More Tips and Practice- Part 3- Word Formation- Reading and Use of English

Tips for the B2 First (Cambridge English: First, FCE) Word Formation (Part 3)

Part 3, the Word Formation, focuses on vocabulary. Here are some tips to follow when attempting the Word Formation task:

• Make sure you read the title and the complete text first before attempting to answer any questions. Having an overview of the content will sometimes help you to identify the form of missing words.
• Decide whether the missing word is a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb etc.
• Pay attention to the sentence containing the gap and decide if the missing word has a positive or negative meaning.
• If the word is a noun does it need to be in the plural form?

Let’s Practice

For Questions 1-8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap. There is an example at the beginning.

Example:
(0) COMMONLY

An Incredible Vegetable

Garlic, a member of the Lilliaceae family which also includes onions, is (0) COMMONLY (COMMON) used in cooking all around the world. China is currently the largest (1) …….. (PRODUCT) of garlic, which is particularly associated with the dishes of northern Africa and southern Europe. It is native to central Asia and has long had a history as a health-giving food, used both to prevent and cure (2) ……… (ILL) In ancient Egypt, workers building the pyramids were given garlic to keep them strong, while Olympic athletes in Greece ate it to increase their resistance to infection. The forefather of antibiotic medicine, Louis Pasteur, claimed garlic was as (3) …….. (EFFECT) as penicillin in treating infections. Modern-day (4) …….. (SCIENCE) have proved that garlic can indeed kill bacteria and even some viruses, so it can be very useful for people who have coughs and colds. In (5) …….. (ADD), some doctors believe that garlic can reduce blood (6) …….. (PRESS) The only (7) …….. (ADVANTAGE) to this truly amazing food is that the strong and rather (8) …….. (SPICE) smell of garlic is not the most pleasant!

(Source: FCE Handbook. Reproduced with permission from Cambridge English)

Check your answers⇓

Answer key

1. PRODUCER
2. ILLNESS
3. EFFECTIVE
4. SCIENTISTS
5. ADDITION
6. PRESSURE
7. DISADVANTAGE
8. SPICY