INVERSION IN ENGLISH

What is an inversion?

 Certain words and phrases can be put at the beginning of a sentence. When this happens, inversion is used, which means placing the verb before the subject. In cases where the tense does not use an auxiliary verb in the affirmative, such as the present simple or the past simple, one must be added. 

Why do we use an inversion?

 To give emphasis or literary or dramatic effect in formal writing and speech.

 When do we use an inversion?

 1. Inversion after negative adverbs and adverbs expressions:

         Never, rarely, seldom, hardly ever, not once (These are most commonly used with present perfect        or past perfect, or with modals such as can and could.

 

Never have I felt better

Rarely had his father been more helpful.

 

 Hardly…when, barely…when, scarcely…when, no sooner….than  These refer to an event which quickly follows another in the past. They are usually used with past perfect, although no sooner can be followed by past simple.

 

Hardly had I arrived home when the phone rang.

No sooner was she back home than she realized her mistake.

 

-                  Expressions containing the word no: Under no circumstances, On no account, At no time, In              no way.

Under no circumstances can customers pay in cash.

In no way do I agree with you.

     Not since, not until, only after, only then, only if, only when, only once, only by (+ verb-ing): in       these expressions, the inversion comes in the second part of the sentence

 

Only when we arrived home did I realize I had lost my purse

Only by working hard, did he get the job.

 

-                In Not only…….. but also inversion is used.

 

Not only did we lose our money, but also we had an accident.

 

     little with a negative meaning

 

Little do they know how lucky they are to live in such a wonderful house.

 2. Conditional clauses in which, if is replaced

   First conditional: replace if with should

Should he call, please tell me.

-          Second conditional: replace if with were and verb in infinitive with to

Were I to meet the Queen of England, I would be delighted.

-          Third conditional: delete if and invert the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Had I my alarm clock worked, I would not have missed the flight.

 

3. Inversion with so/such ……that

       - so+ adjective/little/few/much/many

                        So little did he know about her that he didn't know her name.

                        So exhausted was she that she fell asleep on the couch.

      - such + noun

                        Such was the film's popularity that the cinema was full every day.

EXERCISES:  1   / 2   / 3   / 4   / 5   / 

TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR READING COMPREHENSION

 

TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR READING COMPREHENSION

Reading is fun, relaxing, and helps you increase your knowledge and boost your vocabulary, writing, and grammar.

TURN THE READING INTO A RITUAL:

1.       Make it a habit.

2.       Make time for your reading.

3.       Read daily.

4.       Look for a quiet place to read.

5.       Avoid distractions at all costs.

 TIME TO READ:

1.       Choose reading material in line with your interest (don´t waste your time reading something you find boring) and according to your English level. If you don´t know it, you can find out here, click Macmillan Readers Level Test 

2.       Skimming technique: read to get a general idea about the text, don´t worry about what you don´t understand.

3.       Scanning technique: read to search for specific information.

4.       Once you have read, go back and look up the words you don´t understand.

 WHAT TO READ: here are some useful links

    Graded readers:    english-e-reader.net and esl-bits.net

    News in levels:     newsinlevels, enewsdispatch. and breakingnewsenglish.

   Spanish newspapers English edition: spainenglish and english.elpais.com

   Newspapers: the guardian, theconversation., and bbc news

- 

 

FIRST / B2 LISTENING PART 3: TIPS AND EXERCISES

 Listening part 3:

You will hear five different speakers talking on the same subject. There are 8 options, and you have to match which one fits what each speaker says. Three options don´t match any speaker.

Tips: 1. Read through the questions and options in the time you are given (30 seconds).
         2. Underline the keywords.
         3. On your first listening, write the letter next to each speaker.
         4. On your second listening, check your answer.

Exercises:

Exercise 1         Exercise 2             Exercise 3             Exercise 4 

Exercise 5         Exercise 6

APTIS READING PART 3: TIPS AND EXERCISES

 Part 3 Opinion Matching

You will read a text of four paragraphs that gives four different people's opinion on a common topic. You will have to match the people to the seven statements provided. Because there are seven statements, three people will be used twice. 

TIPS:

- Read the paragraphs one by one.

- Pay attention to the key facts about each person.

- Study the questions and identify the keywords. 

- Paraphrase and understand the same thing written differently.

- Match the questions.

EXERCISES:

Exercise 1         Exercise 2         Exercise 3         Exercise 4         

Exercise 5         Exercise 6

FIRST/B2: LISTENING PART 2, TIPS AND EXERCISES

 Listening part 2: 

You will hear one person talking, and you will have 10 gaps to complete with no more than three words. The recording often uses words different from the ones in the questions. Think about synonyms.

Tips: 1. Read through the passage; you will have 45 seconds.
         2. Think about the kind of word you need, for instance, a noun, a verb, etc.
         3. Make a specific guess, for example, a date, a number, and so on.
         4. If you miss an answer, keep focused and move to the next question.

Exercises:

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Exercise 6

APTIS READING PART 2: TIPS AND EXERCISES

 Part 2: Text cohesion 

There are two different texts, each one contains six sentences, but only the first sentence is in its correct place. You have to put the other five sentences in each text into the correct order to make a complete text. 

TIPS:

- Read the text and pay attention to any sequencing or referencing words or phrases.

- Choose the sentence for the beginning of the story.

- Think about the sequence of the events.

- Choose the rest of the sentences.

- Read the sentences and make sure they´re in the correct order.

EXERCISES:

Click on the links below and do the exercises: 

Exercise 1         Exercise 2          Exercise 3          Exercise 4             Exercise 5 

Exercise 6         Exercise 7          Exercise 8           Exercise 9             Exercise 10

Exercise 11        Exercise 12

FIRST /B2: LISTENING PART 1, TIPS AND EXERCISES

Listening part 1: 

You will hear 8 different people talking in eight different situations, and you will have to choose the best answer (a, b or c). All the options will be mentioned. The correct answer could be anywhere in the recording: beginning, middle or end.

Tips A: 1. Read through the question and underline the keywords.
             2. Ignore the options a,b or c.
             3. Listen one time and think which the answer to the question can be.
             4. look at the options and choose the most similar to your answer.
             5. Listen a second time to confirm your answer.

Tips B: 1. Read through the questions and the three options.
             2. Underline the keywords.
             3. Listen to general meaning on your first listening.
             4. Listen to specific information on your second listening.
             4. Choose the correct one.

LISTENING PRACTICE: 

 

exercise 1         exercise 2         exercise 3         exercise 4         exercise 5        

 exercise 6      exercise 7         exercise 8

APTIS READING PART 1: TIPS AND EXERCISES

 

Part 1: Sentence comprehension

You will read a short text in the form of a note or an email. There are five free-standing sentences to complete. The first one is given as an example. You have to choose a word (there is a choice of three) to complete each sentence.

TIPS:

-          Read each sentence with all the options carefully.

-          Look at the words before and after the space.

-          Decide the type of word that is missing (adverb, noun, verb, …)

-          Decide if the missing word is part of a fixed phrase or a collocation, or a phrasal verb.

-          Eliminate the incorrect answers before making a selection.

-          Once you have filled in all the gaps, reread it to check.

EXERCISES:

Click on the links below and do the exercises:  

exercise 1  (there are more exercises available)    

exercise 2         exercise 3         exercise 4        exercise 5          exercise 6        

exercise 7         exercise 8         exercise 9         exercise 10

APTIS GENERAL READING EXERCISES

3. Reading: 35 minutes ( PART 2 HAS CHANGED, AND PART 3 IS NEW)

Click on the links below to practise exercises for each of these readings and click on the bottom to check your answers.

PART 1: SENTENCE COMPREHENSION

EXERCISE 1     EXERCISE 2     EXERCISE 3     EXERCISE 4     EXERCISE 5     EXERCISE 6 

EXERCISE 7     EXERCISE 8     EXERCISE 9     EXERCISE 10     EXERCISE 11    EXERCISE 12

EXERCISE 13     EXERCISE 14     EXERCISE 15     EXERCISE 16     EXERCISE 17 

EXERCISE 18   

PART 2: TEXT COHESION

EXERCISE 1     EXERCISE 2     EXERCISE 3     EXERCISE 4     EXERCISE 5     EXERCISE 6   

EXERCISE 7     EXERCISE 8     EXERCISE 9     EXERCISE 10     EXERCISE 11    EXERCISE 12

EXERCISE 13     EXERCISE 14   


PART 3: OPINION MATCHING

EXERCISE 1     EXERCISE 2     EXERCISE 3     EXERCISE 4     EXERCISE 5     EXERCISE 6

EXERCISE 7     EXERCISE 8     EXERCISE 9    EXERCISE 10     EXERCISE 11    EXERCISE 12

EXERCISE 13     EXERCISE 14     EXERCISE 15     EXERCISE 16     EXERCISE 17   

EXERCISE 18     EXERCISE 19


PART 4: LONG TEXT COMPREHENSION

READING 1     READING 2     READING 3     READING 4     READING 5     READING 6

READING 7     READING 8     READING 9     READING 10   READING 11     READING 12

READING 13     READING 14     READING 15     READING 16     READING 17

READING 18     READING 19

APTIS GENERAL 2020 MOCK TEST AND TIPS

 TIPS AND LINKS :

 CLICK HERE: BRITISH COUNCIL DEMO 

SPEAKING
Part 1:To prepare for this task, it is a good idea to practise introducing yourself and talking about your personal experiences. Think about familiar topics and practise giving general information. Try not to talk in lists but instead use connecting devices, complex sentences and a wide range of grammar. 
Part 2: You should try to be fluent and spontaneous, showing little sign of effort. Make sure you answer all three questions.
Part 3: To prepare for this task, it is a good idea to practice comparing two different things. Focus on describing their advantages and disadvantages. With speculation, it is essential to make sure you are using the correct grammatical structures.Part 4: Focus on answering each question in a clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech. To prepare for this part, it is a good idea to practise speaking for two minutes on an abstract topic. Make sure you practise using your planning time wisely to structure what you are going to say.

                                           🔼 APTIS SPEAKING DEMO TEST 🔽 

 LISTENING
Make sure you are familiar with the structure of the exam.
Read the questions carefully, pay attention to the key words and synonyms.
Use the second listening to check or confirm your answer.
Listen to the whole recording before choosing the correct answer.

                                                   🔼 APTIS LISTENING DEMO TEST 🔽

WRITING
Read the question carefully,
Plan what you are going to write before starting.
Manage your time.
Review your answers and keep to the word limit.

                                                  🔼 APTIS WRITING DEMO TEST 🔽

READING
Part 1:  read the text before and after the gap, then choose the correct one.
Part 2: read all the sentences, there are clues in each sentence that shows how it links to other sentences, decide on the correct order. 
Part 3: read each paragraph to understand each person´s point of view. Then, read the statements and choose the correct option. 
Part 4: First, skim (quickly read) through the text quickly without looking at the headings and find out what the general idea of the text is. Second,  reread the text, but not the headings, paying more attention and try to find the primary purpose in each paragraph. Third, look at your ideas and see if they match any of the headings. Then, match the ones you are sure about and leave the most difficult for the end.

                                                      🔼 APTIS READING TEST DEMO 🔽

GRAMMAR AND READING
Read all the options and then choose. After that,  read the sentence again to check your answer is correct.

                                     🔼 APTIS GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY DEMO TEST🔽

Aptis videos: tips and formats: grammar and vocabulary          writing          speaking          listening    reading

APTIS GENERAL 2020: NEW TEST FORMAT

TEST FORMAT AND TYPE TASKS

1. Grammar and Vocabulary: 25 minutes
       
 - grammar: 25 multiple choice questions

 - vocabulary: 25 questions
          task 1 word pairs: match a word to another one of very similar meaning. (5 words with 10  options)
          task 2: match a word to its definition
          task 3 sentence completion: choose a word to be used in the context of a sentence
          task 4 word combinations: combine words that are commonly used together.

2. Listening: 40 minutes (PART 2,3 AND 4 ARE NEW)

There are 17 tasks and 20 recordings.

- Part 1 information recognition: listen to a short monologue or dialogue to identify specific information (13 questions of 3 option multiple choice).

- Part 2 information matching: you will listen to 4 short monologues on a common topic by four different people. There are two extra options which you do not need to use.

- Part 3 Inference discussion: you will listen to a man and a woman. Read the opinions and decide whose opinion matches the statements the man, the woman or both.

- Part 4 Inference longer monologues: you will listen to two monologues on different topics. You will have to identify the speaker´s opinion or point of view on two aspects of the topic.

3. Reading: 35 minutes ( PART 2 HAS CHANGED AND PART 3 IS NEW)

- Part 1 sentence comprehension: you will read a short text (a note or an email). You will have to choose the correct word (3 option multiple choice) to complete  5 sentences.

- Part 2 text cohesion: There are two different texts. For each text, you will have to put the sentences into the correct order to make a complete text, the first sentence is in the correct place.

- Part 3 opinion matching: you will read the opinions of four people on the same topic. Then, you read 7 statements and decide which person´s opinion matches each statement.

- Part 4 long text comprehension (750 words): there are seven paragraphs and 8 headings, you have to match the paragraphs to the headings, there is an extra heading you do not need to use.

4. Writing: 50 minutes

- Part 1 ( 3 minutes) / (1-5 words for each question) word-level writing: you will have to respond to messages using individual words.

- Part 2 (7 minutes) / (20-30 words) short test writing: you will write personal information.

- Part 3 (10 minutes) / (30-40 words) three writing responses to questions: you will respond to written questions on a social network-type website.

- Part 4 (30 minutes)  (40-50 words for the informal email / 120-150 for the formal email) formal and informal writing: you will have to write an informal email to a friend and a formal email to an unknown person in response to some information you have received from the club or group.

5. Speaking: 12 minutes

- Part 1 personal information: you will respond to three personal questions about your self and your interest. You are expected to speak for 30 seconds for each question.

- Part 2 describe, express opinion and provide reasons and explanations: you will have to describe a photo and answer two questions about your own experience of the topic and to comment on some more general aspect of the topic. You are expected to speak for about 40 seconds for each question.

- Part 3 describe, compare and provide reasons and explanations: you will have to describe two contrasting pictures and answer two questions expressing an opinion on or speculating about the topic. You are expected to speak for about 40 seconds for each question.

- Part 4 discuss personal experience and opinion on an abstract topic: you will have to answer three questions on an abstract topic. You have one minute to prepare your answer and you can take brief notes. You are expected to speak for about 2 minutes.