Ellipsis & Substitution Exercises PDFSet 3: So & Not — Clausal Substitution & Mixed Practice
20 questions·14 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.'Is it going to rain this afternoon?' 'I hope ___.'
a) notb) soc) don'td) no
2.'Will the shop be open on Sunday?' 'I think ___.'
a) sob) yesc) itd) that
3.'Do you think we'll get a pay rise this year?' 'I'm afraid ___.'
a) nob) notc) so notd) don't
4.'Has the meeting been cancelled?' 'I don't think ___.'
a) notb) soc) itd) that
5.The road may be closed due to flooding. If ___, we'll take the motorway instead.
a) yesb) notc) thatd) so
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.not
2.so
3.not
4.so
5.so
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."not"(a)
'I hope not' = 'I hope it isn't going to rain'. After 'hope', we use 'not' directly (not 'I don't hope so'). The pattern is: hope + so/not. Here the speaker wants dry weather, so 'not' is correct.
2."so"(a)
'I think so' = 'I think the shop will be open on Sunday'. 'So' replaces the entire clause. This is the most common clausal substitution pattern.
3."not"(b)
'I'm afraid not' = 'I'm afraid we won't get a pay rise'. After 'be afraid', we use 'not' directly — never 'I'm afraid so not' or 'I don't afraid so'.
4."so"(b)
'I don't think so' = 'I don't think the meeting has been cancelled'. With 'think', the negative transfers to the main verb: we say 'I don't think so' (not 'I think not' in everyday speech — though 'I think not' exists in very formal English).
5."so"(d)
'If so' = 'if the road is closed'. 'If so' is a compact way to refer back to a previously mentioned possibility. 'If yes' is not standard English.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
Prefer practicing online?
Try our interactive exercises with instant feedback.