23d • Part 1
The CLUE method explained!
The CLUE method is a strategic framework designed to help students navigate the Multiple Choice Cloze section (Part 1) of the B2 Use of English exam,. This section is particularly challenging because it presents four "real words" as options, where many may seem like synonyms, but only one fits the natural context. The CLUE method provides a checklist to move beyond simple translation and identify the correct word based on linguistic patterns,.
The method breaks down into four specific areas of focus:
C – Collocation
The first step encourages students to ask if an option naturally "goes together" with surrounding words to form a fixed phrase or "chunk",.
- How it helps: It eliminates words that might have the right meaning but the wrong pairing. For example, while "charge," "responsibility," and "control" relate to being in power, only "responsibility" naturally collocates in the phrase "take full responsibility for".
- Application: Students are taught to look for the word they have seen before as a fixed unit in English.
L – Lexical Meaning & Register
This step helps students distinguish between near-synonyms by evaluating their formality (register) and precise nuance,.
- How it helps: It prevents students from choosing words that are too vague or informal. For instance, in a formal committee context, the word "examine" is a more precise and appropriate choice than "look".
- Shades of meaning: It also guides students to choose the word with the exact intended effect, such as selecting "beneficial" over general words like "good" or "great" when describing health effects.
U – Usage Pattern
This focuses on the grammatical requirements of a word, such as whether a verb requires a specific dependent preposition or follows a fixed structural pattern,.
- How it helps: It narrows options based on the "particle" or preposition following the gap. For example, a student can identify the correct answer by knowing that "accused" must be followed by "of," whereas other options like "responsible" would require "for",.
- Phrasal Verbs: It also helps navigate phrasal verb traps where multiple options might create real verbs (like set off or take off), but only one matches the specific usage needed for the sentence (like a plane leaving the ground),.
E – Environment / Discourse
The final step requires looking at the wider sentence or paragraph to ensure the option matches the overall logic and flow,.
- How it helps: This is specifically useful for discourse connectors. Even if multiple connectors are grammatically possible, the "environment" of the text dictates whether the logic requires a word showing contrast (e.g., however), cause/result (e.g., consequently), or addition (e.g., furthermore),,.
By using this checklist, students can systematically identify Cambridge distractors—options that are technically possible in English but are not the natural choice for that specific context,.
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The CLUE method explained!
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