Completar, reescribir o transformar frases manteniendo el significado.
Claves
Temas frecuentes: pasiva, estilo indirecto, condicionales, relativos, wish, modales, unless, be used to + -ing.
Estrategia paso a paso
Identifica la estructura pedida y mantén el tiempo verbal (o haz el cambio que exige).
Trampas habituales
Olvidar el backshift en estilo indirecto o la coma en relativas explicativas.
Ejemplo resuelto
«Can we use it?» they asked → They asked if they could use it.
Preguntas de ejemplo
Intenta responder antes de abrir la solución.
Pregunta 1
Dificultad media≈ 10 min
Question 4 (2 points). Answer FOUR questions (from a to f) of your choice.
Write a new sentence that has the same meaning as the one given. Use the word or expression in brackets. Do not change the word(s) given. a) The film was so boring that we left before the end. (such) b) I'm sure Laura didn't take your keys. (can't) c) They will build a new sports centre next year. (be) d) "Let's go to the beach this weekend," said Tom. (suggested)
Complete the following sentence to report what was said. e) "I have lost my phone," Marta told us. Marta told us … .
Rephrase the sentence beginning with the words given. f) It's a pity I can't speak Italian. I wish … .
2 puntos.
Ver solución modelo y criterios
Solución
a) It was such a boring film that we left before the end. b) Laura can't (cannot) have taken your keys. c) A new sports centre will be built next year. d) Tom suggested going to the beach this weekend. / Tom suggested (that) we (should) go to the beach that weekend. e) Marta told us (that) she had lost her phone. f) I wish I could speak Italian.
Criterios de corrección
0.5 points per sentence; only the first FOUR answered are marked.
Each sentence must be grammatically, semantically and orthographically correct and use the word given without changing it.
Any variant listed in the model answer (or an equivalent correct one) is accepted.
Explicación
a) such + a + adjective + noun + that; b) deduction about the past: can't have + past participle; c) future passive; d) suggest + -ing or suggest that + (should) + infinitive, never "suggested to go"; e) backshift: have lost → had lost; f) wish + past (could) for a present wish.
Pregunta 2
Dificultad media≈ 10 min
The Library That Lends Everything but Books
When Hannah Price moved into her first flat in Bristol, she discovered that she needed a drill to put up a single shelf. Buying one seemed absurd: most household drills, experts say, are used for only a few minutes in their entire lifetime. Instead, she walked to the end of her street, where a former bank had been converted into a "Library of Things". For a small fee, she borrowed a drill for the weekend, together with a ladder and a box of screws. The idea, which first appeared in Germany and Canada in the early 2010s, has since spread to hundreds of neighbourhoods across Europe and North America.
The principle is simple. Instead of every household owning objects that spend most of their time in a cupboard, a community shares them. Members can borrow anything from sewing machines and tents to projectors and carpet cleaners. Volunteers check each item when it is returned and repair it if necessary. According to the organisers, a single shared drill can replace dozens of new ones, which means less money spent, less storage space needed and, above all, less waste. Supporters also point out that the libraries are welcoming places where neighbours who had never spoken before end up exchanging advice. In Bristol, the most popular items are not power tools but party equipment: a set of plates and glasses for forty people is booked almost every weekend.
However, the model is not free of difficulties. Many libraries depend on grants that only last a year or two, and finding volunteers to keep them open at weekends can be exhausting. Insurance is another headache: if a borrowed saw injures someone, who is responsible? Some projects have also discovered that the people who use them most are those who could easily afford to buy the objects anyway, while the families who would benefit most often do not know that the service exists. To reach them, a few libraries have started working with schools and social services, which offer free memberships to the families they support. "We are not trying to stop people from buying things," explains one coordinator. "We just want them to ask themselves a question first: do I really need to own this, or do I only need to use it?"
Question 4 (2 points). Answer FOUR questions (from a to f) of your choice.
Write a new sentence that has the same meaning as the one given. Use the word or expression in brackets. Do not change the word(s) given. a) It was the first time Hannah had used a drill. (never) b) Someone checks each item when it is returned. (is) c) It isn't necessary to buy a ladder. (have) d) I didn't know about the library, so I bought a ladder. (If)
Complete the following sentence to report what was said. e) "Do you know where the library is?" Hannah asked me … .
Rephrase the sentence beginning with the words given. f) People started sharing tools in this street ten years ago. People have … .
2 puntos.
Ver solución modelo y criterios
Solución
a) Hannah had never used a drill before. b) Each item is checked when it is returned. c) You don't have to buy a ladder. / You do not have to buy a ladder. (Also: We don't have to…) d) If I had known about the library, I wouldn't (would not) have bought a ladder. e) Hannah asked me if / whether I knew where the library was. f) People have been sharing tools in this street for ten years. / People have shared tools in this street for ten years.
Criterios de corrección
0.5 points per sentence; only the first FOUR answered are marked.
Each sentence must be grammatically, semantically and orthographically correct and use the word given without changing it.
Any variant listed in the model answer (or an equivalent correct one) is accepted.
Explicación
a) "the first time + past perfect" = "had never … before"; b) present simple passive; c) "not necessary" = "don't have to"; d) third conditional for a past situation that did not happen; e) reported yes/no question with if/whether, statement word order and backshift (is → was); f) present perfect (continuous) with "for" for an action that started in the past and continues.
Pregunta 3
Dificultad difícil≈ 10 min
Question 4 (2 points). Answer FOUR questions (from a to f) of your choice.
Write a new sentence that has the same meaning as the one given. Use the word or expression in brackets. Do not change the word(s) given. a) Although it was raining, the match continued. (despite) b) Somebody stole my bike while I was in the library. (had) c) We didn't take a map, so we got lost. (If) d) The last time I saw my cousin was in 2023. (since)
Complete the following sentence to report what was said. e) "Don't touch the paintings," the guide said to the students. The guide told the students … .
Rephrase the sentence beginning with the words given. f) It took me three hours to finish the project. I spent … .
2 puntos.
Ver solución modelo y criterios
Solución
a) Despite the rain, the match continued. / Despite the fact that it was raining, the match continued. / The match continued despite the rain. b) I had my bike stolen while I was in the library. c) If we had taken a map, we wouldn't (would not) have got lost. (Also: …we wouldn't have gotten lost.) d) I haven't (have not) seen my cousin since 2023. e) The guide told the students not to touch the paintings. f) I spent three hours finishing the project. / I spent three hours on the project.
Criterios de corrección
0.5 points per sentence; only the first FOUR answered are marked.
Each sentence must be grammatically, semantically and orthographically correct and use the word given without changing it.
Any variant listed in the model answer (or an equivalent correct one) is accepted.
Explicación
a) despite + noun / -ing / the fact that; b) causative "have something done" for something bad that happened to you; c) third conditional for an imaginary past; d) "the last time … was" → negative present perfect + since; e) reported order: told + object + (not) to-infinitive; f) spend + time + -ing.