Use of English - Word Formation
C2
Cambridge English C2 Exam
For questions 1-8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap. Use only one word in each gap. Click the gaps to type your answer.
Neoclassical Undercurrents
Neoclassical literature is often presented as a realm of balance, decorum and formal restraint, yet such a view can obscure the (0) POLITICAL (POLITICS) tensions embedded within it. Beneath its polished surfaces lie the competing (1) .......... (IDEA) of empire, class and civic duty that shaped both authorship and reception. Many texts display striking (2) .......... (AMBIGUOUS) when addressing authority: they appear to praise order while quietly exposing its fragility. This is especially evident in the period’s satirical modes, whose (3) .......... (SUBVERT) are rarely explicit but nonetheless potent. What appears merely stylistic may, on closer inspection, reveal the (4) .......... (LEGITIMATE) of contested power structures through carefully managed rhetoric. At the same time, apparently universal moral claims often rest on cultural (5) .......... (PARTICULAR), revealing exclusions that modern critics find hard to ignore. Such writing also depends on networks of patronage and print culture whose (6) .......... (INSTITUTION) shaped what could be published, circulated and preserved. For this reason, recent scholarship has turned to the hidden (7) .......... (HIERARCHY) within canonical taste and to the (8) .......... (INTERTEXT) dialogues through which writers encoded dissent. Far from being politically neutral, neoclassical literature is marked by layered acts of negotiation.
About Use of English Word Formation — Cambridge English C2
This Cambridge English C2 Use of English Word Formation exercise gives you a text with 8 gaps. Use the word in capitals at the end of each line to form a new word that fits the gap.
You may need to add prefixes or suffixes, change a word into a noun, adjective, adverb or verb, make a negative, or adjust the spelling. It tests both your knowledge of word families and the grammar of the sentence.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are in this C2 Word Formation exercise?
There are 8 gaps, each with a base word in capitals that you must change to fit.
What does Word Formation test?
Prefixes, suffixes and word families — turning a root word into the correct noun, adjective, adverb, verb or negative form.
How can I improve at Word Formation?
First decide which part of speech the gap needs, then form it — and always check for negatives (un-, in-, dis-) and plurals, which are easy to miss.
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What to do
For each gap you get one word in capitals which you have to change so the grammar and meaning fit in the sentence. Here you have to show how well you know word families and if you can change words by using prefixes and suffixes.
You need to read the whole text to get the writer’s opinion on the topic. That’s because sometimes a negative prefix will be required. There is usually at least one word requiring a negative prefix, so look out for these.
In the exam always write something. You never know, you might be lucky even if you are not sure of the answer!
Strategy
- Read the title and the whole text so that you understand what it is about.
- Look at each sentence in detail.
- Think about what kind of word you need and whether you need a negative prefix or a suffix.
- Read the sentence again to check whether you need a plural form.
- Check your spelling, as it must be correct.