SOME COMMON TYPES OF KEY WORD TRANSFORMATION

Common structures (Nouns to verbs or vice versa)

Conversion sentences

Conditional sentences

Collocations

Relative clauses
Common structures
It was wrong of you to allow a 4-year-
old child to walk home alone.
It was wrong of you to scare your
little brother like that.
Success depends on hard work.
Mrs. Green is proud of her son’s
contribution to the play.
Jane seems to come to the
performance late.
The fund-raisers haven’t officially
decided where to send the proceeds
of the content.
She is proud that she is such a good
DJ.
Foolishly, I paid all the money before
collecting the goods.
The idea no longer interests her.
There have been fewer people who
consume Chinese products.
Do phone us when you arrive at the
airport, even if it’s very late.
The blockbuster Kungfu Panda II was
expected by many children around
the world.
The advert said we would learn with a
native speaker. In fact, we didn’t
All your wishes will come true
All the children will receive a prize,
whatever their score in the
competition.
We reached the station but we
missed the train.
Can I use your dictionary for a while?
You should not have allowed a Present perfect
four-year-old child to walk home
alone.
You oughtn’t to have scared your
little brother like that.
The harder you work, the more The more…., the more….
successful you become.
Mrs.Green is proud of what her
son contributes to the play.
It looks as if Jane will come to the It looks as if Jane will come…
performance late.
No official decision on where to
send the proceeds of the content
has been made by the fund-raisers.
She prides herself on being a good
DJ.
I paid all the money before
collecting the goods, which was
foolish
She has gone off the idea.
There has been a decrease in the
number of people who consume
Chinese products.
However late it is when you arrive
at the airport, do phone me.
My boss reassured me that I could
take a month’s paid leave.
How likely is it that Twilight 2 will
be a huge box-office success?
How likely is Twilight to be a huge
box-office success?
I would like you not to have
breathed a word about his private
life to anyone.
Many children around the world
couldn’t wait to see the
blockbuster Kungfu Panda II.
Contrary to what was advertised,
we were instructed by a non-native
speaker.
You will have everything you have
ever wanted.
No matter how much they scored
in the competition, all the children
will be awarded a prize.
By the time we arrived at the
station, the train had left.
Would it be ok if I used your used
dictionary for a while?
The little girl showed her
disappointment when she received
the news.
Their preparation was good although
they lacked time.
Her second novel is not as interesting
as her first one.
Imperative sentence
“You must try to solve your financial
problem,” he said.
Would rather
You should have visited your grandma
when you were in town.
To have been…
People estimate that the company
manufactured more than 5000 small
planes last year.
So and Such structures
Fiona was so disappointed that she
could not keep on working.
Frederick is such a talented artist
that most critics respect him.
It was too icy for people to walk
safely on the pavement.
The little girl’s face failed when she
received the news.
Theirs was a good preparation
despite their lack of time.
Her second novel is less interesting
in comparison with her first one.
He insisted that I should make effort
effort to solve my financial
problem.
I would rather you had paid your
grandma a visit when you were in
town.
More than 5,000 small planes are
estimated to have been turned out
last year.
Such was Fiona’s disappointment Such was/were S that…
that she could not keep on
working.
Frederick is so talented an artist
that most critics look up to him.
So much ice was there that people safety
could not walk with safety on the
pavement.
Conversion
I could realize how important the
family is only after I left home.
They recruited very few young
engineers.
Although Richard is competent in his
work, he does not know how to deal
with this client.
He delayed writing the book until he
had a lot of research.
It was an impressive building but it
wasn’t to my taste.
Scientists have tried very hard to find
a cure for this disease.
There are very few rivers left
unpolluted in the world.
He could not beat James because he
was not patient enough.
His unexpected visit was just after
your leave.
Relative clauses
Only two out of the five rooms we
have booked have air conditioning.
They brought me two laptops, but
neither worked satisfactorily.
His three suggestions for the problem
seemed far from practicality.
Not until I left home could I realize Not until SV, aux. S V(bare)
how important the family is.
Hardly any young engineers were Hardly S were adj
recruited.
Competent as Richard is in his Adj as/ though S is/V…
work, he does not know how to
deal with this client.
Only had he had a lot of research
did he (begin to) write the book.
Impressive as/ though the building
was/ might be, but it wasn’t to my
taste.
Enormous effort has been made by
scientists to find a cure for this
disease.
In few shops here do you find such
exquisite hand-made suits.
Not until he realized what she had
sacrificed for him did he believe
she was all the world to him.
Hardly any rivers are left
unpolluted in the world.
Had he been more patient, he
could have beaten Raphael.
No sooner had you left than he
visited unexpectedly.
We have booked five rooms, only
two of which have air conditioning.
neither of which worked
satisfactorily/ properly.
He insisted on dropping out of the
race at the last minute, which
came as no shock to everybody.
He suggested three solutions to Which
the problem, all of which were
impractical.
Conditional sentences
I could hold a big party due to my
Mom’s help.
It would have been a superb weekend
if the weather had been better.
Thanks to her mother’s
encouragement, she entered the
beauty contest.
If you work harder, you can get
better marks.
Collocations
I dislike it when people criticize me
unfairly
She’ll probably pass the high school
entrance examination.
She was just as good as they had
thought.
The “environmentally friendly” label
on this product is misleading.
She was afraid to scream because
she didn’t want to wake up the
neighbors.
When you arrive, you will be met by
the Head of the Sales Department.
We are surprised that the man can
demonstrate such a mastery of
Portuguese.
He is irresponsible, so he cannot
complete most of the assignments.
Had it not been for my Mom’s
help, I could not have held a big
party.
But for the bad weather, it would
have been a superb weekend.
Had it not been for her mother’s
encouragement, she wouldn’t have
entered the beauty contest.
Were it not for our
heavy/great/considerable reliance/
our over-reliance on the Internet,
our lives would not be in danger of
becoming more impersonal.
Unless you are capable of working CAPABLE
harder, you can’t get better marks.
I object to people criticizing me Object to sb doing sth
unfairly.
She stands a very good chance of Stand a good chance of….
passing the high school entrance
examination.
She quite definitely came up to
their expectation.
Despite what is printed in the
label, this product is not
“environmentally friendly”.
She was afraid to scream for fear For fear of doing sth
of waking up the neighbors.
On arrival, you will be met by the
head of the sales department.
Nowadays I don’t attach nearly as/
so much importance to taking up a
hobby as I used to.
To our surprise, the man has a
good command of Portuguese.
On account of his irresponsibility,
he cannot complete most of the
assignments.
As if/As though
Jack acts as if he knew all the
answers.