If you can pass this 25-question grammar test, your English is officially ADVANCED!

Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.

Today, we're focusing on the C1 level.

This is the level that everybody seems to

want to achieve, but it's really difficult.

Today, I'm going to test you!

I have got 25 C1-level grammar questions. And I'm not just going to tell you the

answer, I'm also going to explain the correct answer.

So, hopefully, 2 things will happen.

First, you'll learn if you are nearing

the C1 level. And 2, you will learn some grammar, too.

Ah, hello—it's Lucy from the future here!

There's a reason for this!

Basically, as always, I've created a beautiful PDF to go with this lesson, but

I've decided to make this one extra special.

Instead of just giving you my amazing PDF

that covers everything we're going to learn in this lesson, I've actually

integrated it into my brand-new C1 Business English ebook.

For a limited time only, you can download this for free and it contains your PDF.

Now, this isn't just any ebook, it is your ultimate guide to achieving C1 level

fluency in business English.

Inside you will find all 25 grammar

questions from today's lesson with detailed explanations to help you fully

grasp each concept.

You'll also get an extra 25 advanced

grammar questions for revision.

Practise them after the lesson or a few

days later to solidify your learning.

Plus, all the content of my C1 Business

English ebook.

This includes all the grammar, all the

vocabulary and pronunciation you need to confidently navigate professional

communication at the advanced level of English.

When you download this incredible ebook,

you will also be enrolled on the waiting list for my Professional English Programme

Level 3.

The doors to this Programme open very soon

for a limited time only.

This is my most comprehensive business

English programme yet.

It's designed to help you reach the C1

level of professional English and feel the freedom of communicating naturally

and confidently in any workplace situation.

It's launching very soon and you'll be

the first to hear about it!

To download the ebook that also contains  

your PDF, just click on the link in the description box or scan the QR code on

screen now.

You'll sign up to my mailing list, and

I'll send that ebook directly to your inbox.

Enjoy it, it's a special one! Okay, let's get started with the quiz.

For the first 4 questions, we're going

to focus on Conditional Structures.

Question number 1—we're looking at the

conditional structures here—what word  can replace 'if' in this sentence  

to make it sound more formal?

'If you require any further information,

please do not hesitate to contact me.'

The missing word is 'should'.

We can use 'should' in place of 'if' in first conditional sentences to increase the

formality of the sentence.

We tend to use it more when writing than speaking.

Ready for 2?

We have another conditional here.

What 2 words can be added to this sentence to make the situation less likely?

'If you _ _ to Colin, tell him I loved his presentation.'

Any ideas?

The missing words are 'happen to'. 'If you happen to speak to Colin, tell him 

I loved his presentation.'

If we use the regular conditional—'If you speak to Colin, tell him I loved his

presentation'—we think it's likely the person will speak to Colin.

By adding 'happen to', it's like saying, 'If by chance you speak to Colin…'

The phrase 'were to' works here, too. It also makes the event less likely and

is a more formal structure. And a bonus point, if you can tell me

what word we can add here.  

We can add 'should' here  to convey the same meaning.

It can also replace 'happen to' completely. So, we can say—'if you happen to' or 'were to

speak to Colin', 'if you should happen to speak to Colin', and 'if you should speak

to Colin'.

Ready for number 3?  

What word can we add to this conditional structure to make a polite request?

'If you _ take a seat, I'll let Miss Williams know you're here.'

Was this one an easy one for you?

The missing word can be 'will' or 'would'.

'If you will' or 'would take a seat'.

Here, the use of 'will' or 'would' makes the

request sound more polite.

You'll often hear the phrases 'if you

would kindly' or 'if you would be so kind as to'.

Can you think of a way to finish those 2 sentences?

Here are my examples: 'If you would kindly complete the

questionnaire, we'd appreciate it very much.'

And—'If you would be so kind as to assist

with the onboarding of your replacement, that'd be very helpful.'

Okay, I've got one last question focusing on advanced conditionals.

Number 4—this mixed conditional sentence talks

about a hypothetical past with a present result.

Complete the sentence with the verbs in brackets:

You need one word in each space.

'If you _ _ (follow) the  instructions, we _ _ _ _ (not

have) this conversation now.'

Ready for the answers?

The correct sentence should be: 'If you had followed the instructions, we would

not be having this conversation now.'

Let's break this sentence down!

In the first part, we have 'if' + the past perfect.

This describes the event that did or did not happen in the past.

'If you'd followed the instructions' means you did not follow the instructions.

The second part of the sentence describes the result of this hypothetical past

'We wouldn't be having this conversation now'. This result is hypothetical as we are

having this conversation now!

The structure is 'would' or 'wouldn't' + base verb or sometimes 'be' plus -ing verb 

for an action happening  now—'we wouldn't be having'.

Mixed conditionals like this can take a

bit of getting used to.

Try writing some of your own examples

with this structure to help you gain confidence.

Okay, let's move on to another grammar

point now.

It's actually another conditional but

that's not the focus of the question.

Here's number 5—what word can we

add to this sentence to show that the speaker disapproves of

Stuart's behaviour? 'Well, if Stuart _ leave tasks until the

last minute, it's no surprise that he keeps missing deadlines.'

Any ideas?

Do you want a clue?

The first letter is 'w'.

The answer is 'will'.

'Well, if Stuart will leave tasks until the last minute, it's no surprise that he

keeps missing deadlines.'

So, 'will' isn't just used  to talk about the future.

We can use will for many other reasons including to express our disapproval of

someone's repeated actions or behaviour.

We normally stress the word  'will' in these sentences.

Here's another example:

'He will insist on micromanaging every detail.'

Question number 6—which one  of these sentences is correct?

A) 'I'm not sure where is the meeting.',  B) 'I'm not sure where the meeting is.'

The correct answer is B—'I'm  not sure where the meeting is.'

This is what is called an embedded question.

This structure can be a little confusing

as embedded questions follow the typical subject + verb order for statements.  

'I'm not sure where the meeting'—the subject—'is'—the verb.

I know many learners sometimes automatically switch to the question 

order when they say or write a word like 'where', 'who', 'when' and so on.

But these embedded questions aren't technically questions, so we put the

subject first and then the verb.

Here are a few more examples:

'I don't know how the customer feels.'

'I've forgotten what my password is.'

Okay, question 7—how can  we complete this sentence? 

'It's time we _

A) address, B) addressed or C) will  address inequality in the workplace.' 

The correct answer is B) 'addressed'.

'It's time we addressed  inequality in the workplace.'

We use the expression 'it's time' + a verb in the past to talk about the present.

'It's time we addressed inequality in the workplace' means I think we should do this now.

We often use it to say that we think something should have been done sooner.

We should have started addressing workplace inequality sooner, maybe even a

long time ago, so I think we should start doing this as soon as possible.

We can add 'about' or 'high' to the phrase to make a recommendation or suggestion

stronger or more urgent.

For example—'It's high time we finalised

the deal before a competitor beats us to 

it' or 'it's about time  you handed in your notice'.

You should have done this earlier.

Now, it's becoming more urgent.

Number 8—what word can replace  'rather' in this sentence?  

'I'd rather work from home on Fridays than go into the office.'

You can only replace the word 'rather' and you can't change or add any other words.

The meaning of the sentence should remain the same.

Tricky!

The first letter is 's', if you're looking

for a clue.

The correct answer is 'sooner'. 'I'd sooner work from home on Fridays than 

go into the office.'

We can use the expression 'would sooner do something than something else' with the

same meaning as 'would prefer to do' or 'would rather do'.

For example—'I'd sooner walk away from the negotiation than agree to

unfavourable terms' or 'I'd sooner reschedule the client call than rush

through it unprepared'.

Notice how we need the bare infinitive,

the infinitive without 'to' for both verbs.

This is a great advanced structure to use

when you want to talk about preferences and priorities.

For question 9, we're focusing on Modals of Probability.

Your task is to identify the word that increases the probability of the

statement being true.

The sentence is: 'He could/may or might be

promoted this year.'

'Could', 'may' and 'might'  are synonyms in this context.

Which word can you add to the gap to express a greater likelihood of the

promotion happening?

Is it A) 'likely', B) 'well', C) 'possibly' and

D) 'definitely'.

The correct answer is B) 'well'.

We use 'well' after the modals 'could', 'may' and 'might' to show we think there is a

strong possibility of something happening.

Want to make it even stronger?

Just add 'very'.

'He may very well be promoted this year.'

Time for question 10—which  of these sentences conveys

criticism of the other person's behaviour?

'You must/ might or may have told me you

were going to be late.'

'You _ A) must, B) might or C) may have

told me you were going to be late.'

What do you think?

The correct answer is B) 'you might have told me you were going to be late'.

We can use the structure 'might have' + past participle to express our

disapproval and criticism of someone's actions or behaviour.

Intonation and tone of voice are very important here, as this structure is also

used for past possibility.

Listen to the difference!

'You might have told me you were going to 

be late.' Maybe you did.

Maybe you didn't. 'You might have told  

me you were going to be late.'  

Can you hear the annoyance of my voice the second time?

We cannot use 'must' or 'may' to express criticism like this.

Okay, how's your score doing out of 10?

Let's move on to 11—what is the  difference in meaning between 

these 2 sentences?

A) 'Lucinda didn't need to submit the report today.'

And B) 'Lucinda needn't have submitted the report today.'

Do you need a clue?

Okay, in which sentence did Lucinda

definitely submit the report?

That's right,

in sentence B, Lucinda submitted the report, but it wasn't necessary.

Sorry, Lucinda.

There are some more examples of this in

the PDF.

Question 12—can you rewrite this sentence

beginning with 'what'? 'The last-minute design  

change delayed the product launch.'

Do you need some help?

Here's a clue.

Just one word is missing.

'What delayed the product launch _

the last-minute design change.'

Are you ready?

'What delayed the product launch was the last-minute design change.'

We use 'what' clauses + 'be' to emphasise new information.

The new information comes after the verb 'to be'.

In this example, 'the last-minute design change' is the new information being emphasised.

Bonus question for you here! Can we switch the order of the clauses in

this sentence?

The answer is—yes, we can!

We can put the 'what' clause at the end of the sentence.

'The last-minute design change was what delayed the product launch.'

Which do you prefer?

These advanced structures really help you add emphasis and clarity to your English, 

especially in a professional setting.

Remember, my Professional English Programme Level 3 waiting list is now open.

This programme will guide you beyond just understanding these grammar points.

You'll learn how to apply them naturally in the workplace.

The link is in the description or you can scan this QR code here.

It's going to be a fantastic programme.

Do not miss out!

Okay, we're just over halfway through the quiz. For question 13, let's look at another

structure that can be used for emphasis.

Rewrite this sentence beginning with the

word 'never'.

'We've never had so many customer

complaints in one month.'

Are you ready?

Here's the answer:

'Never have we had so many customer

complaints in one month.'

Did you change the subject-verb order to

question-word order? We use this formal structure to emphasise

what we are saying.

Use 'never' + auxiliary verb + subject.

For example—'Never can we repeat this mistake' or 'never had we received so much

positive feedback'. In some structures, 'be' is the main verb

and we don't need to use an auxiliary verb.

For example—'Never were we more confident

about an idea.

We can use this inverted structure with

many more words and phrases like 'no sooner' and 'not only'.

I've left a lot more information about this in the PDF,

so don't forget to click that link and download that.

Question 14,

let's have a look at another sentence

with an inversion:

'Little did he know he was about to lose his job.'

Which of the following sentences have the most similar meaning?  

A) He knew he was going to lose his job. B) He had a little information that made 

him think he might lose his job.

Or C) He had no idea he was going to lose 

his job. The correct answer is C) He had no idea.

We use the expression 'little did

somebody know/understand/realise/suspect  and so on,

to say that somebody had no idea that something would happen or was true.

Okay, question 15,

I have another inversion for you.

I love inversions!

Let's take a look at this sentence.

'The negotiations were so tough that both sides had to compromise on key points.'

Can you rewrite the sentence beginning with the word 'so'?

Are you ready for the answer?

This one's juicy, it sounds beautiful!

'So tough were the negotiations that both sides had to compromise on key points.'

Can you see what we've done here?

We've moved 'so' + adjective to the

beginning of the sentence, and then we have the inversion.

So cool!

This structure also works with adverbs.

For example—'So quickly did he speak

that I couldn't understand  a word of his presentation.'

Inversions like that to me just sound gorgeous and we cover them in the PEP3

Programme, the Professional English Programme Level 3.

Okay, question 16,

let's take a look at an  advanced passive structure.

How can we restructure this sentence so that the subject comes at the beginning

of the phrase?

'It is alleged that the CEO is stepping

down later this year.'

Did you manage to do it?

It's—'The CEO is alleged to be stepping down later this year.'

We often use the structure in the first sentence—'it' + passive verb + that

clause—to avoid saying who made a statement.

You've probably heard 'it is thought',

'believed' or 'claimed that'.

Well, with some verbs, we can also use  

the structure subject + passive verb + to-infinitive, as in the second example.

'The CEO'—the subject—'is  alleged'—passive verb—'to be 

stepping down'—to-infinitive.

I always think of Buzz Lightyear when I say to-infinitive—'To Infinitive…and Beyond'.

Okay, let's go to number 17.

Take a look at these sentences.

Which linking word fits best? 'The presentation was interrupted by

technical issues. _

The presenter maintained her

professionalism and delivered the key points clearly.'

Is it A) 'Furthermore', B)  'Likewise' or C) 'Nonetheless'?

The correct answer is C) 'Nonetheless'.

It's also the most fun to say, second only to 'nevertheless'.

'Nonetheless' is a synonym of 'nevertheless' and it means despite this fact.

So, in other words, we can say—'Despite interruptions due to technical issues,...'

We use 'furthermore' to add information and 'likewise' to compare similarities between

2 or more things.

Let's stick with linking words for  

question 18—which option  correctly completes this sentence?

'The company reported a rise in profits last quarter, _ a modest one, due to

increased demand for its services.'

Is it A) 'albeit', B) 'in spite of' or C)

'even if'?

The correct answer is A) 'albeit'.

The pronunciation is /ɔːlˈbiːɪt/, not 'albeit'.

I thought it was 'albeit' when I was a child because I'd never heard it said out loud.

/ɔːlˈbiːɪt/.

This has a similar meaning to 'although', but it's generally used in more formal

contexts and usually follows a comma.

I've included more info on the different

structures that follow these linkers in the PDF.

Number 19—which of the following  options is not correct?

'It is essential that the report _ A) is, B) be or C) will be submitted next Friday.'

The incorrect answer is C) 'will be'.

This sentence can be completed with 'is' or

in the subjunctive mood using 'be'.

In English, we often use the subjunctive

mood after phrases like 'it's recommended' and 'it's vital'.

The present subjunctive form is usually 

just the base form of the verb. In this case, 'be'.

Number 20,

we're on the home straight now. Try and rewrite the second sentence so

that it has the same meaning as the first.

There are 3 gaps.

One word is needed in each space.

1) I didn't want to offend the client,

so I worded the email very carefully.

2) I worded the email very carefully so _ _ _

offend the client.'

Are you ready?

The missing words are 'as', 'not', 'to'.

'I worded the email very carefully

so as not to offend the client.'

That sounds gorgeous, if I do say so myself.

'So as not to' is a synonym for 'in order not to'.

Here's another example: 'We didn't want to discourage the new

employee, so we offered constructive feedback.' 'We offered constructive feedback so as

not to discourage the new employee.'

'We offered constructive feedback in order not to discourage the new employee.'

Can you write some of your own example

sentences to practise this structure?

Twenty-one, let's try another  sentence transformation.

Here's our first sentence:

'The problem was too difficult for me to solve by myself.'

Now, here's the gapped sentence:

Put one word in each space so that the

second sentence has a similar meaning to the first.

'_ was too difficult _ _  for me to solve by myself.'

This one is tricky!

Are you ready for the answer?

'It was too difficult a problem for me to

solve by myself.'

I know that was hard.

We usually put the article 'a' or 'an' before the adjective when it describes a noun,

'a difficult problem'.

But in this more formal emphatic

structure we use 'too' + adjective plus 'a' 

or 'an' and then the noun. Here are a few more examples:

'The investment was too risky to make.'

'It was too risky an investment to make.'

'The decision is too important  to be taken quickly.'

'It was too important a decision to be taken quickly.'

Okay, question 22,

this one is really challenging!

Take a look at these 3 sentences. Which word can be used to complete all 3?

Sentence one—'That was _ presentation!'

Two—'He's been collaborating  with us for quite _ time.'

And three—'They have _ 30  employees in the Mumbai branch.'

Do you need a clue? The first letter is 's'.

Ready for the answer?

It is 'some'.

In the first sentence 'some' is used to

express the speaker's favourable opinion of the presentation.

In the second, 'some' combines with time to mean 'a long time'.

And in the third, some means 'approximately'.

Well done if you got 'some' used as a

determiner and an adverb.

Twenty-three—this sentence is  grammatically correct—true or false?

'Attending the conference, new opportunities appeared.'

The answer is false!

The sentence is technically not

grammatically correct, although many proficient users of English might write

something like this.

Can you spot the issue?

Let's break the sentence down.

The implied subject in the first part of

the sentence is 'I'.

'I attended the conference'.

The subject in the second part of the sentence is 'new opportunities'.

However, in English, we prefer to keep the subject in both parts of the sentence

the same.

If not, it might be understood that 'new

opportunities' attended the conference.

So make sure the subject in the

participle clause and the main clause are the same to avoid any potential confusion.

Okay, time for our penultimate question.

Twenty-four, let's look at  another participle clause.

Which one of these options cannot be used to fill in the blank in this sentence?

' _ draw attention to myself,

I didn't say anything in the meeting.'

Is it A) 'Not wishing to', B) 'Wishing not

to' or C) 'To not wishing'?

Okay, we cannot say C) 'To not wishing'.

Of the two remaining options, A is the most likely.

We generally make the participle negative by placing 'not' before it.

However, you can sometimes switch the order, like in this example.

Okay, well done for sticking it out until the very end!

Here is our final grammar question.

Number 25—rewrite this sentence so it begins with the word 'there'.  

You can only change the first part of the sentence, nothing after the comma.

'As there were no suitable candidates for the role, the hiring process was extended

by 2 weeks.'

Any ideas?

The answer is—'There being no suitable candidates for the role,

the hiring process was extended by 2 weeks.'

We can use the phrase 'there being' with

the meaning of 'as' or 'because'.

It explains the reason for something.

It's a formal alternative that's great for use in writing.

Okay, that brings us to the end of our Advanced Grammar test!

This was seriously advanced.

Please share your scores out of 25 in the

comments section.

And don't worry if your score was low. Even a low score is quite an achievement!

I really hope you enjoyed the quiz today,  

and I hope it brought to your attention some of the topics you might need to work

on if you want to achieve the C1 level of English.

Don't forget, my brand-new C1 level

business English course, the Professional English Programme Level 3, is coming out

very soon!

Please join the waitlist if you are interested. The link is in the description, and the QR 

code is there.

I will see you soon for another lesson!

Bye!