Are you taking the B2 Cambridge (FIRST) exam? Then you might be looking for some practice exercises to get a good score in the B2 Reading and Use of English Paper. In this article, you can find a lot of free exercises to Practice Reading and Use of English Part 3, or Word Formation. We offer a series of B2 Word Formation exercises in sentences and also give you the answers to check your score. Finally, there is also an exam sample practice activity, so that you can practice Word Formation Part 3, as it appears in the Cambridge B2 exam.
Table of contents
B2 Word formation refers to Part 3 of the Cambridge Reading and Use of English Paper (B2 FIRST, or FCE). You are given a text with 8 gaps, which you have to complete using the stem words (they appear in bold, next to the text). You might have to:
- add a prefix
- add a suffix
- change the spelling
Your objective is to first, think about what part of speech is needed (noun, adjective, adverb, or verb) and then correctly change the stem word. Let’s have a look at an example:
Example: _______________ information, such as fake news can unfortunately affect public opinion to a great degree. (accurate)
As you can see here, we need an adjective, to describe the noun information. The sentence talks about fake news, so we need the opposite of accurate. We add the prefix in-, and our answer is ready: inaccurate.
Let’s start practising! To make the task easier, the first exercises are not a complete text, but different sentences. In parentheses, you can find the words that you need to change. After you complete the activity, scroll down for the answers.
- The effects of climate change are often considered _______________, posing a terrifying threat to the planet's ecosystems. (reverse)
- Education has the power to _______________ one's perspective and understanding of the world, opening doors to opportunities. (broad)
- Environmental pollution continues to _______________ wildlife, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices. (dangerous)
- It is _______________ known that persistent economic inequality reproduces the cycle of poverty in many countries. (common)
- Despite the challenges, an _______________ mindset can be a powerful force for personal growth and resilience. (optimism)
- High levels of _______________ can be a daunting prospect for individuals seeking economic stability. (employ)
- A job interview might seem terrifying, but with the right _______________ and skills, one can succeed in finding opportunities. (advise)
- To _______________ in a competitive job market, it's essential to continuously improve your skills and adapt to changing trends. (survival)
- While dreaming big is encouraged, it's essential to have practical and achievable goals to _______________. (success)
- Ryan Gosling gave a brilliant _______________ as Ken in the Barbie movie. (perform)
- His idea was _______________ and we had to quickly think of a realistic alternative. (practice)
- Social media are _______________ used for communication, but its effects on human interaction are debated. (wide)
- The film ____________________team worked tirelessly to create stunning visuals and captivating scenes. (produce)
- The basketball player's _______________ gave him a distinct advantage on the court, allowing for dunks and rebounds. (high)
- The flatmates engaged in a heated _______________ about household responsibilities, trying to find a compromise. (argue)
- The library aimed to make its resources more _______________ by offering online databases and e-books. (access)
- Going through a breakup can be a _______________ experience, often accompanied by emotional distress. (pain)
- He decided to _______________ his hair for a change, using a flat iron to achieve a sleek look. (straight)
- Expressing _______________ opinions can be challenging, but it's essential for fostering open discussions. (popular)
- The _______________ community celebrated the groundbreaking discovery. (science)
- Finding joy in small moments is the key to lasting_______________. (happy)
- She felt _______________ for the support of her friends during tough times. (gratitude)
- Despite careful planning, some delays are _______________ in complex projects. (avoid)
- He got _______________ lost and had to call his friends to pick him up. (complete)
- irreversible
- broaden
- endanger
- commonly
- optimistic
- unemployment
- advice
- survive
- succeed
- performance
- impractical
- widely
- production
- height
- argument
- accessible
- painful
- straighten
- unpopular
- scientific
- happiness
- grateful
- unavoidable
- completely
Now it’s time to test your skills in an exam-like sample task. The task is based on an opinion about the new social media platform, Threads. After the exercise, you can find the answers. How many did you get?
Threads-A new, text-based social media platform
This is an opinion a user left about the new social platform Threads. Do you agree?
“It is (1) _______________(common) known that social media play a vital role in today’s economy as they have great power over consumer (2) _______________(behave). In addition to this, they can also help in raising (3)_______________(aware) about social issues or in building meaningful human connections.
That’s why I was quite excited when the new social media, Threads made its (4) _______________(appear). It is a new, refreshing idea that focuses more on text rather than reels and photos, as Instagram does. That is (5) _______________(help) for people who are not into taking photos or recording videos but enjoy reading and writing.
The question is now if users will produce and share (6)_______________(value) content: social media, when used sensibly, could help in (7) _______________(strong) human relationships and educating on various topics. On the other hand, we have to be cautious about social media accounts that reproduce hate speech in order to get more (8)_______________(engage) and make sure we report them. Hopefully, Threads will become a safe place to discuss and exchange useful information. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Threads-A new, text-based social media platform
This is an opinion a user left about the new social platform Threads. Do you agree?
“It is commonly known that social media play a vital role in today’s economy as they have great power over consumer behaviour. In addition to this, they can also help in raising awareness about social issues or in building meaningful human connections.
That’s why I was quite excited when the new social media, Threads made its appearance. It is a new, refreshing idea that focuses more on text rather than reels and photos, as Instagram does. That is helpful for people who are not into taking photos or recording videos, but enjoy reading and writing.
The question is now if users will produce and share valuable content: social media, when used sensibly, could help in strengthening human relationships and educating on various topics. On the other hand, we have to be cautious about social media accounts that reproduce hate speech in order to get more engagement and make sure we report them. Hopefully, Threads will turn into a safe place where people can discuss and exchange useful information. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
We can see you are aiming for a high score, so let’s give you some tips for B2 Word Formation:
- Think carefully about what part of speech you need in each gap.
- Make sure you understand what the text is about. This is especially important when it comes to negative prefixes or suffixes.
- Practise a bit every day and make lists of the new words you find. You cannot study for this part of the exam just a week before it takes place.
- Don’t leave questions unanswered. Even if you don’t know the answer, try to guess it, there is no negative mark.
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Good luck with our exam preparation! You can find the answers to the quiz on the right, as well as more useful content by clicking on the picture.
