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Ready for C1. p 182. Ready for Grammar p 239 Ex 2. Modal Verbs. Verb Form Gap Fill
Read the following text and fill in the gaps with the verb that best fits each space using the correct verb form of the verbs below. There are TWO extra verbs you will not need. The activity begins with an example (0).
Verbs: be, gather, worry, join, upload, label, catch up, envisage, go, send, play down, take.
Hi James!
It (0) is a shame you (1) us on the march yesterday. When it started raining in the morning, I was afraid we’d only get a small turnout, but actually, I (2). Loads of people attended. There (3) about 3000 of us, at least. And it wasn’t just students that were marching – there were families and couples, too. It was a long day, and I definitely (4) more water because I was pretty dehydrated by the end of it – but hey, I survived!
I’m also thinking of going on the march planned for June 2nd. Mum says I (5) mad, but I don’t think she gets how important this issue is to me.
Anyway, I’ll look through my photos of the march, and I (6) you some tomorrow. If you (7) them onto the college website – great. You (8) them – I think the images speak for themselves.
OK – hope (9) soon.
All the best,
Nick
All the best,
Nick
KEY
0. is
1. couldn’t join
2. needn't have worried
3. must have gathered
4. should have taken
5. must have gone
6. should be able to send
7. can upload
8. don't have to/don't need to label
9. to catch up
Extra verbs:
To Envisage /ɪnˈvɪzɪdʒ/
to imagine what will happen in the future
- envisage something What level of profit do you envisage?
- envisage (somebody) doing something I can't envisage her coping with this job.
- I don’t envisage working with him again.
- it is envisaged that… It is envisaged that the talks will take place in the spring.
- envisage that… I envisage that the work will be completed next year.
- envisage how, where, etc… It is difficult to envisage how people will react.
Meaning: To contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event (similar to visualize but more conceptual).
Example: "I don't envisage any major delays, provided the weather conditions remain stable."
To Play Down
Meaning: To try to make something seem less important or less serious than it actually is.
Example: "The government tried to play down the severity of the economic downturn."
Ready for C1 p 164 Ex 3. Inversion
This exercise focuses on negative inversion, where a negative or restrictive adverbial phrase at the beginning of a sentence requires a question-like word order (auxiliary verb + subject + main verb).
Complete:
1 No sooner __________________________home than my mother phoned.
KEY
No sooner had I arrived / got home than my mother phoned.
Grammar note: "No sooner... than" usually pairs the past perfect with the simple past.
2. Only when _______________________the news on television did she realise the full scale of the tragedy.
KEY
Only when she saw / watched the news on television did she realise the full scale of the tragedy.
Grammar note: With "Only when", the inversion happens in the main clause ("did she realise"), not the time clause.
3. Never before in all my working life_______________________ such an incompetent boss.
KEY
Never before in all my working life had/have I encountered / met / worked for such an incompetent boss.
Grammar note: "Never before" typically pairs with the present perfect when you are talking about your life experiences up to the present moment and with the past perfect to talk about an experience up to a point in the past.
4. Not until you’ve tidied your room __________________ you to go out and play with your friends!
KEY
Not until you’ve tidied your room will I allow you to go out and play with your friends!
Grammar note: Because the final part uses "to go", an auxiliary like will paired with allow fits perfectly (e.g., "will I allow you to go"). With let we use infinitive without to: "will I let you go".
5 Hardly _______________________________his new job when the company ran into problems and made him redundant.
KEY
Hardly had he started / begun his new job when the company ran into problems and made him redundant.
Grammar note: "Hardly... when" follows the same past perfect pattern as "No sooner... than".
6. At no point in the marathon _________________________of giving up: I had promised myself I would finish it.
KEY
At no point in the marathon did I think of giving up: I had promised myself I would finish it.
Grammar note: "Did I think of" fits the grammar smoothly here. With consider, the structure is "did I consider giving up".
7. Never again _______________________her advice – I’m in more trouble now than I was before.
KEY
Never again will I take / listen to her advice – I’m in more trouble now than I was before.
Grammar note: The second half is in the present/past tense regarding current trouble, meaning they are making a firm resolution for the future ("will I...").
8. Little __________________________that someone was recording their conversation.
KEY
Little did they know / suspect that someone was recording their conversation.
Grammar note: "Little did [someone] know/realize/suspect" is a fixed idiomatic inversion used to show complete lack of awareness.
Ready for C1 p 171. Proposal for the New Arts Magazine. Verb Form Gap Fill
Task:
Read the following text and fill in the gaps with the verb that best fits each space using the correct verb form of the verbs below. There are TWO extra verbs you will not need. The activity begins with an example (0).
Verbs: request, render, grow, take, struggle, adopt, provide, launch, give, achieve, note, enhance, jeopardise, outline.
Proposal task instructions:
The committee of your college's Arts Club, of which you are a member, has decided to publish a monthly arts magazine for students. The leader of the committee asks you to draft a proposal saying what should be included in the magazine, suggesting who could contribute to it, and outlining ways in which interest in the magazine could be generated.
Proposal for the Launch of a New Arts Magazine
INTRODUCTION
As (0) requested, I am submitting the following proposal with a view to (1) a strategic approach for the publication of a new arts magazine. The primary aim of this proposal is to present a series of recommendations designed to ensure the magazine attracts the widest possible readership among the student body, while simultaneously establishing a lasting cultural presence within the institution.
CURRENT SITUATION
It is clear from student feedback that there is a considerable appetite for a platform that celebrates local creativity; however, existing publications have consistently failed to bridge the gap between professional arts and the student experience. Had such a platform been introduced earlier, it is reasonable to assume that student engagement with the arts (2) considerably by now. In light of this year's experience with digital engagement, it is an undeniable fact that students are increasingly seeking multi-platform content, which strongly suggests that a traditional print-only approach would be insufficient at best, and outright counterproductive at worst.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To improve the situation and maximise engagement, I recommend (3) the following course of action:
- Diversifying Content through Reviews: I would strongly advocate including several reviews per issue, spanning a broad range of artistic disciplines. Were the magazine to attract a truly diverse audience, it would be vital to report consistently on local concerts and exhibitions, particularly those offering student concessions. Furthermore, by featuring events in which our own students are performing or exhibiting, the editorial team would inevitably foster a far stronger sense of community — something that no existing publication has yet managed (4).
- Professional Insight via Q&A Interviews: It would seem not only sensible but essential to feature in-depth interviews with graduates currently working across arts-related industries. There is little doubt that hearing first-hand accounts of the specific steps (5) after graduation will prove to be of considerable benefit to students who are hoping to establish themselves professionally. (6) themselves to navigate the transition from academia to industry, these graduates are uniquely placed to offer meaningful guidance.
- Integrating Digital Tutorials: Looking ahead, I would strongly urge the editorial board to consider (7) a fortnightly digital edition to complement the monthly print version, rather than treating digital content as an afterthought. Beyond enabling the inclusion of video tutorials, this approach would serve to position the magazine as a forward-thinking publication. For instance, students who have spent time mastering software such as Photoshop® would find step-by-step tutorials on advanced techniques — such as 3D effects — both immediately applicable and highly motivating.
PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY
The advantages of the approach proposed above would include a significant and sustained increase in visibility at minimal cost. I would therefore strongly recommend promoting the magazine across social networking platforms and the college website simultaneously, so as to maximise reach from the outset. In the first instance, this would entail (8) a dedicated promotional page no fewer than three weeks prior to the first issue — a step that would not only raise awareness but also allow the student body to contribute articles well in advance of the publication date. It is worth (9) that, were this strategy to be implemented effectively, organic growth through student sharing (10) paid advertising entirely unnecessary.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, the evidence points overwhelmingly towards a high level of interest in a student-centric arts publication, and the time to act is clearly now. I am firmly convinced that the measures proposed above will not only answer the needs of our creative community, but will also ensure the magazine's longevity and continued relevance. I trust that these recommendations (11) due consideration and that they will meet with your full approval.
KEY
1. outlining
2. would have grown
3. adopting
4. to achieve
5. taken
6. Having struggled
7. providing
8. launching
9. noting
10. could/would render
11. will be given
Easter: A Festival of Light, Language and Renewal. Verb Form Gap Fill
History of the Holidays: Easter
Read the following text and fill in the gaps with the verb that best fits each space using the correct verb form of the verbs below. There are TWO extra verbs you will not need. The activity begins with an example (0).
Verbs: regard, light, unite, spare, become, ostracise, ensure, dye, observe, exacerbate, think, appear, rise.
Easter: A Festival of Light, Language and Renewal
Easter (0) is regarded as the holiest day in the Christian calendar, its significance rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet what may strike many as surprising is that this profoundly solemn religious festival has come to be associated with chocolate eggs, rabbits and pastel-coloured springtime decorations. Were one to accept this at face value, one might assume the two things had nothing to do with each other. In fact, the opposite is true: beneath the cheerful exterior lies a history far older, one steeped in ancient mythology, Jewish tradition, and centuries of remarkable cultural exchange.
From Passover to Easter
According to the Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus travelled to Jerusalem with his apostles to celebrate Passover — the Jewish festival commemorating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Following the Passover meal, he was arrested, tried and crucified on what has since become known as Good Friday. Two days later, however, he is said (1) from the dead, an event that was to become the very foundation of Christian belief.
The earliest Christians — many of whom were of Jewish origin — had initially celebrated the resurrection as part of Passover itself. Indeed, the early name for Easter was Pascha, derived directly from the Hebrew Pesach, meaning Passover, a linguistic connection that survives to this day in most of the world's languages, including French (Pâques), Spanish (Pascua) and Italian (Pasqua).
The word Passover itself has its origins in one of the most dramatic narratives in the Torah, the Book of Exodus. After nine plagues had failed to persuade Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage, God decreed a final and devastating judgement: the death of every firstborn in Egypt. Instructed to mark their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificed lamb, the Israelites (2) when the "Destroyer" passed through Egypt that night. The biblical line encapsulating this moment reads: "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" — the very phrase from which William Tyndale coined the English word Passover in his landmark Bible translation of 1530.
Fixing the Date of Easter
In the early centuries of Christianity, Easter was celebrated on different days of the week, giving rise to considerable confusion across the growing Church. It was not until 325 AD that the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and the Council of Nicaea resolved the matter, ruling that Easter should always be observed on a Sunday — specifically, the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This means Easter can fall anywhere between 22nd March and 25th April, earning it the designation of a "moveable feast," firmly anchored, even so, to the ancient lunar rhythms that had governed religious calendars long before Christianity.
It was around this time that Christians also began lighting the Paschal candle at the Easter Vigil — a large, ornate candle whose flame symbolises the light of Christ emerging from the darkness of the tomb, and which continues (3) at baptisms and funerals throughout the year.
Holy Week: The Final Days of Jesus
The week leading up to Easter is known as Holy Week, and each day carries its own theological significance. It begins with Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus's entry into Jerusalem, where crowds are said to have spread palm branches before him. Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday recall his teachings in the city — Wednesday being referred to by some traditions as Spy Wednesday, in reference to Judas Iscariot's betrayal. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper and the washing of the disciples' feet, the word Maundy deriving from the Latin mandatum, meaning "commandment." Good Friday marks the crucifixion and (4) as a day of solemn reflection and fasting, followed by Holy Saturday, a day of quiet waiting representing the time Jesus spent in the tomb.
These final three days — Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday — form the Paschal Triduum, widely regarded as a single, continuous act of worship rather than three separate occasions, and considered by many Christians to be the most sacred period in the entire liturgical year.
Pagan Traditions and the Spring Equinox
Long before Christianity spread across Europe, the spring equinox had already been revered as a sacred turning point, when light and darkness briefly stood in perfect balance. Among Germanic and Saxon tribes, the dawn goddess Eostre gave her name and symbols — the fertile hare and the egg — to what would later become Easter imagery. Rather than eradicating these customs, the early Church chose to absorb them, aligning the resurrection story with familiar themes of renewal and rebirth so that the festival would feel both recognisable and transformative. Indeed, the very word Easter, first recorded by the monk Bede, (5) to stem from Eostre and shares roots with words such as east and aurora, all of which evoke the golden light of daybreak.
The Easter Bunny and Modern Customs
The hare had long been revered as a symbol of fertility in European folklore, believed to be sacred to the goddess Eostre and admired for its extraordinary reproductive capacity. Unlike rabbits, hares possess the rare biological ability of superfetation, meaning they can conceive a second litter while still carrying the first — a seemingly magical trait that (8) wondrous to ancient observers.
From the sixteenth century onwards, German families began telling their children that a magical hare — the Oschter Haws — would deliver coloured eggs to well-behaved youngsters. Children would build nests to attract the creature, a practice that gradually evolved into the Easter egg hunt and the modern Easter basket. Had German settlers not carried this tradition to the Americas in the eighteenth century, the Easter Bunny might never have become embedded in popular culture. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House lawn to children wishing to roll their eggs, paving the way for the famous Easter Egg Roll — a tradition that has endured ever since.
The History of the Easter Egg: From Nature to Chocolate
Long before the advent of Christianity, eggs had already been regarded as potent symbols of new life and rebirth across numerous cultures. When the new faith began to spread, these ancient associations were not discarded; rather, they were skilfully reinterpreted. The egg’s hard shell came to signify Christ’s sealed tomb, whereas the cracking of the egg was seen as emblematic of his resurrection. To this day, in many Orthodox traditions, eggs (6) a vivid red to symbolise the blood of Christ — a custom dating back to the earliest centuries of the Church.
There was, moreover, a practical reason why eggs became so firmly embedded in Easter celebrations. Throughout the forty days of Lent, the Church strictly forbade their consumption. Hens, however, continued to lay as usual, inevitably creating a surplus. In order to prevent the eggs from spoiling, families would hard-boil them; in time, eating these preserved eggs on Easter Sunday came to mark both the end of the long fast and the opening of the tomb.
The tradition was transformed in 1873, when the British company J. S. Fry & Sons produced the first hollow chocolate egg. Cadbury soon followed suit and, once a smoother variety of milk chocolate had been perfected, the chocolate Easter egg went on (7) an extraordinary commercial success. Today, what began as a simple religious emblem has evolved into one of the most popular — and commercially significant — traditions of the modern world.
The Easter Bunny and Modern Customs
The hare had long been revered as a symbol of fertility in European folklore, believed to be sacred to the goddess Eostre and admired for its extraordinary reproductive capacity. Unlike rabbits, hares possess the rare biological ability of superfetation, meaning they can conceive a second litter while still carrying the first — a seemingly magical trait that (8) wondrous to ancient observers.
From the sixteenth century onwards, German families began telling their children that a magical hare — the Oschter Haws — would deliver coloured eggs to well-behaved youngsters. Children would build nests to attract the creature, a practice that gradually evolved into the Easter egg hunt and the modern Easter basket. Had German settlers not carried this tradition to the Americas in the eighteenth century, the Easter Bunny might never have become embedded in popular culture. In 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House lawn to children wishing to roll their eggs, paving the way for the famous Easter Egg Roll — a tradition that has endured ever since.
A Festival for Everyone
Rarely does a single celebration manage (9) so many layers of human experience. Easter is simultaneously a Jewish story of liberation, a Christian story of resurrection and a universal story of the return of warmth and light. Whether one chooses to focus on the ancient goddess whose name gave us the word Easter, the Passover narrative at the heart of the Christian story, or simply the sight of daffodils in an English garden, the message remains the same: that life is a cycle, and that after every winter, however harsh, the light of spring will always return. It is, perhaps, this conviction above all others — ancient, universal and endlessly renewed — that (10) Easter's enduring place at the very heart of human experience.
KEY
1. to have risen
2. were spared (were forgiven)
to allow somebody/something to escape harm, damage or death, especially when others do not escape it.
- spare somebody/something They killed the men but spared the children.
- She begged them to spare her life.
- During the bombing only one house was spared (= was not hit by a bomb).
- The storm largely spared Houston and surrounding districts.
- spare somebody/something from something The children were spared from the virus.
- spare somebody/something sth Hong Kong was spared a direct hit, but the storm still brought heavy rains and powerful winds.
3. to be lit/ being lit
4. is observed
5. is thought
6. are dyed
7. to become
8. would have appeared
9. to unite
10. has ensured
Extra verbs: ostracise, exacerbate
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