GOOD EXAMPLES OF WRITINGS IN THE BRITISH COUNCIL

 

The British Council provides good examples of writings of all levels. Click HERE to see useful texts for EBAU test: 

NARRATIVE TEXTS

 

In the British Council you have very good materials to prepare a narrative text. 

Click HERE to read an example with some activities.

 

Another example of Narrative text: 

The finished story

https://test-english.com/explanation/b1-b2-writing-explanation/narrative-writing-step-by-step/

I never thought something like this could happen. A few nights ago, I was in bed watching TV. I had been working very hard all day and now I was angry and exhausted. I was trying not to think how much I hated my boss when the lottery show started. I looked at the numbers and I couldn’t believe it. I was rich. I was very rich!

The only reason I had bought that lottery ticket was because the previous night I had dreamed that after winning a lot of money, I paid a visit to my boss to tell him that he was a jerk. It felt so good that the following day when I was passing the lottery shop on my way to work, I couldn’t resist.

The next day, I got up and went to work, as usual, but first I went to the bank to deposit the ticket. When I arrived at the office, I went straight into my boss’s office without knocking at the door, obviously. When he looked at me angrily, I smiled and said, “You are the biggest jerk I’ve ever met. I quit!”

Narrative tenses

Use past simple to describe the events of a story in chronological order.

Use past continuous to set the scene and to describe actions or situations that were in progress (not finished) at a certain point in the story.

Use past perfect to describe events that happened earlier in the past.

Use past perfect continuous to describe longer continuous actions (or repeated actions) that started earlier in the past.

40 SENTENCES. FINAL REVISION

REPORTED SPEECH Turn the following into REPORTED SPEECH.

 

1. The teacher said: “Some students didn’t do their homework yesterday.”

THE TEACHER SAID (THAT) SOME STUDENTS HADN’T DONE THEIR HOMEWORK THE DAY BEFORE/THE PREVIOUS DAY.

 

2. “Can Africa be saved this century?’, the journalist asked.

THE JOURNALIST ASKED IF AFRICA COULD BE SAVED THAT CENTURY.

 

3. She told him: “Stay with me after the operation today.”

SHE TOLD HIM TO STAY WITH HER AFTER THE OPERATION THAT DAY.

 

4. He asked: “Do you often play rugby here?”

HE ASKED IF I/WE/THEY OFTEN PLAYED RUGBY THERE.

 

5. Julia said: “We will meet our new instructor tomorrow”

JULIA SAID (THAT) THEY/WE WOULD MEET THEIR/OUR NEW INSTRUCTOR THE FOLLOWING DAY/THE DAY AFTER.

 

RELATIVE CLAUSES Join the phrases using a relative clause. Make changes if necessary.

 6. Citizens have to pay taxes. Local Governments fix them.

CITIZENS HAVE TO PAY TAXES (WHICH/THAT) LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FIX.

 

7. Martin´s mother is Spanish. She speaks both Spanish and English fluently.

MARTIN’S MOTHER, WHO IS SPANISH, SPEAKS BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH FLUENTLY.

MARTIN’S MOTHER, WHO SPEAKS BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH FLUENTLY, IS SPANISH.

 

 

8. This is the expensive hotel. Martin always stays there.

THIS IS THE EXPENSIVE HOTEL WHERE MATIN ALWAYS STAYS.

 

9. John has given up smoking. He was a heavy smoker.

JOHN, WHO WAS A HEAVY SMOKER, HAS GIVEN UP SMOKING.

 

10. He received an e-mail. Its content was spam.

HE RECEIVED AN E-MAIL WHOSE CONTENT WAS SPAM.

 

 

RELATIVE CLAUSES: Split these sentences into two sentences:

11.-The farmer whose name was Fred sold us 10 pounds of potatoes.

THE FARMER SOLD US 10 POUNDS OF POTATOES. HIS NAME WAS FRED.

12.-Elephants which are the largest land mammals live in herds of 10 or more adults.

ELEPHANTS LIVE IN HERDS OF 10 OR MORE ADULTS. THEY ARE THE LARGEST MAMMALS.

13.-The author who graduated from the same university I did gave a wonderful presentation.

THE AUTHOR GAVE A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. HE/SHE GRADUATED FROM THE SAME UNIVERSITY I DID.

14.-My mother, who is 86, lives in Paris.

MY MOTHER LIVES IN PARIS. SHE IS 86.

 

CHANGING TENSES

 

15. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative form of the Present Perfect:

"A British minister flew to Paris". A BRITISH MINISTER HASN’T FLOWN TO PARIS.

 

16. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative interrogative form of the Future:

"French customs men did not stop their bus". WON’T FRENCH CUSTOMS MEN STOP THEIR CAR?

WILL FRENCH CUSTOMS MEN NOT STOP THEIR CAR?

 

17. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative interrogative form of the Simple Past:

"Many English people, however, save their money for annual holiday".

DIDN’T MANY ENGLISH PEOPLE, HOWEVER, SAVE THEIR MONEY FOR ANNUAL HOLIDAYS?

DID MANY ENGLISH PEOPLE, HOWEVER, NOT SAVE THEIR MONEY FOR ANNUAL HOLIDAYS?

 

18. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative interrogative form of the Simple Conditional:

"The kind of accommodation varies from place to place".

WOULDN’T THE KIND OF ACCOMODATION VARY FROM PLACE TO PLACE?

WOULD THE KIND OF ACCOMODATION NOT VARY FROM PLACE TO PLACE?

 

19. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative form of the Simple Past:

"Cross-racial relationships are likely to keep increasing".

CROSS-RACIAL RELATIONSHIPS WEREN’T LIKELY TO KEEP INCREASING.

 

20. Rewrite the following sentence in the affirmative form of the Conditional:

"There were long depressing silences".

THERE WOULD BE LONG DEPRESSING SILENCES.

 

21. Write this sentence in the negative form:

"He left the delighted student to continue his reading".

HE DIDN’T LEAVE THE DELIGHTED STUDENT TO CONTINUE HIS READING.

 

22. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative interrogative form of the Simple Past:

"We can find none".

COULDN’T WE FIND ANYONE?

COULD WE NOT FIND ANYONE?

 

23. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative form of the Simple Future:

"He would be able to watch the formation of new lakes".

HE WON’T BE ABE TO WATCH THE FORMATION OF NEW LAKES.

 

24. Rewrite the following sentence in the interrogative form of the Future:

"Most people said that partners should be within a 10-year-span".

WILL MOST PEOPLE SAY THAT…?

 

25. Rewrite the following sentence in the negative form of the Present Simple:

"People responded to this question in the September issue".

PEOPLE DON’T RESPOND TO …

 

PASSIVE VOICE Turn the following into PASSIVE VOICE.

 

26. Medical advances have greatly reduced the number of deaths.

THE NUMBER OF DEATHS HAVE GREATLY BEEN REDUCED BY MEDICAL ADVANCES.

 

27. We have to find new ways back to the old values.

NEW WAYS BACK TO THE OLD VALUES HAVE TO BE FOUND (BY US).

 

28. Governments are analysing the benefits of green energy.

THE BENEFITS OF GREEN ENERGY ARE BEING ANALYSED BY GOVERNMENTS.

 

29. They are going to build a new bridge in my town.

A NEW BRIDGE IS GOING TO BE BUILT IN MY TOWN (BY THEM).

 

30. My father repairs old radios.

OLD RADIOS ARE REPAIRED BY MY FATHER.

 

 ACTIVE VOICE   Turn the following into ACTIVE VOICE.

 

31. Help has been offered by some non-profit organizations.

SOME NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE OFFERED HELP.

 

32. A picture of an attacking shark was shown by the scientist.

THE SCIENTIST SHOWED A PICTURE OF AN ATTACKING SHARK.

 

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES. COMPLETE THE FIRST SENTENCE. THEN TRANSFORM IT.

 33.- If he (BRING) ___BRINGS_________ his passport, he will not have trouble at the airport.

CHANGE TO 3º CONDITIONAL:

If he (BRING) ___HAD BROUGHT_________ his passport, he WOULDN’T HAVE HAD trouble at the airport.

 

34.- You wouldn’t be hungry now if you _HAD__________ (HAVE) breakfast.”

CHANGE TO 3º CONDITIONAL:

You wouldn’t HAVE BEEN hungry now if you _HAD HAD_____ (HAVE) breakfast.”

 

35.- I will not lend him any money unless he _PAYS_________ (PAY) all his debts.

 

36.- “If we used more green energy, we __WOULD STOP__________ (STOP) global warming.

CHANGE TO 3º CONDITIONAL:

If we HAD used more green energy, we __WOULD HAVE STOPPED__________ (STOP) global warming.

 

37.- Write in the third conditional: "I didn't have time, so I didn't read the article".

If I HAD HAD TIME, I WOULD HAVE READ THE ARTICLE.

 

GIVE A QUESTION FOR THE UNDERLINED WORDS:

 

38. Mozart spent eighteen days composing his last opera. HOW LONG / HOW MANY DAYS DID MOZART SPEND COMPOSING HIS LAST OPERA?

 

39. We attend English classes three times a week. HOW OFTEN/ HOW MANY TIMES A WEEK DO YOU ATTEND ENGLISH CLASSES?

 

40. The new manager has stayed three months in England. HOW LONG HAS THE MANAGER STAYED IN ENGLAND?