Grammar and vocabulary in use
What this domain tests
This domain checks control of advanced structures and precise lexis in context: tense and aspect, modality, conditionals and unreal past, inversion, subordination, collocation, and word formation. At C2 the focus shifts from basic correctness to appropriateness - choosing the form that fits register and nuance.
Concepts to master
- Aspect: perfect versus continuous (has written vs has been writing) changes emphasis on completion versus ongoing activity.
- Modality: must have, needn't have, should have express deduction, absence of obligation, and regret respectively.
- Unreal past: If I had known… I would have…; I'd rather you didn't…; It's high time we left.
- Inversion after negatives: Not only did she…, Rarely have I…, No sooner had he… than…
- Collocation and dependent prepositions: averse to, conducive to, commensurate with.
Traps
Typical distractors are near-synonyms with different collocates (do/make a decision), confusable pairs (affect/effect, principal/principle), and structures that look parallel but break a rule (double comparatives, wrong inversion auxiliary). Watch for sentences where two answers are grammatically possible but only one fits the meaning.
Rule of thumb
Insert each option into the gap and read the whole sentence aloud mentally. Check three things: grammatical agreement, collocation with neighbouring words, and meaning fit with the surrounding clause. If a negative adverb opens the clause, expect inversion.
Worked example
"No sooner ____ the results than the team revised its conclusions." Options: they had published / had they published / they published / did they publish. After No sooner we need inversion plus past perfect: had they published. The than confirms the past-perfect frame.