Mastering Advanced English Grammar and Vocabulary Practice

Posted on Nov 9, 2025 in English and Classical Studies

1. Phrasal Verbs and Prepositions Practice

Instruction: Fill the gaps with the correct preposition to complete the sentence.

  • We have run out of a lot of ideas – perhaps we should have a break.
  • We need to explain more clearly if you want to get your ideas across.
  • They are relying on me to complete the first part of the project.
  • He has gone to the library to search for some journal articles on the topic.

2. Sentence Structure and Word Order

Instruction: Put the words in the correct order to make grammatically correct sentences.

  1. Fragments: he gets /he tries hard /the results /he works for/Whenever

    Correct Sentence: Whenever he tries hard, he gets the results he works for.

  2. Fragments: although / understood the instructions /They did/ very well. /they hadn’t/ a good

    Correct Sentence: They understood the instructions very well, although they hadn’t a good [result]. (Note: The original fragments are incomplete.)

  3. Fragments: is/ college swimming coaches, /My tutor,/ also one of the / is very supportive

    Correct Sentence: My tutor, who is also one of the college swimming coaches, is very supportive.

  4. Fragments: starts on/ on design and identity, /I decided to /Monday/ do the course /when

    Correct Sentence: I decided to do the course on design and identity, which starts on Monday.

  5. Fragments: continue / As he / we couldn’t /with the next stage / the preparation work /have

    Correct Sentence: As he didn’t have the preparation work, we couldn’t continue with the next stage. (Note: Requires adding ‘didn’t’ for grammatical sense.)

  6. Fragments: Before the / so that/ Read this / next tutorial /the issues then. / we can discuss

    Correct Sentence: Read this before the next tutorial so that we can discuss the issues then.

3. Combining Clauses Using Relative Pronouns

Instruction: Join the clauses (a-e) to the main sentences (1-5). Use commas where necessary for non-defining relative clauses.

Clauses to Join:

  1. Which is taught in schools nowadays
  2. Which was of an Italian building
  3. Who was Bruneschelli’s friend
  4. Who was an Italian architect
  5. Which seems strange to us now

Main Sentences:

  1. Bruneschelli conducted the perspective experiment.
  2. In the past, all designs were two-dimensional.
  3. The picture in the experiment was an exact copy.
  4. Another Italian designer wrote a book with instructions on perspective.
  5. Perspective was a very important discovery.

Correct Combinations:

  • Bruneschelli, who was an Italian architect (d), conducted the perspective experiment.
  • In the past, all designs which seemed strange to us now (e) were two-dimensional. (Note: Verb tense adjusted for consistency.)
  • The picture in the experiment which was of an Italian building (b) was an exact copy.
  • Another Italian designer, who was Bruneschelli’s friend (c), wrote a book with instructions on perspective.
  • Perspective, which is taught in schools nowadays (a), was a very important discovery.

4. Using Transition Words for Opposing Ideas

Instruction: Combine the opposing ideas using appropriate transition words (e.g., Although, However, On the other hand, Nevertheless, Whereas). Adjust punctuation and capitalization as needed.

  1. Original Ideas: There were some very good designs before the fifteenth century. Perspective wasn’t truly understood until the fifteenth century.

    Combined: Although perspective wasn’t truly understood until the fifteenth century, there were some very good designs before then.

  2. Original Ideas: Humans have always produced very good design work. Until the fifteenth century, designs were two-dimensional.

    Combined: Humans have always produced very good design work; however, until the fifteenth century, designs were two-dimensional.

  3. Original Ideas: Some people thought designs were good enough without the use of mathematics and perspective. People wanted to see more realistic representations of the world.

    Combined: Some people thought designs were good enough without the use of mathematics and perspective. On the other hand, people wanted to see more realistic representations of the world.

  4. Original Ideas: Bruneschelli was already a famous and well-respected architect. Bruneschelli wanted to improve his work and make it more realistic.

    Combined: Bruneschelli was already a famous and well-respected architect; nevertheless, he wanted to improve his work and make it more realistic.

  5. Original Ideas: People in the fifteenth century thought the new perspective drawing amazing. Nowadays we are very used to three-dimensional cinema.

    Combined: People in the fifteenth century thought the new perspective drawing was amazing, whereas nowadays we are very used to three-dimensional cinema.

5. Adverb Clauses of Reason and Purpose Matching

Instruction: Match the main clause (1-5) with the appropriate adverb clause or resulting action (A-E).

Main Clauses (Reasons/Actions):

  1. Since I have to write about the order things happened, …
  2. I will use a cause and effect organization…
  3. Due to the fact that the idea is new to the audience, …
  4. In order to help people understand what made this happen in the first place, …
  5. As I need to examine two things to find similarities and differences, …

Resulting Clauses (A-E):

  1. So that the reasons why things happened will be clear.
  2. I am going to use a cause and effect pattern.
  3. I will use a defining thought pattern for the first half of my talk.
  4. I am going to use a compare and contrast thought pattern.
  5. I am definitely not going to use a compare and contrast pattern.

Correct Matches:

  • Clause 1: Since I have to write about the order things happened, E. I am definitely not going to use a compare and contrast pattern. (Following the original key.)
  • Clause 2: I will use a cause and effect organization A. so that the reasons why things happened will be clear.
  • Clause 3: Due to the fact that the idea is new to the audience, C. I will use a defining thought pattern for the first half of my talk.
  • Clause 4: In order to help people understand what made this happen in the first place, B. I am going to use a cause and effect pattern.
  • Clause 5: As I need to examine two things to find similarities and differences, D. I am going to use a compare and contrast thought pattern.

6. Vocabulary Building: Using Suitable Prefixes

Instruction: Complete the words in the sentences with a suitable prefix.

  1. I love reading autobiographies, but it must be hard for the authors to write truthfully about themselves.
  2. In some cultures, psychoanalysis is popular with people who want to deal with their emotional and mental problems.
  3. He recommended this optician because she performs very detailed eye tests.
  4. They overestimated the amount of food needed, and so there was a lot leftover.
  5. The book was quite ambiguous in the end; the author never clearly stated what he meant.
  6. Through his work as a(n) cardiologist, he discovered a new heart treatment, which has helped hundreds of people who have had heart attacks.
  7. She is a very independent student, and she manages her time and workload well.
  8. Despite his bad experience, he remains unafraid of swimming.
  9. It was very irresponsible of them to leave the building without locking it.
  10. It is impossible to finish this work on time. There is no way we can do it.
  11. You can’t park here. Those red lines mean it is illegal.
  12. This computer hardware is rather overpriced in my opinion. I just don’t think it is worth it.
  13. There is a big issue with overcrowding in this city; we urgently need new housing developments.
  14. The number of illiterate people has fallen dramatically. Many people overeat nowadays, and so there is a growing obesity problem. (Note: Sentence combined and corrected for clarity.)
  15. It is very important not to overreact when something goes wrong.