara helped her parents.
9. Jane rarely sees Alan although they are neighbours.
10. Although it was cold, Marie didn’t put on her coat.
11. She decided to go abroad for a year, despite loving her boyfriend very much.
12. Although it was raining heavily, we finally went out.
13. Despite my warnings, he went to Camden Town.
14. Although they had never seen each other before, they became really good friends.
15. In spite of being very bad at computer games, he won twice!

Exercise 2: Choosing the Correct Adjective (-ing or -ed)

Choose the correct adjective form for each sentence.

1. We had a really exciting evening at the pub.
2. Our partner in Paris was amazed with the new campaign.
3. Steve is interested in reading poetry.
4. It’s really annoying when people push you at the canteen.
5. Success at work is a satisfying experience.
6. I feel very frustrated when I can’t find the correct English word.
7. She felt really embarrassed. Everyone was laughing and looking at her.
8. I couldn’t eat a bite. It was absolutely disgusting.
9. Most people were confused after listening to the talk.
10. He’s such a monotonous speaker! I was really bored in the lecture.

Exercise 3: Relative Pronouns (Who, Which, Whose)

Choose the correct relative pronoun: who, which, or whose.

1. Tom’s marrying a girl whose sister is in my class.
2. Joan’s sister, who is 26 years old, is a teacher.
3. I don’t like people who tell jokes all the time.
4. The car which won the race didn’t look anything very special.
5. The girl whose photo was in the paper lives in our street.
6. Fred’s friend, who lives round the corner, is a lawyer.
7. The woman who brought the parcel is the secretary.
8. My friend Pedro, whose wife is Canadian, moved to Canada two years ago.
9. My sister, who lives in NY, had a baby last month.
10. Where are the tomatoes which were in the fridge?

Exercise 4: Matching Vocabulary Terms

Match the following terms to their definitions (Definitions A-H are missing).

• Card holder’s name (H)
• Senior (A)
• Expiration date (D)
• Gender (B)
• Flexible date (E)
• Round trip (C)
• Date of birth (G)
• Economy tickets (F)

Exercise 5: Completing Sentences with Past Tense Verbs

Complete the sentences using the past tense of the appropriate verbs (The list of verbs is missing).

1. I paid over £1000 for my TV, but it isn’t worth very much now.
2. I was very upset when I lost my wallet in the street. Fortunately, somebody found it the next day and gave it to me.
3. I’m afraid I wasted my money on those shoes, because I’m never going to wear them.
4. My house was too small, so I sold it and bought a new one.
5. Last week I won £100 on the lottery.
6. My parents lent me $50 last month, but I spent most of it on a new phone.

Exercise 6: Matching Sentence Halves

Match the beginning of the sentences with the correct endings (Endings A-H are missing).

1. I was looking forward to the business trip (D)
2. He drove too fast (A)
3. I can’t remember numbers very well (F)
4. My colleague won first prize at the Karaoke (E)
5. I hate the coffee sold at vending machines (C)
6. She talked and talked for hours (G)
7. They had only known each other for a month when they announced (H)
8. Paul fell off the stairs in the office (B)