C1 Advanced Use of English - My Lingua Academy

Preparing for C1 Advanced Use of English becomes much easier when you know exactly what to practise.

Instead of trying to revise all your grammar and vocabulary at once, work through the four Use of English task types separately:

Part 1 – Multiple-Choice Cloze: vocabulary, collocations, phrasal verbs and fixed expressions
Part 2 – Open Cloze: grammar, prepositions and small grammatical words
Part 3 – Word Formation: prefixes, suffixes and word families
Part 4 – Key Word Transformations: advanced grammar, paraphrasing and fixed structures

Use this page as your C1 Advanced Use of English study map. Choose the part you want to improve, study the relevant lessons and then practise with exam-style questions.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Multiple-Choice Cloze

In Part 1, you choose one answer from four options to complete each gap.

The most useful areas to practise are:

collocations
phrasal verbs
fixed expressions
dependent prepositions
verb patterns
words with similar meanings
formal and informal vocabulary

For example, it is not enough to know that reach, arrive, achieve and get can all be connected with reaching a result.

You need to know that English naturally uses:

reach a conclusion
reach an agreement
achieve a goal
arrive at a decision

Part 1 rewards learners who recognise natural combinations of words.

Practise for Part 1

Collocations for C1 Advanced

Start here if collocations are one of your weak areas. Practise verb + noun combinations, adjective + noun collocations, formal expressions and collocations with prepositions.

50 Phrasal Verbs for C1 Advanced

Build your knowledge of useful C1 phrasal verbs such as carry out, bring about, put forward, rule out and live up to.

Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Knowing the meaning of a phrasal verb is not always enough. You also need to know where the object can go.

Verb + Preposition Collocations

Practise combinations such as:

depend on, succeed in, object to, accuse someone of

Noun + Preposition Collocations

Useful for expressions such as:

reason for, influence on, solution to, increase in

Adjective + Preposition Collocations

Practise combinations such as:

capable of, responsible for, accustomed to, relevant to

Part 1 study tip

When you get an answer wrong, do not record only the correct word.

Write down the whole expression.

Instead of:

awareness

record:

raise awareness of something

Part 2: Open Cloze

In Part 2, there are no answer choices. You must write one word in each gap.

The missing word is often something small:

a preposition
an article
an auxiliary verb
a modal verb
a pronoun
a relative word
a conjunction
a quantifier
part of a comparison
part of a fixed expression

The key skill is learning to look at the grammar around the gap.

For example:

She succeeded ___ persuading them to reconsider.

Think:

succeed + ? + -ing

Answer:

Do not ask only “What word sounds right?”

Ask:

“What structure is this gap part of?”

Start with this lesson:

C1 Advanced Open Cloze: 10 Types of Words to Look For

This lesson takes you through the main types of words that appear in Open Cloze and shows you how to diagnose each gap before answering.

Grammar to practise for Open Cloze

Relative Clauses

Useful for:

who, whom, whose, which, that, where

Quantifiers in English

Revise:

much, many, few, little, enough, plenty

Both, Either and Neither

These small words frequently cause problems even for advanced learners.

Linking Words and Phrases

Revise words that show:

contrast
reason
result
condition
addition

Prepositions and collocations

Open Cloze also frequently requires a preposition that belongs to a larger structure.

Practise with:

Part 2 study tip

Before filling a gap, try to identify the type of word you need.

For example:

capable ___ doing

→ probably a preposition

→ capable of doing

Part 3: Word Formation

Part 3 tests your knowledge of word families.

You are given a base word and have to change it so that it fits the sentence.

For example:

compete

→ competition

→ competitor

→ competitive

→ competitively

To do well in Word Formation, you need to recognise:

nouns
verbs
adjectives
adverbs
negative forms
prefixes
suffixes
spelling changes
singular and plural forms

Practise for Part 3:

Prefixes in English

Learn useful prefixes including:

un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, mis-, over-, under-, re-

Pay particular attention to negative forms:

possible → impossible

responsible → irresponsible

Suffixes in English

Learn how suffixes can help you form:

nouns
adjectives
verbs
adverbs

Negative Prefixes and Suffixes

This is especially useful when the sentence requires a negative meaning.

Compare:

accurate → inaccurate

approve → disapprove

hope → hopeless

Build word families

A useful way to revise is to create small word-family groups.

For example:

decide

decision
decisive
decisively
indecisive
indecision

Do not memorise every form separately. Learn to recognise how the words are connected.

Part 3 study tip

Before changing the base word, look at the sentence and decide:

What word class is missing?

For example:

The proposal was surprisingly ______.

You need an adjective.

Then ask:

Does it need a positive or negative meaning?

Only then start forming the word.

Part 4: Key Word Transformations

Part 4 requires you to rewrite a sentence without changing its meaning.

You must use the key word given, and you must not change that word.

For example:

I regret not accepting the job.

WISH

I __________ the job.

Answer:

wish I had accepted

This part draws on a wide range of grammar and vocabulary, so it is useful to learn common transformation patterns.

Start with this lesson:

C1 Advanced Key Word Transformations: Tips & Worksheet

Use this as your main Part 4 lesson. It explains common patterns and includes a practice worksheet.

Important grammar for Key Word Transformations

Inversion in English

Important structures include:

Never have I…

Under no circumstances should…

Mixed Conditionals

Useful when the sentence connects a past situation with a present result, or vice versa.

Alternatives to If

Practise structures with:

unless, provided, providing, as long as, otherwise

Modal Verbs in the Past

Revise:

must have, might have, could have, should have, needn’t have

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Particularly useful for transformations such as:

People believe that he left the country.

→ He is believed to have left the country.

Gerunds and Infinitives

Useful when the transformation changes the verb pattern.

Participle Clauses

Practise reducing and reformulating clauses while keeping the same meaning.

Cleft Sentences

Useful structures include:

What I need is…

It was … who/that…

The reason why…

Reported Speech

Pay attention to:

tense changes
reporting verbs
pronouns
time expressions
verb patterns

Causative Verbs: Let, Make, Have, Get and Help

Useful for transformations involving:

have something done

get someone to do something

make someone do something

Part 4 study tip

When you finish a transformation, check four things:

Is the meaning exactly the same?
Have I used the key word unchanged?
Am I within the word limit?
Is the whole sentence grammatically correct?

Do not check only the missing words. Read the complete sentence.

C1 Advanced Vocabulary Lessons

You will find lessons on:

advanced collocations
phrasal verbs
fixed expressions
precise vocabulary
word formation
prepositional phrases
topic vocabulary
C1 writing vocabulary
C1 speaking vocabulary

A Simple C1 Use of English Study Routine

You do not need to study all four parts every day.

Try this routine:

Step 1: Choose one task type

For example:

Open Cloze

Step 2: Complete a short practice task

Do one text or around 8–10 questions.

Step 3: Check your answers

Do not simply count your score.

Step 4: Analyse every mistake

Ask:

Was it grammar?
Was it a collocation?
Was it a preposition?
Did I misunderstand the meaning?
Did I need a different word class?
Did I miss a fixed structure?

Step 5: Study the relevant lesson

If you repeatedly make mistakes with prepositions, revise preposition collocations.

If transformations with inversion cause problems, study inversion.

If you keep choosing the wrong negative form in Part 3, revise prefixes.

Step 6: Record the pattern

Do not write:

❌ Question 6 – wrong

Write:

succeed in doing something

or:

Hardly had + subject + past participle + when…

Then you have something useful to revise later.

C1 Advanced Use of English Practice Books

If you would like more structured practice, you can work through my C1 Advanced Use of English practice books.

Need Help with C1 Advanced?

If you would like individual help with C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English, you can study with me online.

We can work on the areas that are causing you difficulty, including:

Multiple-Choice Cloze
Open Cloze
Word Formation
Key Word Transformations
advanced grammar
collocations and phrasal verbs
exam strategy
analysing and correcting your mistakes

Private lessons last 55 minutes and cost €30.

Book a private C1 Advanced lesson →