Linking Expressions with Prepositions

These expressions are quite common in the Use of English exam, and they will also help
you with the writing part of the exam.
Read these examples, then try the exercises below to practise using the expressions.

Expression
I studied French instead of German.
I studied French rather than German.
I love all meat apart from ham.
I love all meat except for ham.
Zoos have wild animals such as lions.
Zoos have wild animals, for instance lions.
The school was closed due to the snow.
The school was closed because of the snow.
She wears make-up so as to look older.
She wears make-up in order to look older.

Meaning
and not / in place of
not including
for example
as a result of
reason

FCE Part 1: Multiple Choice Cloze

Choose the best word to complete the following sentences.

1.

He claims his success is ______ to all the hours of practice he has done.

so as

in order

due

rather

2.

Vegans avoid all meat products, ________ they do not wear leather.
for instance
due to
apart from
rather than

3.

All of Europe drives on the right, except ________ Great Britain and Ireland.

of
4.

than

from

for

Many people nowadays prefer to watch DVDs at home, rather ______ go to the
cinema.

than

to

FCE part 2: Open Cloze

of

Choose one word to complete the following sentences.

from

1.

Most insects are solitary, but some,

2.

It's important that we also try to reuse things, rather

3.

as bees and ants are social.

everything.
Polar bears are losing their sea ice habitat,

simply recycling

to global warming.

4.

Some people don't eat pork,

5.

In some schools, there is no encouragement to practise sports, apart

6.

of their religious beliefs.

football.
The government are trying to encourage use of bikes,

of driving cars.

7.

Doctors advise keeping wounds covered so

8.

Most people nowadays have at least two email addresses: a private one,

9.

to prevent infection.

instance 'hotmail' or 'gmail', and a work address.

During pregnancy, some foods should be avoided

the unborn child.

10. No dogs are permitted in the hotel,

order to prevent harm to

for guide dogs.

Word Formation: Nouns with -ence and -ance

Two common noun endings are -ance and -ence. Usually, their adjectives are made with
-ant and -ent. Here are some common examples which might help you in the FCE exam.
Look at the information in the table for 1-2 minutes and try to remember the words.
Then click below to hide the information and try to answer the questions at the bottom.

Noun (-ence)
evidence
existence
(in)dependence
difference
intelligence
(dis)obedience
excellence
silence
violence
innocence

Adjective
evident
existing
(in)dependent
different
intelligent
(dis)obedient
excellent
silent
violent
innocent

Verb
to exist
to depend
to differ
to (dis)obey
to excel
to silence
to violate
-

occurrence
(im)patience
Noun (-ance)
attendance
attendant (person)
assistance
assistant (person)
(dis)appearance
distance
(un)importance
acceptance
reassurance
(ir)relevance
(in)significance

(im)patient

to occur
-

Adjective

Verb

to attend

to assist

apparent
distant
(un)important
accepting
reassured
(ir)relevant
(in)significant

to (dis)appear
accept
to reassure
to signify

Note: I have only given the more common words here. There are other forms (for
example, it is possible to use "to evidence something" as a verb) but these are less
common.

Write the correct form of the word in brackets to complete these sentences. The answer
could be a noun or an adjective. Don't forget to use an -s or a negative prefix if
necessary.
1. Unfortunately, accidents are a common
2. It's difficult to believe in the
3. The police are looking for

along this road. (OCCUR)

of aliens. (EXIST)
of the attack. (EVIDENT)

4. She thinks everyone hates her and needs

(REASSURE)
5. Scientist believe that the mysterious
(APPEAR)
6. What's the best punishment for a

from her friends all the time.

of millions of bees is due to disease.

teenager? (OBEY)

7. What he said was true, but it was completely

8. 100%

. (RELEVANCE)

is necessary to pass this course. (ATTEND)

9. I'm the only person who believes in his

(INNOCENT)
10.There are three shop

. Even the police think he's guilty.

over there - you should ask one of them for help.

(ASSIST)
11.Some people think that if you enjoy your job, the salary is
(IMPORTANCE)
12.I'm excited because I've just got a letter of
(ACCEPT)
13.Cats are extremely
14.You need a lot of

, but I love money!

from Cambridge University!

animals. They don't really need people. (DEPEND)

if you want to work with children. (PATIENT)