FCE Use of English

Part 2: Open Cloze

1) Parts of Speech
The missing word is often (but not always) one of the parts of speech
that are listed in the following exercise.
Match the underlined word in bold on the left with the correct part of
speech on the right.
1 This is the doctor who cured my illness.

auxiliary verb

2 She's suffering from a bad cold at the moment

modal verb

3 I haven't seen him for ages.

other

4 We could go on a picnic or we could stay indoors.

preposition

5 The house was built ten years ago.

article

6 Books should not be removed from the library.

relative pronoun

7 That's the man I was telling you about.

pronoun

8 They didn't play well enough to win.

conjunction

2) Pronouns
Words like 'you', 'her', 'which' etc. are often the missing word.
2a) Complete the following text by adding one word in each gap. The
word is always a personal pronoun.
Paul and Anne decided to decorate the living room (a) ............ as they
thought (b) ............... would be cheaper (c)............... that way. Paul went up the
ladder on (d).............. own to paint the ceiling, even though Anne told
(e)................ to wait till (f)............... could help (g)............... by holding the ladder.
Unfortunately, lost (h) ................ balance and the paint went all over Anne and
(i) ................. very expensive new dress.
2b) The following sentences contain ONE missing relative pronoun. Write
the missing word in the space.
1. I work for a company ............. makes computers.
2. Thanks for your letter, ... arrived last week.
3. To ... it may concern.
4. The school ... I studied is in the local newspaper.
5. Who is that woman ... husband we met last week?
6. That man we met at the party. Do you know ... I mean?

FCE Use of English

Part 2: Open Cloze

7. We live in Madrid, ... is one of my favourite cities.

8. Ten students went in for the exam, none of ... failed.
3) Articles and Quantifiers
Articles, 'a', 'the' and quantifiers like, 'much', 'many', 'all', 'enough' etc.
are often required.
Choose the answer A, B, or C that completes each sentence.
1 The shop was very quiet and ............. people were waiting to be served.
A little

B few

C none

FCE Use of English

Part 2: Open Cloze

2 I haven't got ............. plans for the weekend if you'd like to go out somewhere.
A some
B no
C any
3 Was there ............. traffic on the roads this evening?
A much
B many
C few
4 I've tried to phone several shops but ............. of them were open.
A no
B none
C any
5 Have you got ............. money to buy a new car?
A many
B enough
C much
6 I asked Sally and Kim but ... of them wanted to go out.
A none
B either
C neither
7 He's exercising a lot ............. than he used to.
A less
B fewer
C least
8 The doctor had two patients, ............. of whom were complaining of upset
stomachs.
A both
B either
C all

4) Modal/Ausiliary Verbs
Verbs like 'must', 'can', 'be' and other modal or auxiliary verbs are often
the missing word.
Identify missing modal/auxiliary verbs

1.
2.
3.
5.
7.
1.
2.
3.
4.
6.
8.

Clues Across
If I had known you were in I ... have come round.
That ... have been Tony who called this evening. He said he was going to phone.
He ... speak several languages fluently.
Have you ever ... to India?
I told you we ... have booked the tickets earlier.
Clues Down
The suspect ... seen running towards the station.
Excuse me. ... I open the window?
... you speak English?
You don't ... to give me a lift. I can walk.
You ... to see a doctor about your cough.
Maria ... to do extra homework to prepare for the exam.

FCE Use of English

Part 2: Open Cloze

5) Conjunctions
Conjunctions (linking words) like 'but', 'and', 'yet' etc. will sometimes be
the word you are looking for.
The following sentences contain a missing conjunction. Add the missing
word.
1. ............. he felt quite ill he still went to work.
2. There was heavy traffic in the city today ............. of an accident.
3. You could come round to our house ............. we could meet at the cinema.
4. Candidates are not permitted to leave the room ............. they are accompanied
by a member of staff.
5. You can have the job ............. you agree to work on Saturdays.
6. There will be strong winds in the north. ... , the south will remain warm and
sunny.
7. He came top of his group ............. starting the course late.
8. ... you may be aware, I intend to retire at the end of the year.
6) Prepositions/Phrasal Verbs
Prepositions ('in', 'at', 'on' etc.) will very often be the missing word.
Choose the answer A, B, C or D that completes each sentence.
1 The surgeon is operating ............. the patient now.
A at
B to
C on

D in

2 There's no possibility ............. us finishing the project by the weekend.

FCE Use of English

A in

Part 2: Open Cloze

B with

C for

D of

3 Have you got any advice ............. how to go about buying a new car?
A at
B on
C in
D for
4 How much have you saved ............. for your holiday?
A up
B in
C on

D about

5 The police are looking ............. the recent series of robberies in the area.
A into
B on
C around
D through
6 I sympathise ............. your problem but I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to
help.
A in
B for
C with
D to
7 Would you be kind enough to fill ............. this application form, please.
A over
B with
C in
D up
8 He really takes ............. his father. They're alike in so many ways.
A on
B after
C in
D over
7) Sentence Level Practice
Most of the categories covered in the previous exercises are tested
below along with words that do not fit into these groups.
The following sentences contain a missing word. Write in the missing
word.

1. We would have called you if we ............. known you were in.

.
2. I can't put ............. with this noise anymore. I'm going to complain.
3. Wait ............. minute. I'll see if I've got his address.
4. He failed his exam, ............. was a real surprise.
5. There have been many ............. refugees crossing the border during the last two
days.
6. Manchester United won the game in ............. of the fact that they played with
only 9 players.
7. This product should ............. consumed within 3 days.
8. It was ............. cold today we decided to stay at home.

FCE Use of English

Part 2: Open Cloze

8) Exam practice
Part Two: Open Cloze
Read the following extract from a brochure giving advice on taking an
examination. For questions 1-8, type the word which best fits in each space. Use
only one word in each space.
(0) to
Exam Tips
When the day comes give yourself plenty of time (0) ... do everything: have
breakfast but don't drink (1) ... much; go to the toilet; arrive on time, but not too
early or you will find yourself getting more and more nervous while you wait to
start.
In the exam, calm (2) ... down by breathing deeply and thinking positively. Read
the exam questions carefully and underline all of the key instruction words (3) ...
indicate how the questions should be answered. If possible start with the
ones (4) ... can do easily to give you confidence. Remember what you've learnt
from practising questions and doing mock exams previously and plan your use of
time. Don't panic (5) ... everyone around you seems to start writing furiously
straight away and don't be tempted to follow their example.
Finally, after the exam, don't join in a discussion about (6) ... everyone else
did, (7) ... you want to frighten yourself, and drain your self-confidence for the
next exam. Above(8) ..., remember that exams are not designed to catch you
out, but to find out what you know, what you understand and what you can do.
Part Two: Open Cloze
For Questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which best
fits each space. Use only one word in each space.
Example: 0 - your

FCE Use of English

Part 2: Open Cloze

Too Good to be True

Some say you can do it in seven days, others promise success in 24 hours, or
you may prefer to take (0) ... time and do it in 5 weeks. What are we talking
about? Believe it(1) ... not, these periods (2) ... time refer to language learning
courses that promise excellent results in less time (3) ... it takes to say 'Bonjour'!
However, the advertisements of these companies are not necessarily the best
guide and if you don't know what to look for in a good course you could be left
with
little (4) ...
than
a
large
bill.
A complaint was recently made to a consumer rights group against WhizzLearn
Systems, a language school chain, and the company has been forced to remove
its claim that its technique is ten times better than any (5) ... method. The
Managing Director of WhizzLearn Systems said (6) "... we still believe our claim
is true, we are willing to change our advert. But the fact remains, if you spend 3
hours per day for 5 weeks on our language course you will soon be speaking the
language. What we (7) ... have done was to make (8) ... clearer in the advert."
Part Two: Open Cloze
For Questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which best
fits each space. Use only one word in each space.
Example: 0 - the

Camping Holidays
Although it has a reputation for being rather basic in terms of home comforts,
the modern material used in (0) ... manufacture of tents means camping is at
least a (1) ... less hard work. Nowadays tents are (2) ... lightweight that you
hardly notice you're carrying them. They're easy to put up yet still a cheaper
alternative to hotel accommodation.
Talk to an expert first before spending a lot of money (3) ... a tent. Different
tents suit different needs and there's no point (4) ... buying a mountaineering
tent (5) ... you're planning to camp in these conditions. Don't be tempted to
splash out on all the latest equipment either. Most of the fun of camping lies in
the chance to get back to nature. There's no need to take anything more (6) ...
the
basics.
Always try to plan your arrival at the site long before it gets dark. You will want
to see(7) ... you're doing when you try to erect your tent. Don't forget to ask for
permission if you're not camping on a registered site, and remember to take a
supply of food and drink with you in (8) ... the local shops are closed when you
arrive. You can then enjoy your first meal under the stars and begin to
appreciate the joys of camping.