Grammar Practice Exercises [ 2 ] Upper Intermediate

2 - ] Grammar Practice Exercises 

Upper Intermediate 

 Adjectives

1 - ] Order of Adjectives

Rewrite the sentences , putting the words into the correct order . If you think there should be a comma , add it in the correct place .

Example

1 . absolutely holiday wonderful was the .

The holiday was absolutely wonderful .

2 . enormous they old staying building grey are an in .

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3 . and looks now old he tired rather .

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4 . young met student charming we medical a .

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5 . angry an man is young he aggressive .

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6 . heavy is a he smoker very .

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7 . very has happy him she made .

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8 . heavy her gold a  gave necklace he beautiful .

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9 . close are friends extremely they .

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10 . moment at rather seem the unhappy you .

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11 . thoughtful a be man young seems very he to .

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12 . impractical is time-wasting expensive the and project .

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13 . beginning hair grey turn to is my .

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14 . young actress a Diana successful well-respected and is .

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15 . fine and now feeling I .

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2 . Construction of Adjectives .

Complete the sentences with participles as adjectives , using the following verbs . The verbs with adverbs should be used to form compound adjectives .

[ dry - change - act well - keep beautifully - break - decline fast - steal - tailor beautifully -

bring up well - continue - love - brush well - relax - think clearly -park - write well - embarrass - build well - plan badly - boil ]

Examples

1 . I t was a very restful holiday so I feel much more relaxed  now .

2 . It was a very well-acted play .

3 . I kept calling her by the wrong name ; it was very --------------------- .

4 . The --------------------- kettle filled the kitchen with steam .

5 . She’s a very ------------------------ child : she always behaves herself well .

6 . I think he may have died of a -------------------------- heart .

7 . Her hair is always very ----------------------------- .

8 . The increase in divorce reflects a --------------------------- attitude to marriage and relationships .

9 . She’s a very good person to have in meetings as she’s very ----------------------- .

10 . Shortage of money is a ------------------------------ problem for them : it probably always will be .

11 . The house is old but it’s very ----------------------------- .

12 . It was a ------------------- escape and so it inevitably failed .

13 . Badgers are a ------------------------ species in this country as more of them are killed every year .

14 . That’s a --------------------- suit he’s wearing .

15 . I need some ----------------------- fruit to put in the cake .

16 . This is a ----------------- garden : someone must spend a lot of time working on it .

17 . It was a very ----------------------- article .

18 . The police may charge you with receiving ---------------------- goods .

19 . They’re a very ----------------------- family and they give each other a lot of support .

20 . Children should not play near ------------------------- cars .

3 .Suffixes & Prefixes .

Complete the following sentences with an adjective formed from one of the following verbs or nouns , plus a suffix .

[ act - care - change - comfort - describe - dread - enjoy - forget - grace - motion - power - rely - submit - tire - truth ]

Example

1 . We had a lovely weekend ; it was thoroughly enjoyable .

2 . He never remembers my birthday ; I don’t know why he’s so ---------------------- .

3 . The problem is that there’s nothing we can do about it ; we’re completely ---------------- . 

4 . I believe what he says because he’s always been --------------- in the past .

5 . She never seems to run out of energy ; she’s completely ------------------ .

6. She’s a very ---------------- writer ; she gives you a very good feel for the places and characters in her stories .

7 . Don’t worry . If he’s said he’ll be there , then I sure he will . He’s very -------------- .

8 . His problem is that he always does exactly what people tell him to do : he’s just

so ---------------------- .

9 . You’re so --------------------------- : you’re always dropping things .

10 . I love to watch good ballet dancers : they’re so ----------------------------- .

11 . The cat stayed -------------------- as it waited to pounce on the bird .

12 . It’s a very --------------------- climate ; the weather can be completely different from one day to the next .

13 . It’s important to keep --------------------------- after you retire .

14 . The seats in first class were really ----------------------- I could easily have fallen asleep in them .

15 . The situation out there is ---------------------- . More and more people are dying every day .

4 - ]Negative Prefixes .

Use the following prefixes to form negative adjectives and put the adjectives into the correct columns

[ patient - relevant - attractive - literate - flexible - regular - legal - agreeable - mature - convenient - tasteful - moral - replaceable -  responsible - significant - possible - legible - honest - rational - explicable - justified - mortal - reversible - destructible - perfect - friendly - soluble - polite - logical - interesting - separable ]

dis -	un-	il-	im-	i n-		ir-
			impatient

5 - ] Comparison of Adjectives

1 - ]Put the adjectives in brackets into the comparative or superlative form .

Memo

The company’s annual report shows that sales figures were ---------------- (low) than the previous year . This is no surprise due to the recession but what is ---------------------------

( disappointing ) than this is the clear evidence that some of our very ------------ ( old) clients have switched to another supplier . We are aware that there are ------------- (cheap ) supplies than ourselves but this may not be the ------------------- ( important ) factor . One old client was heard to say that their new supplier was ---------------------(efficient) and ----------------------(flexible) than we are . If this is the case , then this is -------------(worrying) than anything else . The economic situation is getting -------------- (bad) and (critical) and if we do not compare favorably with our ------------- (big) competitors , then we will not survive . We used to have the --------------(high) reputation in the business but we are in danger of losing that forever ,. It is not easy to be the ----------------(good) but that is what we should be aiming for .   

2 - ] Put the adjectives in the phone conversation into the comparative or superlative form .

Pam : So how are you enjoying living in the new place ? 

Debbie : Oh , it’s very nice . The house is much --------------------(spacious) than the flat we had in London and one of the --------------------(good) things is being able to walk out of the back door into our own garden .

Pam : Mm , that must be lovely . So all in all , it’s much -----------------------(good) than London , is it ?

Debbie : Well , I’m not sure I would say that . It’s certainly --------------------(polluted) here and I suppose it’s ------------------------(stressful) and that must be good for me . But it’s just so much -----------------------(quiet) here and that takes some time to get used to . I suppose I miss the cultural diversity of London . Going out shopping in London was so much ----------

(interesting( that it is here . The people here are so much --------------------(varied) than they are in London .

Pam : I suppose that’s true . But it’s so much ----------------------(busy) on the streets here in London . It must be nice to walk around somewhere that’s much ------------------(crowded) .

Debbie : Well , sometimes it is . Anyway , at least I’m coming up to London next weekend . I’m --------------------(excited) about that than I am about anything happening round here .

Pam : Oh dear , you seem to be thinking that you haven’t made the ------------------(good) decision .

Debbie : Well , perhaps I’ll feel -----------------------(settled) here after a few months . Who knows ?

Pam : Yes , probably . I personally think you’re really lucky to be where you are . When I came to visit you , I thought it was one of the ------------------(beautiful) places I’d ever seen . 

Grammar Practice Exercises , Upper Intermediate [ 1 ]

 

1 - ] Grammar Practice Exercises 

Upper Intermediate

1 - Countable & Uncountable Nouns

1 . Write ‘ a / an’ before the nouns which are being used as countable nouns

1  . ---------------Beauty is subjective .

She’s --------------- real beauty .

2 . I am fortunate to have had ------------------ very good education .

------------------ education does not just take place at school .

3 . My eyes are very sensitive to ------------ light .

Is there ---------------- light in there ?

4 . You’ve been ------------ great help to me .

I’m sorry to ask you but I desperately need ----------- help .

5 . I don’t usually drink ------------- coffee .

I’ll have two teas and -------- coffee please .

6 . He has --------------- great love of music .

Sometimes ------------- love can be very painful .

7 . You’ll get better at the job as you gain ------------ experience .

I’m so glad I did it : it was ----------- wonderful experience .

8. The house is built of ------------ stone .

This is ---------------- beautiful stone .

9 . ------------- death comes to us all one day .

There’s been ---------------- death in the family .

10 . -----------fear is a perfectly natural human feeling .

He has -------------- terrible fear of heights .

11 . He was so hungry that he ate ----------------- whole chicken .

I don’t like red meat but I do eat -------------- chicken .

12 . I think that’s ---------------- really ugly painting .

-------------- painting can be a very relaxing activity .

13 . I usually eat ------------- fruit for breakfast .

That’s -------------- very unusual fruit . What is it ?

14 . Has this soup got -------- potato in it ?

Would you like ------------ baked potato ?

15 . You shouldn’t drink ------------ wine .

This is ------------ very nasty wine .

2 . Complete the sentences with ‘a / an / the’ or no article ‘----‘ .

1 . ‘How much are ------------- leeks ?’ ‘They’re 80 pence -------------- pound.

2 . I went to -------------wonderful concert by ------------ London Symphony Orchestra .

3 . ------------------ local school is soon to be closed .

4 . I usually go to ------------- work by ------------ train .

5 . Is ------------ meat in --------------- oven ?

6. Is this ------------- first time you’ve been to ----------- Isle of Man ?

7 . He’s ------------- art teacher and she’s --------------- electrician .

8. A lot of people give ----------- money to --------- charity at this time of year .

9. What ------------ beautiful face that child’s got !

10 . --------------- British usually have ------- butter on their bread .

11 . -------------- life is very difficult for ----------- unemployed these days .

12 . ---------- Leader of --------- Opposition is in danger of losing her seat at ----------- next election .

13 . I like to have ------------- cup of ----------- when I wake up in --------- morning .

14 . I saw ---------- fox this morning . I think it must have been ----------- same one that I saw last week .

15 . Can I have --------- apple ?

16 . Have you ever seen -------------- Acropolis is ----------- Athens ?

17 .  --------------- police have had a lot of support from ------------ general public over this issue .

18. ------------- shirts on ---------- washing-line should be nearly dry now .

19 . --------------people don’t like him because of his selfish attitude .

20 . I bought my sister --------- book and ----------- bottle of ---------- perfume for her birthday but I don’t think she liked ------------ perfume .

3. Put ‘ a / an / the’ or no article in the gaps in this letter .

Dear ------ Jo and Ian ,

This is ------------- picture of -------------- hotel we’re staying at . We were lucky enough to get one of ---------------- rooms overlooking ---------- sea and ----------- view is lovely . We had ------------- good journey over here and -------------children quite enjoyed ----------- flight . They’ve got ---------------- lovely room of their own and they think ------------hotel’s great . In general , we’ve all been having ------------ really good time .

Unfortunately , Penny got ---------------- very sun-burnt back on -------------first day so she’s had to wear ---------------shirt since then , but apart from that everyone’s been fine . Jeremy’s met ----------------------English boy of about ----------- same age and they get on very well . They went into ---------- town on their own ------------- last night and bought themselves ----------- meal. And tonight they want to go out to ---------- disco - there are plenty to choose from here .

We’ve spent most of our time on ------------ beach so far . ------------ sea is really warm and clear so we’ve done lots of  -------swimming . Tomorrow we’re going on ------------ boat trip to one of ---------------- islands and we’re going to have ---------- barbecue on ----------island .  

I’m really looking forward to that .

Anyway , I’ll give you ------------- ring when we get back and we’ll see you ----------- next week .

Best wishes ,

Sally and Robin .

4 . Rewrite the reference below , adding the definite article ‘the’ and the indefinite article ‘a /an’ where appropriate .

Reference : Tom Harding

Tom Harding has worked for this company for ten years . Throughout this time he has shown himself to be hard-working and enthusiastic employee . He first joined company as junior sales representative but was soon promoted and is now at head of successful team of sales representatives . He manages team with skill and energy and significant increase in sales achieved by team is measure of his success . He has considerable initiative and this has been particularly evident in area of training , where he has had notable success . Training program he devised for his team has now been adopted throughout company with very positive results .

On personal level , I have found Tom to be very honest and considerate person and he is well-liked in company . I have no hesitation in recommending him for job for which he has applied , though I would of course be sorry to lose him .

Ms Claire Alexander

Director of Personnel

Vocabulary Tests [ 61 ] , Test Sixty One

61 - ] Vocabulary Tests 

Test Sixty One .

1 - ] ‘Do’ , ‘make’ and ‘have’

1 - ] Supply the correct forms of do ,make or have

1 . Have you --------------your English exam ?

2 . I must congratulate you . You’ve ---------------a very good job .

3 . When are you going to ------------- your bath ?

4 . We’ll be ---------------- a big party next Saturday .

5 . Excuse me . I’ve got to -------------- a phone call .

6 . I wish you wouldn’t ------------------so much noise !

7 . You’ve -------------------dirty marks on the wall !

8.Did you hear that Mrs. Simpson has ------------ a baby boy ?

9 . I ---------------------- a pain in the stomach after eating too many figs .

10 . I’ll join you in a minute , after I’ve --------------- a shower .

11 . She doesn’t say very much . It’s difficult to -------------------conversation with her .

12 . Try not to ----------------too many mistakes !

13 . I’d like to know how he has -------------------so much money .

14 . We’ve got a lot to do , so it’s time we ------------------ a start .

15 . Did you -----------------English at school ?

16 . I didn’t finish my exam paper . I couldn’t ---------------------all the questions .

17 . ----------------------something ! Don’t just stand there watching me !

18. I won’t be free at 11. I’m going to ------------------a driving lesson .

19. Let me --------------- a try !

20. The world has ---------------------so many wars !

Answer Key

1 . done / had 2 . done 3 . have 4 . having 5 . make 6 . make 7 . made 8. had 9 . had

10 . had 11 . make 12 . make 13. made 14 . made 15. do 16 . do 17 . Do 18 . have

19 . have 20. had

2 - ] Supply the correct forms of do ,make or have

1 . Let’s hope European nations will never again -----------------war on each other .

2 . I hope you --------------------- a nice sleep !

3 . You’ll have to ----------------what you think is right .

4 . A long walk in the fresh air will --------------you a lot of good .

5 . I’ve ------------------------ my suitcase lighter by removing a couple of books .

6 . Don’t blame me . I didn’t ---------------anything out of a few ingredients .

8 . It --------------------no difference whether you believe me or not !

9 . Everyone will -----------------fun of you if you go to school dressed like that !

10 . I’m sure you’ll have a lovely evening and I hope you’ll ----------- a lot of fun .

11 . I’ve ----------------------an appointment to see my dentist on Wednesday .

12 . I can’t see you at 11 . I -------------------an appointment with my dentist .

13 . I -------------------------- a headache , so I took an aspirin .

14 . It looks as though those two cars have been -------------------- a fight .

15 . Did you --------------- a good game ?

16 . I don’t want to ----------------------  trouble for you .

17. If it’s fine tomorrow , we can go for a long walk and ------------------a picnic .

18. ---------------------a good trip !

19 . I don’t like being criticized after I’ve --------------my best .

20 . You can watch TV after you’ve ---------------------- your homework .

Answer Key

1 . make 2 . had / have 3 . do 4 . do 5 . made 6 . do 7 . make 8. makes 9 . make

10. have 11 . made 12 . have 13 . had 14 . having 15 . have 16 . make 17 . have

18 . have 19 . done 20. done

2 . Dressing and Clothes

 Supply the best  word or words .

1 . How long does it take you to -------------------in the morning ?

(A) get dressed (B) dress up (C) dress yourself

2 . You can’t go to the interview -----------------------jeans and an old jacket ?          

(A) dressed with (B) dressed in (C) dressed up

3 . Just a minute ! I must have a shower and ------------------before we go out .     

(A) change  (B) exchange

4 . You’d better --------------------your coat before you go out into the cold .          

(A) wear (B) dress in (C) have in (D) put on   

5 . ---------------------that blue dress to see if it suits you .       

(A) Test (B) Prove (C) Try on (D) Probe  

6 .  I can’t go out in this shirt . I’ve ----------------all day .         

(A) dressed in it (B) had it on (C) got dressed in it

7 . The doctor asked me to ----------------my shirt .         

(A) put off (B) take off (C) take out (D) put on

8 . We got John a new --------------------for his job interview .            

 (A) dress (B) costume (C) suit (D) suite

9.  How much would you expect to pay for a pair of men’s -----------------?         

 (A) socks (B) stockings (C) tights

10 . They won’t let you into the restaurant without a -------------------- .         

(A) cravat (B) tie

11 . These are -----------------------I work in .            

(A) clothing (B) clothe (C) clothes (D) cloth

12 .  Your collar looks very tight . Why don’t you your tie ?       

(A) loose (B) lose (C) loosen

13 . Ticket inspectors usually wear a blue suit and a ----------------------- .        

 (A) peaked cap (B) casket

14 . It was so early in the morning that she answered the door in a ---------------------           

(A) dressing gown (B) robe (C) dress

15 . How much -------------------in the window ?        

 (A) is that trouser (B) are these trousers (C) are those pantaloons

Answer Key

1 . A 2 . B 3 . A 4 . D 5 . C 6 . B 7 . B 8 . C 9 . A 10 . B 11 . C 12 . C 13 . A

14 . A ( Am E B) 15 . B 

Vocabulary Tests [ 60 ] , Test Sixty

 60 - ] Vocabulary Tests 

Test Sixty

Traveling By Train

Read the story . Refer to the list below and fill in the blanks with the best word or words . The first one has been done for you .

There are so many things you have to do when you (0) travel . Always make sure your

(1) ------------has(2) ---------------on it !

        If you’re going (3) ---------------train , the (4) -----------------you have to do is buy yourself (5) -----------à You usually have to stand in a (6) ----------------and it’s easy to

(7) --------------------your train and then waste hours (8) ---------------the next one !

         You buy (9) -----------or return ticket , and then look for a (10) -------------where you hope you will find a free (11)  --------------- .

          At last , you can (12) ----------------the train and settle down to enjoy the (13) ----------

If you’re lucky , the train (14) ---------------the station (15) --------------- .

          Sometimes (16) -----------------comes round to (17) ---------------your ticket , but usually you travel without interruption and can enjoy the (18) --------------- . You can relax till (19) -------------------time for you to (20) --------------when you arrive at your (21) --------------- .

0 . (A) journey                1 . (A)  luggage         2 . (A)  a cartel          3 (A) with

     (B)  travel                        (B)  valise                  (B)  a card               (B) by

                                              (C)   coffer                 (C) a label                (C) via  

                                                                                  (D) an etiquette

4 . ( A) first                      5 . ( A ) a billet         6 . ( A) a queue          7 . ( A ) miss           

     ( B ) first thing                ( B ) a ticket              (B ) line                      ( B ) lose

                                              ( C )  a card               ( C) row                      ( C ) loose

                                              ( D ) an etiquette       (D ) tail

8 . ( A ) waiting               9 . ( A ) a single       10 . ( A ) wagon             11 .( A ) seat

     ( B ) expecting                 ( B ) an ordinary      ( B ) carriage                 ( B ) place

                                                                                     ( C ) car                   (C ) chair

                                                                                                                       ( D ) space

12 . ( A ) get into             13 . ( A ) travel            14 . ( A ) leaves for  15 . ( A ) on time

       ( B ) enter into                ( B ) voyage                   ( B ) leaves for        ( B ) in time

       ( C ) enter                        ( C ) journey                 ( C ) leaves              ( C ) to time

       ( D ) go in                         ( D ) travels                   ( D ) lives                 

16 . ( A ) a conductor      17 . ( A ) examine         18 .  ( A ) ride           19. ( A ) it’s

       ( B ) a driver                    ( B ) interrogate            ( B ) drive               ( B ) its

       ( C ) an inspector             ( C ) question                ( C ) flight              ( C ) it has

       ( D ) a guide                      ( D ) look                        ( D ) walk

20 . ( A ) get off                21 . ( A ) term

       ( B ) go down                    ( B ) terminal

       ( C ) get down                   ( C ) station

       ( D ) descend                     ( D ) terminus

Answer Key

1 . A 2 . C 3 . B 4 . B 5 . B 6 . A 7 . A 8 . C 9 . A 10 . B 11 . A 12 . A 13 . C 14 . C

15 . A 16 . C 17 . A 18 . A 19 . A 20 . A 21 . C

2 -] Outside

Supply the best word or words

1 . The line you cross to go from one country to another is called the ------------- .

( A ) frontier   ( B ) boundary

2 . It’s wide and large and it’s often lines with trees . It’s ----------------- .

( A ) an avenue   ( B ) an alley ( C ) a street

3 . Climb to the top of a hill so that you can admire the ---------------------- .

( A ) country ( B ) land ( C ) countryside

4 . You have to drive very carefully if a road is full of ------------------------ .

( A ) angles ( B ) bends ( C ) corners

5 . If you want to put up a tent , you’ll have to look for a nice flat piece of -------------- .

( A ) ground ( B ) soil ( C ) earth

6. There are quite a few islands off the west ------------------of Scotland .

( A ) shore ( B ) cost ( C ) coast ( D ) beach ( E ) seaside

7 . It can be very cold at night in the ------------------ .

( A ) dessert ( B ) desert

8 . How many people are there in the ---------------------- ?

( A ) cosmos ( B ) earth ( C ) world

9 .  An open place in a city , town or village where people like to sit . It’s called -------------

( A ) a square ( B ) a circus ( C ) a place

10 . You’d expect to be able to buy fresh fruit and vegetables in ---------------- .

( A ) a market ( B ) a bazaar

11 . Where you were born in your -----------------of origin .

( A ) countryside ( B ) country ( C ) nation

12 . If we ask ‘How long will you be in this country ?’ , we are referring to ---------------

( A ) the country we are in ( B ) some other country

13 . Look up and you will see -------------------

( A ) the sky ( B ) heaven ( C ) the heaven

14 . It’s often made of iron and can lead into a garden . It’s -------------------- .

( A ) a port ( B ) a door ( C ) a gate ( D ) a doorway  

15 . I think Mauritius is my favorite -------------------on earth . 

( A ) place ( B ) part ( C ) space ( D ) room

Answer Key

1. A 2 . A 3 . C 4 . B 5 . A 6 . C 7 . B 8 . C 9 . A 10. A 11 . B 12 . A 13 . A 14 . C 15 . A