CPE Use of English Tips & Practice

CPE Use of English
Tips & Practice 
1 / 54
next
Slide 1: Slide
EngelsHBOStudiejaar 2

This lesson contains 54 slides, with interactive quizzes, text slides and 1 video.

Items in this lesson

CPE Use of English
Tips & Practice 

Slide 1 - Slide

Part 1: Multiple Choice Cloze
What's tested?
  • semantic precision (word with right meaning in the context)
  • collocation
  • complementation (fits grammatically)
  • idioms & fixed phrases (which single word completes them)
  • phrasal verbs
  • linkers

Slide 2 - Slide

Skim the text (2 minutes)
Meeting Marvin Gaye
When I first met Marvin Gaye in his Sunset Strip studio, I had just (0) ....... a two-year project co-writing the autobiography of Ray Charles, an inspiring collaborator, but an authoritative and often (1) ...... figure. Marvin came on like a brother. He was warm, witty and (2) ..... to laugh. He spoke like he sang, in whisper-quiet melodies and soft falsettos. His conversation had a lyricism all of its (3) ..... . His affectations - a slight British accent when he was feeling aristocratic, for example - were more than (4) ..... by his disarming sincerity. We became friends. I felt (5) ...... to watch him work and play up-close. It soon became clear that, like his music, his personal life was (6) ..... with dramatic contradictions, a combination of charm and chaos. Because he was a hero of mine, and because his art was so dazzlingly beautiful - so self-contained, so accomplished, so (7) .... slick - it took me a  (8) ..... to realise my hero was drowning.

Slide 3 - Slide

What is the text about?

Slide 4 - Open question

Slide 5 - Video

Question 0
A accomplished      B completed        C ended              D achieved

Meeting Marvin Gaye
When I first met Marvin Gaye in his Sunset Strip studio, I had just (0) ...B.... a two-year project co-writing the autobiography of Ray Charles, an inspiring collaborator, but an authoritative and often (1) ...... figure. Marvin came on like a brother. 

Do not waste time answering question 0!

Slide 6 - Slide

Read each question carefully and try to predict the answer

Slide 7 - Slide

When I first met Marvin Gaye in his Sunset Strip studio, I had just (0) ....B... a two-year project co-writing the autobiography of Ray Charles, an inspiring collaborator, but an authoritative and often (1) ...... figure.

Slide 8 - Open question

When I first met Marvin Gaye in his Sunset Strip studio, I had just (0) ....B... a two-year project co-writing the autobiography of Ray Charles, an inspiring collaborator, but an authoritative and often (1) ...... figure.
A
distant
B
faint
C
secluded
D
far-away

Slide 9 - Quiz

A: distant
If someone is distant, they are not friendly or communicative.
All options are connected with the idea of distance or being apart from others, but only A can be used to describe a person's personality.

Slide 10 - Slide

Marvin came on like a brother. He was warm, witty and (2) ..... to laugh.

Slide 11 - Open question

Marvin came on like a brother. He was warm, witty and (2) ..... to laugh.
A
prompt
B
impulsive
C
abrupt
D
quick

Slide 12 - Quiz

D: quick
All the options refer to speed, but only D is appropriate in the context and grammatically
A=prompt in doing something

Slide 13 - Slide

He spoke like he sang, in whisper-quiet melodies and soft falsettos. His conversation had a lyricism all of its (3) ..... .

Slide 14 - Open question

He spoke like he sang, in whisper-quiet melodies and soft falsettos. His conversation had a lyricism all of its (3) ..... .
A
type
B
self
C
like
D
own

Slide 15 - Quiz

D: own
If something has something all of its own, it means it has a quality that is unique to it.
The way he spoke was almost poetic.
All options refer to the nature of something, but only D completes the fixed phrase.
(B: self=by itself=alone)

Slide 16 - Slide

His affectations - a slight British accent when he was feeling aristocratic, for example - were more than (4) ..... by his disarming sincerity. We became friends.

Slide 17 - Open question


His affectations - a slight British accent when he was feeling aristocratic, for example - were more than (4) ..... by his disarming sincerity. We became friends.
A
set against
B
weighed up
C
made up for
D
settled up with

Slide 18 - Quiz

C: made up for
To make up for something = compensate so that something negative is balanced by something positive.
A: set  against = judge, compare a positive with a negative
B: weigh up = consider something carefully
D: settle up = pay money
All are phrasal verbs connected with balance. Only C fits in the context.

Slide 19 - Slide

We became friends. I felt (5) ...... to watch him work and play up-close.

Slide 20 - Open question

We became friends. I felt (5) ...... to watch him work and play up-close.
A
advantageous
B
privileged
C
indulgent
D
gainful

Slide 21 - Quiz

B: privileged
A: advantageous to /for you
C: indulgent towards someone
D: gainful employment = profitable

All options are connected with the idea of something benefitting someone, but only B can be used to describe a feeling.

Slide 22 - Slide

It soon became clear that, like his music, his personal life was (6) ..... with dramatic contradictions, a combination of charm and chaos.

Slide 23 - Open question

It soon became clear that, like his music, his personal life was (6) ..... with dramatic contradictions, a combination of charm and chaos.
A
inundated
B
filled
C
plentiful
D
dense

Slide 24 - Quiz

B: filled
All are connected with the idea of having a lot of something, but only B can be used with the preposition 'with' AND has the correct meaning in the context.
A: inundated = you receive a lot of something e.g. requests

Slide 25 - Slide

Question 7 (not 8 yet)
Because he was a hero of mine, and because his art was so dazzlingly beautiful - so self-contained, so accomplished, so (7) .... slick - it took me a (8) ..... to realise my hero was drowning.

Slide 26 - Open question

Question 7:
Because he was a hero of mine, and because his art was so dazzlingly beautiful - so self-contained, so accomplished, so (7) .... slick - it took me a (8) ..... to realise my hero was drowning.
A
appreciably
B
fully
C
utterly
D
sorely

Slide 27 - Quiz

C: utterly
Utterly means completely, totally or absolutely.
A: appreciably = used with comparative adjectives.
B: fully = completely; nothing can be added.
D: sorely = very badly. Used in a few phrases such as 'sorely missed' or 'sorely needed'.
All options mean 'very', but only C forms the correct collocation.

Slide 28 - Slide

Question 8:
Because he was a hero of mine, and because his art was so dazzlingly beautiful - so self-contained, so accomplished, so (7) .... slick - it took me a (8) ..... to realise my hero was drowning.

Slide 29 - Open question

Question 8:
Because he was a hero of mine, and because his art was so dazzlingly beautiful - so self-contained, so accomplished, so (7) .... slick - it took me a (8) ..... to realise my hero was drowning.
A
while
B
phase
C
length
D
course

Slide 30 - Quiz

A: a while
All the options refer to a period of time, but only A has the correct meaning in the context and can form a phrase with the verb 'take'.

Slide 31 - Slide

Tips for Part 1

Slide 32 - Mind map

What would you like to practise?
Recap Emphasis
CPE Open Cloze
CPE Word Formation
Self Study

Slide 33 - Poll

Part 2: Open Cloze
Laughing is good for you - Seriously
It is a sad fact (0) THAT adults laugh far less than children, sometimes (9)........... as much as a couple of hundred times a day. Just take a (10) .............. at people's faces on the way to work or in the office; you'll be lucky to see a smile, let (11) ........... hear a laugh. This is a shame - especially in (12) ................ of the fact that scientists have proved that laughing is good for you. 'When you laugh,' says psychologist David Cohen, 'it produces the feel-good hormones, endorphins. It counters the effects of stress (13) ................. enhances the immune system.'
There are many (14) .............. why we might laugh less in adult life: perhaps we are too work-obsessed, or too embarrassed to (15)............ our emotions show.
 Some psychologists simply believe that children have more naïve responses, and as adults we naturally grow (16) ................. of spontaneous reactions.

Slide 34 - Slide

What is this text about?

Slide 35 - Open question

It is a sad fact (0) THAT adults laugh far less than children, sometimes (9)........... as much as a couple of hundred times a day.

Slide 36 - Open question

Just take a (10) .............. at people's faces on the way to work or in the office; you'll be lucky to see a smile, let (11) ........... hear a laugh. This is a shame....

Slide 37 - Open question

This is a shame - especially in (12) ................ of the fact that scientists have proved that laughing is good for you.

Slide 38 - Open question

'When you laugh,' says psychologist David Cohen, 'it produces the feel-good hormones, endorphins. It counters the effects of stress (13) ................. enhances the immune system.'

Slide 39 - Open question

There are many (14) .............. why we might laugh less in adult life: perhaps we are too work-obsessed, or too embarrassed to (15)............ our emotions show.

Slide 40 - Open question

Some psychologists simply believe that children have more naïve responses, and as adults we naturally grow (16) ................. of spontaneous reactions.

Slide 41 - Open question

Tips for Part 2

Slide 42 - Mind map

Part 3: Word Formation
  • Word-building exercise​
  • Text with eight gaps and one example​
  • Base form in capital letters at the end of the line​
  • Change to adjective, noun, verb or adverb​
  • Affixes (HONEST – DISHONESTY)​
  • Internal changes (STRONG – STRENGTHEN)​
  • Compounding (RAIN – RAINDROP)​
  • Several changes (EXPECT – UNEXPECTEDLY)  

Slide 43 - Slide

Part 3: Exam Technique
  • Read the title​
  • Skim the text​ 
  • Read directly before and after the gap​ 
  • What type of word is needed (noun, verb etc.)? ​ 
  • Plural? Person? Negative?​ 
  • Read the WHOLE sentence for CONTEXT​ 
  • Add your answer and read the whole sentence again​ 
  • When you have finished, re-read the whole text​
  • Usually at least one negative form needed

Slide 44 - Slide

Tube Inspired a Book
For many people, the London Underground is a grim (0) NECESSITY that gets them from A to B. But for (17)...... author Preethi Nair, it is a source of inspiration. She has just publised her first novel, Gypy Masala - a tale she dreamt up while commuting on the Metropolitan Line. 'Have you observed people on the Tube?' she asks (18)............ . 'Everyone is in their own little world. I just used to sit there and imagine what kind of lives they led.'
Gypsy Masala charts the adventures and (19) ............ thoughts of three members of an Indian family living in London, as they search for happiness. 'It is a story about following your dreams,' says Preethi, who gave up her high-pressure job as a management (20) ................ in order to go in (21) ............. of her ambition of becoming a writer. 'It was a big risk but it was definitely the right decision in terms of peace of mind and (22) .................. ,' she explains.
Preethi was born in a small village in the Indian state of Kerala and moved to London with her parents at the age of three. She says the striking contrast in cultures made a (23) .............. impression and is reflected in her story, which flits between the suburbs of London and (24) ................... India. Many of the scenes in the book are based on the place where she was born and spent long summer holidays. 
Tube inspired a Book
For many people, the London Underground is a grim (0)NECESSITY that gets them from A to B. But for (17) .... author Preethi Nair, it is a source of inspiration. She has just published her first novel, Gypsy Masala - a tale she dreamt up whilst commuting on the Metropolitan Line. 'Have you observed people on the Tube?' she asks (18)... . 'Everyone is in their own little world. I just used to sit there and imagine what kind of lives they led.'
Gypsy Masala charts the adventures and (19).... thoughts of three members of an Indian family living in London, as they search for happiness. 'It is a story about following your dreams,' says Preethi, who gave up her high-pressure job as a management (20)...... in order to go in (21) ...... of her ambition of becoming a writer. 'It was a big risk but it was definitely the right decision in terms of peace of mind and (22) .....,' she explains.
Preethi was born in a small village in the Indian state of Kerala and moved to London with her parents at the age of three. She says the striking contrast in cultures made a (23)........ impression and is reflected in her story, which flits between the suburbs of London and (24) ..... India. Many of the scenes in the book are based on the place where she was born and spent long summer holidays.

Slide 45 - Slide

What is this text about?

Slide 46 - Open question

But for (17) .... author Preethi Nair, it is a source of inspiration.
BUD

Slide 47 - Open question

'Have you observed people on the Tube?' she asks (18)... .
ENTHUSE

Slide 48 - Open question

Gypsy Masala charts the adventures and (19).... thoughts of three members of an Indian family living in London, as they search for happiness.
INNER

Slide 49 - Open question

'It is a story about following your dreams,' says Preethi, who gave up her high-pressure job as a management (20).....
CONSULT

Slide 50 - Open question

'It is a story about following your dreams,' says Preethi, who gave up her high-pressure job as a management (20)...... in order to go in (21) ...... of her ambition of becoming a writer.
PURSUE

Slide 51 - Open question

'It was a big risk but it was definitely the right decision in terms of peace of mind and (22) .....,' she explains.
CONTENT

Slide 52 - Open question

Preethi was born in a small village in the Indian state of Kerala and moved to London with her parents at the age of three. She says the striking contrast in cultures made a (23)........ impression and is reflected in her story...
LAST

Slide 53 - Open question

and is reflected in her story, which flits between the suburbs of London and (24) ..... India.
FAR

Slide 54 - Open question