Exercises C2 : practise advanced English grammar (practice and answers)

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Syntactic variations in English [C2] — VocaVerb

These three exercises will sharpen your command of advanced syntactic structures covered in the course: inversion, fronting, and cleft sentences. Work through each task carefully — the answers demand precise structural knowledge, not guesswork.

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Exercice 1 — Inversion and Fronting: Complete the Structure

Fill in the blank with the correct inverted or fronted form to complete each sentence grammatically and stylistically. Write the full sentence as your answer.

  1. Not only ___ the proposal without reading it, but he also refused to discuss it afterwards. (reject)
  2. Seldom ___ such a compelling argument presented before a court of that standing. (have / see)
  3. On the horizon ___ a fleet of ships, their sails barely visible through the morning haze. (appear)
  4. So exhausted ___ the rescue team that they collapsed the moment they reached the base camp. (be)
Correction

  1. Not only did he reject the proposal without reading it, but he also refused to discuss it afterwards.
  2. Seldom have we seen such a compelling argument presented before a court of that standing.
  3. On the horizon appeared a fleet of ships, their sails barely visible through the morning haze.
  4. So exhausted was the rescue team that they collapsed the moment they reached the base camp.

Exercice 2 — Spot and Correct the Syntactic Error

Each sentence contains one error related to inversion, fronting, or cleft structure. Identify the error and rewrite the full sentence correctly.

  1. It was the director who did suggested the rewrite, not the editorial team.
  2. Hardly he had sat down when the alarm sounded and the room erupted into chaos.
  3. What she wanted it was a sincere apology, not a formal letter drafted by lawyers.
  4. Never I have witnessed such brazen disregard for constitutional procedure in this chamber.
Correction

  1. It was the director who suggested the rewrite, not the editorial team.
  2. Hardly had he sat down when the alarm sounded and the room erupted into chaos.
  3. What she wanted was a sincere apology, not a formal letter drafted by lawyers.
  4. Never have I witnessed such brazen disregard for constitutional procedure in this chamber.

Exercice 3 — Cleft Sentences and Emphasis: Choose the Correct Form

Choose the option that correctly completes or reformulates each sentence using an appropriate cleft or emphatic structure, as studied in the course.

  1. The committee rejected the second amendment, not the first. Which cleft sentence best expresses this emphasis?
  2. Which sentence correctly uses a pseudo-cleft (wh-cleft) to foreground the action taken?
  3. Which sentence correctly applies fronting to achieve a literary, elevated tone?
  4. A writer wants to emphasise that it was the silence — not the violence — that disturbed the narrator. Which cleft is most precise?
Correction

  1. A. It was the second amendment that the committee rejected, not the first.
  2. B. What the government did was freeze all overseas assets immediately.
  3. C. Above all else, his integrity defined his legacy in the eyes of history.
  4. B. It was the silence, not the violence, that disturbed the narrator.

To go further on this topic:

Review the lesson · Crossword puzzle

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