Lesson 12 of 125 min read
Integrated Practice & Review
Finish the kit by using combinations in connected language. A phrase is learned when you can choose it accurately, adapt its grammar and explain why it fits.
Understand the pattern
Work in three passes. First identify the message and its evidence. Next choose conventional combinations that express that message. Finally check articles, endings and prepositions. If you start by inserting impressive phrases, you may produce fluent language that no longer answers the question.
For a gap, inspect both neighbours and the wider sentence. Make a decision may be familiar, but the surrounding grammar could require made or making. Likewise, an adjective may fit its noun while contradicting the passage's cautious claim. All three checks, meaning, partnership and grammar, must agree.
For a short written or spoken response, select only the phrases the situation needs. Keep an error log organised by problem: wrong partner, missing preposition, wrong noun form or changed meaning. Revisit the lesson that targets the problem, then practise it in a different situation so that you do not simply memorise one answer.
Language in context
| Word or pattern | Meaning or use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning check | Does the phrase preserve the claim? | Potential benefit does not mean proven result. |
| Partnership check | Do these words conventionally combine? | Make progress, not do progress. |
| Grammar check | Does the whole sentence work? | Responsible for updating, not responsible for update. |
| Evidence check | Have you added unsupported detail? | A request for an extension is not an approved extension. |
Worked example
Reason through the choice
Edit: The team did a research and proved that the change may help every customer. Source facts: a small survey suggested a possible benefit for some customers.
Answer: The team conducted a small survey that suggested a possible benefit for some customers.
The revision names the actual method, avoids the countability problem in a research, and replaces proved and every with the source's limited claim. Fixing only did to conducted would leave the more important meaning errors intact.
Try it yourself
Write your answers before opening the key. For open responses, the suggested answer is one possible version; keep the meaning and check the target pattern.
- Complete: Staff are responsible ___ checking orders, which can contribute ___ fewer errors.
- Write a two-sentence request to move an appointment because your shift changed. Give one alternative time.
- Summarise accurately: Completion rose from 60% to 70%. The report did not investigate the cause.
Check answers and explanations
1. For; to. Both are complete preposition patterns. Can retains the possible effect rather than guaranteeing it.
2. Could we reschedule my appointment because my shift has changed? I am available on Thursday afternoon. The request states the reason and an actionable alternative without assuming the change is already confirmed.
3. Completion increased by ten percentage points, from 60% to 70%, but the cause was not investigated. The measurement is correct and the sentence does not invent a reason for the increase.
Use it in your PTE preparation
PTE Academic
Use a new short passage or chart and produce a concise explanation. Underline the combinations you used, then check each against the meaning and grammar. Keep necessary technical terms and do not add a causal story that the source does not establish.
PTE Core
Practise a fresh practical message with a new recipient, purpose and detail. Check that the requested action is clear, the tone fits and your combinations are natural. Avoid inserting a stock paragraph unrelated to the situation.
Recall and transfer
Repeat the three tasks later with the key closed. For each error, name the rule or meaning distinction you missed and create a new example. Continue with vocabulary practice or return to the relevant foundation lesson; completion records reading progress, not an official proficiency score.