English Language Practice: Vocabulary, Grammar, and Reading

Posted on May 28, 2025 in English

Vocabulary Exercises

Phrasal Verbs and Expressions

  • I sang my heart out at a karaoke club.
  • It’s hard to fit in at a new school.
  • Why did the band decide to break up?
  • We had to sit through a boring concert.
  • That old film came out in 1995.
  • Billie Eilish hit the big time when she was only 15.
  • The Oscars are a star-studded event.
  • I was on the edge of my seat for the entire film!
  • The magician’s tricks were out of this world.
  • The tickets had been sold out by the time we arrived.
  • Sorry, but we aren’t taking on any new workers.
  • I think I’ll go into journalism at university.
  • By and large, I think the new shop is quite successful.
  • There’s lots of room for advancement in this company.
  • We were wined and dined by our business partners.

Vocabulary Terms and Concepts

(Note: These appear to be answers from a fill-in-the-blanks or matching exercise.)

  • Hired
  • Rewarding
  • Co-workers
  • Room for advancement
  • Resigned
  • Taking on
  • Roughly
  • Step up
  • Now or never
  • Employee
  • Vacancy
  • Manager
  • Living
  • Membership

Grammar Exercises

Modal Verbs and Expressions

(Corrected sentences or answers to a grammar exercise.)

  • They weren’t able to leave early.
  • Nick didn’t need to buy our tickets.
  • They had better get the injured man to hospital.
  • They shouldn’t have told Ethan about the party.
  • Sarah has to take the expenses into account.

Dialogue Completions:

  • B: I don’t know. He might not have been.
  • B: Me, too. I couldn’t wait.
  • B: They had better not try.
  • B: Yes, she couldn’t have sung.
  • B: Yes! We should have chosen.

Reported Speech and Verb Forms

(Corrected sentences or answers to a grammar exercise.)

  • The assistant said she would finish those reports by the following week.
  • My parents recommended that I leave bright and early the following day.
  • His friend advised him not to mention his police record at the interview.
  • The employee told me that he had been feeling terrible the day before.
  • My partner wanted to know when I was leaving that night.

Sentence Completions:

  • Matthew joining.
  • You shouldn’t have.
  • Janet had been running.
  • Employees cannot.
  • The boy breaking.
  • We wanted to know.
  • I could have asked.
  • You can’t be.
  • Lance was staying.
  • I wish you lived.

Mixed Grammar Concepts

(Answers to various grammar questions.)

  • was painted
  • misunderstanding
  • Works from different countries were part of.
  • have always been influenced by
  • it difficult to address.

Sentence Completions:

  • …was thinking…
  • We …should…
  • If we …book…
  • If I …can…
  • We …are able to…

Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary

Questions and Answers

  1. What do artists often express through their work during difficult times?
    Artists frequently express emotions such as grief, frustration, and hope in challenging times.

  2. Who are some artists mentioned in the text that used their art to address social issues?
    The text mentions Pablo Picasso, whose painting Guernica exposes the horrors of war, and Maya Dahir, who uses sculpture to raise awareness about climate change.

  3. Why might artists fear that people will not understand their work when addressing social topics?
    Artists may worry that their message will be misinterpreted or dismissed, especially if it challenges societal norms. Some audiences might see their work as exaggerated, controversial, or unclear, making it difficult to communicate the intended idea effectively.

  4. What was the message of the painting Live or Like?

    The painting’s message emphasized the importance of true human connections, instead of online ones. It also commented on how young people spend too much time on social media.

True or False Statements

  • The sculpture exhibition by Maya Dahir was immediately accepted by everyone without criticism.

    FALSE. “Initially, some critics argued that she was exaggerating the problem.”

  • According to the text, art can challenge both society and the artist creating it.

    TRUE. “As Dahir stated, ‘Art challenges us, but it also challenges the artist to be brave and to trust that their message will resonate.’”

Vocabulary from Text

(Definitions and corresponding terms from the reading passage.)

  1. Influencing or determining the nature of something: shaping
  2. Represents something through words, images, or art: depicts
  3. Knowledge that something exists: awareness
  4. Non-combatants, ordinary people: civilians
  5. A means or method to achieve a purpose: tool
  6. Significant, relevant: meaningful