🧠 Part 6 of the PET (Preliminary English Test) Writing Paper is designed to test your ability to use alternative expressions that have the same meaning. In this section, you will be given sentences that you need to rewrite so that they mean the same as the original sentences, but using no more than three words.

💡For example, if you have a sentence like “The bus station is near the new shopping centre,” you might need to rewrite it as “The bus station isn’t far from the new shopping centre.”

🎯 The purpose of this activity is to ensure that you can express ideas in different ways while maintaining the same meaning. This is a key skill in English as it shows your flexibility and understanding of the language. Practicing this part of the test helps you get better at using similar words and different grammar rules. This is important for good communication in English.

🏋️‍♂️ PRACTICE TIME: First Conditional, Future Time Clauses, Verb Patterns after Wish, Second Conditional, Past Modals of Deduction, Past Modals of Advisability, Third Conditional

Instructions: Rewrite each sentence using no more than three words so that both sentences have the same meaning. Fill in the blanks with your answers,

1. FIRST CONDITIONAL:

1. I will be late because I will miss the bus.
   • If I ____________________ the bus, I won’t be late.
2. She will not pass the exam because she isn’t studying.
   • If she ____________________, she will pass the exam.
3. They will cancel the match because it is raining heavily.
   • If it ____________________, they won’t cancel the match.
4. We will go to the beach because the weather is nice.
   • If the weather ____________________, we will go to the beach.
5. He will lose his job because he doesn’t perform well.
   • If he ____________________ better, he won’t lose his job.

2. FUTURE TIME CLAUSES:

6. I’ll call you. I’ll do it as soon as I get home.
   • I’ll call you ____________________ I get home.
7. Bring an umbrella. It might rain.
   • Bring an umbrella ____________________ it rains.
8. I’ll stay at home. It’s raining heavily.
   • I’ll stay at home ____________________ the rain stops.
9. Finish your homework. Then you can watch TV.
   • You can watch TV ____________________ you finish your homework.
10. He’ll buy the car. He needs to get a loan first.
    • He won’t buy the car ____________________ he gets a loan.

3. VERB PATTERNS AFTER WISH (Wish + Simple Past, Wish + Would):

11. I can’t play the piano.
    • I wish I ____________________ the piano.
12. It’s raining, and I can’t go outside.
    • I wish it ____________________ raining.
13. He doesn’t help me with the chores.
    • I wish he ____________________ me with the chores.
14. They live far away, and we can’t meet often.
    • I wish they ____________________ closer.
15. She always arrives late.
    • I wish she ____________________ on time.

4. SECOND CONDITIONAL:

16. I don’t have enough money to buy a car.
    • If I ____________________ more money, I would buy a car.
17. He isn’t very confident, so he won’t apply for the job.
    • If he ____________________ more confident, he would apply for the job.
18. They don’t live closer, so they can’t visit us often.
    • If they ____________________ closer, they would visit us more often.
19. She doesn’t know how to drive, so she can’t travel alone.
    • If she ____________________ how to drive, she could travel alone.
20. We don’t have a garden, so we can’t grow vegetables.
    • If we ____________________ a garden, we would grow vegetables.

5. PAST MODALS OF DEDUCTION:

21. I’m sure she left her phone at home.
    • She ____________________ her phone at home.
22. They’re certain that he didn’t tell the truth.
    • He ____________________ the truth.
23. It’s possible that she misunderstood the instructions.
    • She ____________________ the instructions.
24. There’s no way they finished the project by themselves.
    • They ____________________ the project by themselves.
25. He didn’t arrive on time, which is surprising.
    • He ____________________ on time.

6. PAST MODALS OF ADVISABILITY:

26. I didn’t bring an umbrella, and now I’m wet.
    • I ____________________ an umbrella.
27. She regrets not studying harder for the exam.
    • She ____________________ harder for the exam.
28. They didn’t take the advice and got lost.
    • They ____________________ the advice.
29. I didn’t call him back, and now I feel bad about it.
    • I ____________________ him back.
30. He didn’t apologize, and now he feels guilty.
    • He ____________________ sooner.

7. THIRD CONDITIONAL:

31. I didn’t wake up early, so I missed the bus.
    • If I ____________________ earlier, I wouldn’t have missed the bus.
32. She didn’t go to the doctor, and now she’s still sick.
    • If she ____________________ to the doctor, she would have recovered by now.
33. They didn’t save money, so they couldn’t go on vacation.
    • If they ____________________ money, they could have gone on vacation.
34. He didn’t listen to the instructions, so he made a mistake.
    • If he ____________________ the instructions, he wouldn’t have made a mistake.
35. We didn’t lock the door, and someone broke in.
    • If we ____________________ the door, no one would have broken in.

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Answer Key:

1. FIRST CONDITIONAL: 1. don’t miss 2. studies 3. stops raining 4. stays nice 5. performs
2. FUTURE TIME CLAUSES: 6. as soon as 7. in case 8. until 9. after 10. until
3. VERB PATTERNS AFTER WISH: 11. could play 12. weren’t 13. would help 14. lived 15. would arrive
4. SECOND CONDITIONAL: 16. had 17. were (formal)/ was (informal) 18. lived 19. knew 20. had
5. PAST MODALS OF DEDUCTION: 21. must have left 22. couldn’t have told 23. might/may/ can (informal)/ could (formal) have misunderstood 24. can’t (informal)/ could (formal) have finished 25. must have arrived
6. PAST MODALS OF ADVISABILITY: 26. should have brought 27. should have studied 28. should have taken 29. should have called 30. should have apologized
7. THIRD CONDITIONAL: 31. had woken up 32. had gone 33. had saved 34. had listened to 35. had locked