Lexis and grammar in context: vocabulary, tense and aspect, syntax, word formation
What the domain tests
The lexis and grammar section checks vocabulary in context, tense and aspect, syntax and word formation. In Andalusia PAU English this usually appears as gap-fill, multiple-choice, synonym/antonym, sentence transformation or word-form items tied to the reading text. You need meaning and form, not isolated rules.
Core rules
- Vocabulary: use the sentence's collocations and register. 'Make a decision', not 'do a decision'; 'conduct research', not 'make research'.
- Tense/aspect: look for time markers and the speaker's viewpoint. 'Since 2022' + present perfect; 'by the time' + past perfect for the earlier action; 'this time next week' + future continuous.
- Syntax: check subject-verb agreement, word order in indirect questions, inversion after negative adverbials, and active/passive choice.
- Word formation: decide the part of speech first, then apply prefix/suffix and spelling changes: succeed -> success -> successful -> successfully; happy -> happiness; begin -> beginning.
- Transformation items: keep the original meaning and obey the given word. Do not add or delete information.
Worked example
Item: 'Had the volunteers known earlier, they ___ (collect) more waste.' Reasoning: 'Had + past participle' is an inverted third conditional without 'if'. The main clause needs 'would have + past participle': 'would have collected'. 'Would collect' is wrong because the past result is unreal. If the item were 'If the volunteers ___ (know) earlier, they would have collected more', the answer would be 'had known'. Word formation: 'The project's ___ (sustain) depends on local support.' The subject slot needs a noun; 'sustain' -> 'sustainability'. 'Sustainable' is an adjective and cannot be the subject here.
Traps
- False friends: 'actual' = real/current, not 'actual'; 'assist' = help, not 'attend'; 'library' = biblioteca, not librería.
- Using present perfect with a finished past time ('yesterday I have seen').
- Forgetting that 'news', 'information' and 'advice' are uncountable.
- Choosing a suffix that creates the wrong word class.
- Changing the meaning in a transformation to make it sound natural.
Exam routine
Label the missing word class before answering. Re-read the whole sentence after filling the gap. For transformations, check tense, polarity and subject.