C1 Advanced Word Formation – test 1. You practice Use of English Part 3 on a text about microplastics in the environment. The test focuses on forming nouns from verbs and adjectives – the most common type of gap in this part of the exam.
C1 Advanced Word Formation – nouns
The most important noun suffixes at C1 level:
- -ence / -ance: present → presence,
- -tion / -ation: reveal → revelation, regulate → regulation,
- -ment / -ity: commit → commitment, necessary → necessity.
How to solve?
In the Reading and Use of English Part 3 exam, you receive a text with eight gaps. For each gap, a base word is provided, from which you need to form a word that fits the sentence. It is the same here: example (0) and eight gaps, and the base word is in parentheses right after the gap. First, determine what part of speech you need (noun, adjective, adverb, verb), then check if the meaning of the sentence requires negation or plural form.
This is the first test from the C1 Advanced Word Formation series. The next tests will require increasingly complex transformations.
Plastic everywhere
Microplastics have become one of the most (0) widespread (WIDE) forms of pollution on the planet. Their (1) (PRESENT) in seawater was first reported in the 1970s. Since then, they have been found everywhere, from Arctic ice to the (2) (DEEP) of the ocean. Most originate from the gradual (3) (DECOMPOSE) of larger plastic items.
Synthetic clothing releases fibres every time it is washed – a fact that comes as a (4) (REVEAL) to many consumers. The long-term (5) (CONSEQUENT) of microplastics for human health are still unclear. Scientists stress the (6) (NECESSARY) of further research.
Some manufacturers have already made a (7) (COMMIT) to phase out microbeads in cosmetics. Campaigners, however, are calling for stricter (8) (REGULATE) of the plastics industry as a whole. Real progress will depend on the cooperation of governments, businesses and individuals alike.