Module 2 · Grammar in Action · Lesson 07
R&UoE Part 2 Open Cloze
Grammar in discourse, not in isolation
Warm-up · Section 1
4 minGet talking
Read aloud: 'Despite ____ rain, we went for a walk.' What ONE word fills the gap? Now invent two more sentences with one-word gaps and swap with a partner.
Look at these gaps: 'in ____ of', 'no sooner ____ I arrived', 'a person ____ I admire'. Are the answers grammar words or content words? What does that tell you about Part 2?
Group these into ADDITION / CONTRAST / RESULT / CONDITION: furthermore, whereas, hence, provided, moreover, nevertheless, thus, unless.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8 minThe 8 word-classes Part 2 tests (and how to spot them)
Quick rule
Don't search for vocabulary — PREDICT the word class. Part 2 gaps are almost always grammar words: prepositions, pronouns, auxiliaries, linkers, articles, relatives, comparatives or quantifiers.
Examples
Dependent preposition: 'She's been accused ____ stealing.' → OF
Relative pronoun: 'The colleague ____ desk is next to mine resigned.' → WHOSE
Reference pronoun: 'I bought two books and read ____ on the train.' → THEM / BOTH
Auxiliary in inversion: 'No sooner ____ we arrived than it rained.' → HAD
Linker / conjunction: '____ the rain, the match went ahead.' → DESPITE
Comparative pairing: 'The more you practise, ____ better you get.' → THE
Fixed phrase: 'She was promoted on the ____ of her sales record.' → BASIS
Quick check
Question 1.'He's interested ____ learning Japanese.' (ONE word)
Question 2.'No sooner ____ we sat down than the phone rang.' (ONE word)
Question 3.'The candidate ____ CV impressed us most was Sara.' (ONE word)
Question 4.'____ the weather, the festival went ahead.' (ONE word)
Question 5.Which of these would NEVER be a valid Part 2 answer?
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild an inversion clause for 'No sooner ___ we arrived…' (the missing word is HAD).
2.Rebuild a relative clause: 'a colleague ___ desk is next to mine' (the missing word is WHOSE).
3.Rebuild a fixed phrase: 'on the ___ of her sales record' (the missing word is BASIS).
Quick check 1.How many words may go in EACH Part 2 gap?
Quick check 2.True or false: contractions like DON'T count as one word in Part 2.
Vocabulary · Section 3
6 minWords & phrases to own
despite / in spite of
contrast linker followed by a noun or -ing form
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
whereas / while
contrast conjunctions linking two clauses
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
provided / providing (that)
conditional connector meaning 'only if'
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
on behalf of
fixed phrase = 'representing someone'
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
by means of
fixed phrase = 'using' (formal)
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
in the event of
fixed phrase = 'if X happens' (formal)
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
whose
relative pronoun of possession (people OR things)
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
the more… the more
double-comparative structure with two THEs
Use it now
Say one sentence that is true about you using this expression.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3 minWeak forms in grammar words
Most Part 2 answers are grammar words — and in connected English, grammar words use WEAK forms (schwa /ə/). Saying the completed sentence aloud with natural rhythm helps you feel whether the missing word is really a grammar word at all. If the word in your head wants to be STRESSED, it's probably a content word and almost certainly the wrong choice.
- 'She was accused OF stealing.' — OF reduces to /əv/, not /ɒf/.
- 'No sooner HAD we arrived than it rained.' — HAD reduces to /həd/.
- 'I bought THEM yesterday.' — THEM reduces to /ðəm/.
- 'The more you eat, THE bigger you get.' — both THEs reduce.
- 'DESPITE the rain, we went out.' — stress on de-SPITE then a long pause.
Reading · Section 5
8 minHow cohesion really works — a short note on Part 2
Cambridge call this task 'Open Cloze', but a more honest name would be 'Cohesion Repair'. The text is short — only about 150 to 180 words — and the eight gaps are spread evenly across it. What surprises students every time is what the gaps are NOT: they are not vocabulary tests. The missing words almost never carry the meaning of the sentence. They are the invisible scaffolding that holds it up — prepositions after specific verbs ('accused OF stealing'), pronouns that point back to earlier nouns ('them', 'those'), auxiliaries inside perfect, passive or inverted structures ('had', 'been', 'having'), conjunctions that signal contrast or condition ('despite', 'whereas', 'unless'), relatives that link clauses ('whose', 'which'), and the second halves of fixed phrases ('in spite OF', 'on the BASIS of', 'by means OF'). What makes this hard is not the words — most candidates know all of them — but the prediction. Strong candidates read the sentence around the gap and decide, in five seconds, what CLASS of word must go there. 'This must be a preposition.' 'This must be a relative pronoun.' 'This must be an auxiliary.' Once the class is named, the choice is almost forced; only one or two grammar words can fit. Weak candidates skip the prediction step and try to brainstorm any English word that 'sounds OK', which is why their answers are too often content words that change the meaning. The expensive errors are predictable. Candidates write two words ('in spite'). They contract ('don't' instead of 'do not' — neither of which is one word). They invent a content word where only a grammar word can fit. They forget that 'whose' works for things, not only people. None of these are knowledge errors; they are routine errors. A 60-second routine — read the sentence, name the class, choose the word, read the sentence aloud with the word in it — fixes almost all of them. The deeper payoff matters too: cohesion repair is the editing skill you use every time you proof-read an email, tidy up a report, or untangle a long paragraph. Train it on the page, and your writing will get tighter without you noticing.
Question 1.According to the writer, what kind of word is ALMOST NEVER the answer in Part 2?
Question 2.What is the writer's preferred alternative name for the task?
Question 3.What single step do STRONG candidates do that weak ones skip?
Question 4.Which of these is given as a typical EXPENSIVE error?
Q1.Most Part 2 answers are content words that carry the meaning of the sentence.
Q2.The relative pronoun 'whose' can refer to things, not only people.
Q3.A contraction such as 'don't' is a valid one-word answer.
Q4.Predicting the word class before writing the word is the core skill.
Listening · Section 6
8 minA tutor walks two students through a Part 2 page
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Scrub the bar or use ± 5 s to jump.
Show transcript
Tutor (f):OK, before we even look at the words, what's the first thing you should do when a Part 2 page lands in front of you?
Liam:Read the whole text first, without filling anything in?
Tutor (f):Exactly. Thirty seconds of silent scanning. You're getting the topic and the discourse flow, not searching for answers. Then you go gap by gap. Anya, what's your routine at each gap?
Anya:I read the sentence and try to think of a word that fits.
Tutor (f):Almost. Add one step before that. Read the sentence, then NAME the word CLASS out loud — 'this is a preposition', 'this is a pronoun', 'this is an auxiliary'. If you name the class first, you don't get tempted by content words.
Liam:What if I can't decide between, say, two prepositions?
Tutor (f):Read the whole sentence aloud with each one in it. Your ear will pick the right one nine times out of ten, because dependent prepositions are stored as chunks: 'accused OF', 'interested IN', 'famous FOR'. If neither sounds right, you've named the wrong class.
Anya:And contractions — I'm always tempted to write DON'T or HASN'T.
Tutor (f):Never. A contraction is two words pretending to be one. If your answer is DON'T, the real answer is either DO or NOT — pick the one the grammar actually needs. Same with HASN'T: write HAS or NOT. Last thing: read your finished sentence aloud one more time. If the cohesion sounds broken, the answer is wrong.
Liam:So: scan the text, name the class, choose the word, read the sentence aloud — every single gap.
Tutor (f):Every single gap. Do that for eight gaps and you'll claw back three or four marks you used to lose.
Question 1.What does the tutor say students should do FIRST when they see a Part 2 page?
Question 2.Which step does the tutor add to Anya's routine?
Question 3.Why does the tutor say dependent prepositions are easy to choose by ear?
Question 4.What does the tutor finally say students should ALWAYS do at every gap?
Question 1.The tutor's overall message about Part 2 is best summarised as…
Visual stimulus · Section 7
3 minA real Part 2 page
30 seconds of silent scanning. For EACH numbered gap, predict the WORD CLASS first: preposition, pronoun, auxiliary, linker, comparative or fixed-phrase word.
Discuss in pairs
In pairs, label each of gaps 9–16 with a class, then propose your one-word answer. Only commit once you've read the sentence aloud with your word in it.
Exam skills · Section 8
3 minR&UoE Part 2 — Open Cloze, in depth
Strategy
- 1.Scan the WHOLE text for 30 seconds before writing anything.
- 2.At each gap, NAME the word class out loud: preposition / pronoun / auxiliary / linker / relative / comparative / fixed phrase.
- 3.Choose ONE word that fits the class — no contractions, no compounds.
- 4.Read the completed sentence aloud — if cohesion sounds broken, change the word.
- 5.If two grammar words fit, pick the more frequent one (e.g. THAT over WHICH in defining clauses).
Example
'She was accused ____ stealing the documents.' Class: preposition (after ACCUSE). Candidates: OF / FOR / WITH. Read aloud: 'accused OF stealing' is a known chunk. Commit: OF. One word, no contraction, cohesion intact.
Practice · Section 9
7 minFill in the blank
Question 1.She has been interested ____ photography since she was a teenager.
Question 2.____ the heavy rain, the outdoor concert went ahead as planned.
Question 3.The author, ____ latest novel won a major prize, will be at the festival.
Question 4.No sooner ____ we sat down than the waiter brought the menu.
Question 5.The more time you spend revising, ____ better your results will be.
Question 6.____ that you book in advance, you can travel for half the price.
Question 7.Concerns have been raised ____ the impact of the new policy on small firms.
Question 8.I bought two new novels and read ____ on the flight home.
Q1.Fill the gap with ONE word: 'In ____ of the bad weather, the match went ahead.'
Q2.Fill the gap with ONE word: 'She speaks on ____ of the whole team.'
Q3.Fill the gap with ONE word: 'It's a long time ____ I last saw you.'
Q4.Fill the gap with ONE word: 'There is little ____ no evidence to support the claim.'
Writing · Section 10
4 minPut it in writing
Your task
Take any paragraph (80–100 words) you wrote recently — an email, a message, or a paragraph from this course — and rewrite it with EIGHT deliberate cohesive devices added or improved: at least two linkers, two reference pronouns, two dependent prepositions used naturally, and two fixed phrases (e.g. 'on the basis of', 'in spite of', 'as a result of').
- • Submit BOTH the original and the rewrite, marked side by side.
- • Underline or label each of the eight cohesive devices you added.
- • Don't pad the paragraph — keep the length within ±10% of the original.
Before you submit
- ☐ Original and rewrite both visible.
- ☐ At least 8 cohesive devices added, all clearly labelled.
- ☐ No contractions used in formal sentences.
- ☐ Read the rewrite aloud — every sentence still flows naturally.
Show model answer
Original (78 w): 'I started a new job last month. It's busy. I like my colleagues. The office is far from my flat. I take the train every morning. Sometimes I read on the way. Sometimes I just look out of the window. Either way, I usually arrive feeling ready to start the day.' Rewrite (84 w): 'I started a new job last month, AND ALTHOUGH it is busy, I genuinely like the colleagues WITH whom I share an open-plan office. THE OFFICE itself is some way from my flat, SO I take the train every morning. ON the journey, I sometimes read; ON OTHER DAYS I simply look out of the window. EITHER WAY, BY THE TIME I arrive, I'm usually ready to start the day.'
Speaking · Section 11
6 minMake it a real conversation
Justify-your-one-word pairs. In pairs, take turns: Student A reads a sentence with a one-word gap aloud. Student B must (a) name the word class, (b) propose the word, and (c) justify the choice in one sentence. Swap each round. Time: 6 minutes.
Useful phrases
- I think the class is… because…
- It has to be a preposition / pronoun / auxiliary…
- The collocation here is…
- It's a fixed phrase: '____ ____ of'.
- If I read it aloud, 'X' sounds wrong because…
- Another possible word would be… but…
- The discourse marker has to signal contrast / result / condition.
- It can't be a content word here because…
- A'She was accused ____ taking documents without permission.'
- B_______________
- A'____ the high cost, demand for the new model is still rising.'
- B_______________
- A'The writer, ____ books I grew up with, will give a talk tonight.'
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Two extensions for stronger groups or longer sessions. ~22 min total
Homework · Section 12
Take-homeTake it home
Complete EIGHT one-word Part 2 gaps. For each item, first name the WORD CLASS in brackets, then write the answer.
questions · Eight items (one word per gap)
- 1. The decision was taken on the ____ of the latest sales figures.
- 2. She apologised ____ being late to the meeting.
- 3. ____ the team had trained for months, they lost in the final.
- 4. No sooner ____ I closed the door than the phone rang.
- 5. The candidate ____ qualifications match the role best is Mariam.
- 6. We won't go ahead ____ everyone agrees on the budget.
- 7. The longer we wait, ____ harder the decision becomes.
- 8. The new policy will have a serious effect ____ small businesses.
Build a one-page 'Part 2 prediction map'. For EACH of the 8 word classes, write the trigger contexts you'd expect to see and ONE model gap with the answer.
vocab list · Eight classes to cover
- Dependent preposition (verb + prep, adj + prep, noun + prep)
- Relative pronoun (who, which, whose, where, when)
- Reference pronoun (it, them, this, those, both, either)
- Auxiliary (had, been, having, did, do, does)
- Linker / conjunction (although, despite, whereas, unless, provided)
- Comparative / quantifier (more, than, as, much, few, fewer)
- Fixed-phrase noun or particle (spite, behalf, basis, means, event)
- Article (a, an, the — used sparingly)
prompts · For each class
- List 3 trigger contexts that usually signal it.
- Write ONE model sentence with a gap, and write the answer in brackets.
- Mark the class you find HARDEST — that's tomorrow's first drill.
Find a short article (150–200 words) from a quality news site. Choose EIGHT grammar words across the article and rewrite the article as a Part 2 cloze: replace each chosen word with a gap. Then write the answer key.
prompts · Include
- The original article URL or source.
- Your cloze version with 8 numbered gaps.
- Your answer key labelling the class of each gap.
Record yourself (60–90 seconds) explaining ONE word class to an imaginary classmate as if you were the teacher. Name the class, give the trigger contexts, model one example aloud, and warn about the most common mistake students make with it.
prompts · Cover, in this order
- Name the word class.
- Give 2–3 trigger contexts.
- Say one full model sentence with the gap and answer aloud.
- Warn about the most common error (e.g. using a contraction, writing two words).
Recap · Section 13
Wrap-upWhat you've learned
- Part 2 = 8 gaps, 1 mark each (max 8), ONE word per gap — no contractions, no compounds.
- Almost every answer is a grammar word: preposition, pronoun, auxiliary, linker, relative, comparative, fixed-phrase word.
- Routine: scan the text → name the word class → choose the word → read the sentence aloud → verify cohesion.
- Most errors are routine errors (contraction, wrong class, two words), not knowledge errors.
- Cohesion repair is a real-world editing skill — train it on the page and your writing tightens up too.