Cambridge Proficiency key word transformations reversi
Instructions for teachers
Cut up one set of cards per group of three or four students, with both versions of each transformation attached to each other, i.e. two cells of the table in each card. Don’t cut between the two sides of the card.
Give out the cards and ask students to fold them so that the two versions are on different sides of the card and spread them across the table. It doesn’t matter which side is up.
One student chooses any card and tries to guess what is on the other side of the card, then turns it over to check, leaving it the other way up. If they were (exactly) correct, then can either stop there and take that card or try again with another card. They can check with the teacher if they think that they came up with another answer which has exactly the same meaning as the original sentence and uses the key word (unchanged), but be very strict about it needing to have exactly the same meaning and needing to be completely correct grammatically.
They continue guessing what is on the other side of the next card and turning over to check in the same way until they give up or until they make a mistake. If they give up before they make a mistake, they can take all the cards that they got right and those cards are then out of the game. However, if they make a mistake, those cards stay on the table (still the opposite way up) to be tried again in future turns and they score no points from that round. The next person can try the same cards as the last person tried but failed to take, new cards which no one has tried yet, or (probably) a mixture of the two. They can give up after any number of cards, from giving up after just one card to trying to clear the whole table in one go.
The winner is the person with the most cards when you stop the game, at which point you might want to let them try all the remaining cards, this time working cooperatively together.
Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers
| The thing I’d like most would be to live in London again. more There’s _________________________________________________ in London again. |
| There’s nothing I’d like more than to live in London again. would The thing I’d _______________________________________________ in London again. |
| When I told the students to listen carefully, they completely ignored me. took The students ______________________________ when I told them to listen carefully. |
| The students took (absolutely) no notice of me when I told them to listen carefully. completely When I told the students to listen carefully, _________________________________ me. |
| What the speaker meant was not (very) clear from time to time. lack There ____________________________________ in the speaker’s meaning at times. |
| There was a lack of clarity in the speaker’s meaning at times. clear What the speaker ________________________________________________ to time. |
| The teacher avoids using the teacher’s book unless there is no alternative. resort Only ________________________________________________ use the teacher’s book. |
| Only as a last resort does/ will the teacher use the teacher’s book. unless The teacher avoids __________________________________________ is no alternative. |
| The careful preparation for the lesson ensured that the class finished on time. prepared The care ______________________________ ensured that the class finished on time. |
| The care with which the lesson was prepared ensured that the class finished on time. preparation The ____________________________________ ensured that the class finished on time. |
| Candidates can only enter the CPE exam hall if they have taken an IQ test. restricted Entrance __________________________________________ have taken an IQ test. |
| Entrance to the CPE exam hall is restricted to candidates who have taken an IQ test. if Candidates can only __________________________________ have taken an IQ test. |
| We have taken to swimming in the Sumida River every night. into We _________________________________ swimming in the Sumida River every night. |
| We have got into the habit of swimming in the Sumida River every night. taken We _______________________________________________ Sumida River every night. |
| Don’t let her sweet smile deceive you; she has a heart of ice. taken Don’t let ____________________________her sweet smile; she has a heart of ice. |
| Don’t let yourself be taken in by her sweet smile; she has a heart of ice. deceive Don’t let her __________________________________________; she has a heart of ice. |
| I didn’t tell him I knew his secret until he confessed. for I ________________________________________________ telling him I knew his secret. |
| I waited for him to confess before telling him I knew his secret. tell I did ______________________________________________________ he confessed. |
| I like going there on holiday, but under no circumstances do/ would I want to live there. last I like going there on holiday, but _____________________________ to live there. |
| I like going there on holiday, but the (very) last thing (that) I(‘d) want to do is to live there. circumstances I’d like to go there on holiday, but ____________________ would I want to live there. |
| Unless the price rises, we will put a deposit down first thing on Monday. is Providing that__________________ price, we’ll put a deposit down first thing on Monday. |
| Providing that there is no rise in (the) price, we’ll put a deposit down first thing on Monday. rises Unless __________________________, we will put a deposit down first thing on Monday. |
| There has never been a better job market. time At _____________________________________________________ a better job market. |
| At no time has there been a better job market. never There _________________________________________________ a better job market. |
| Staff are absolutely forbidden from smoking in the street. account On ___________________________________________________ to smoke in the street. |
| On no account are staff allowed to smoke in the street. absolutely Staff _________________________________________________________ in the street. |
| I have (absolutely) no idea (at all) why he dumped me. loss I ________________________________________________ explain why he dumped me. |
| I’m at a (complete/ total) loss to explain why he dumped me. no I ____________________________________________________ why he dumped me. |
| I don’t intend to spend my whole life living in this town. no I ____________________________________________ my whole life living in this town. |
| I have no intention of spending my whole life living in this town. intend I _____________________________________________my whole life living in this town. |
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Related pages
C2 Proficiency Use of English page
TEFL reversi/ TEFL Othello (TEFLtastic classics part 26)
Teaching C2 Proficiency: Interactive Classroom Activities (over 350 pages of photocopiable classroom materials on every part of the test) – NEW
