Vocabulary and word knowledge
Vocabulary items test word meaning in context, collocations, word forms, synonyms, and common phrases. Formats include sentence completion, matching, and choosing the closest meaning.
Core rules
- Use context clues: topic, positive or negative meaning, and the grammar slot.
- Check word form: noun, verb, adjective, or adverb; suffixes often reveal the needed class.
- Learn collocations in pairs: make a mistake, do homework, take a bus, have fun.
- Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: look after, give up, turn down, put off.
- Watch for similar spellings and false friends that look correct but do not fit.
Worked example
'We had to ___ the meeting because the teacher was ill.' A put off, B put on, C put up, D put away. Reasoning: illness explains why the meeting could not happen as planned. 'Put off' means postpone. 'Put on' means wear or organize a performance; 'put up' means build or tolerate; 'put away' means store. Answer A. The grammar fits all options, so meaning decides.
Traps
- Choosing a word that fits the sentence grammar but not the meaning.
- Confusing phrasal verbs with similar particles.
- Ignoring collocation: 'do a mistake' is wrong; 'make a mistake' is correct.
- Overlooking countability or plural forms.
Exam habit
Cover the options, predict a word from context, then choose the closest match. This reduces attraction to familiar but wrong words.