Cambridge C2 Part 1: Formal Phrasal Verbs and Particle Precision

Phrasal verbs are not restricted to informal conversation. An academic account can say that a pattern bears out a theory, a problem stems from an assumption, a dispute hinges on a definition, or a researcher shies away from a conclusion. At C2, the challenge is often not recognising a particle but separating neighbouring abstract meanings.

Cambridge C2 Proficiency Reading and Use of English Part 1 contains eight multiple-choice gaps. Cambridge’s current format names phrasal verbs, complementation, semantic precision, collocations, fixed phrases, and idioms among its focuses. This article practises formal or neutral multi-word verbs used in analytical prose.

Continue through the Cambridge C1/C2 vocabulary practice hub or explore Exam English.

Learn the complement with the verb

A complete entry includes meaning, object, and grammar:

• stem from + source: originate in;
• hinge on + deciding factor: depend critically on;
• bear out + claim/prediction: confirm with evidence;
• account for + proportion/result: explain or constitute;
• amount to + noun/gerund: be equivalent to;
• shy away from + noun/gerund: avoid through reluctance;
• gloss over + difficulty/detail: treat too briefly to hide or minimise it;
• come around to + view/gerund: gradually accept after resistance.

Knowing only a loose synonym creates errors such as hinges from, amounts as, or shies away to acknowledge.

Eight C2 boundaries

Stem from and give rise to

X stems from Y makes X the outcome and Y the source. X gives rise to Y reverses those grammatical roles: X is the source, Y the result.

The discrepancy stems from a coding error. A coding error gave rise to the discrepancy.

Both can describe the same causal chain, but the nouns change position.

Hinge on and relate to

A decision hinges on a factor when that factor is critical to the outcome. Relates to merely establishes connection. If several background issues are relevant but one unresolved definition will determine the result, the result hinges on that definition.

Bear out and bring out

Evidence bears out a prediction by confirming it. A discussion may bring out a contrast by making it noticeable; a publisher may bring out a book. The identical particle does not neutralise the main verb.

Account for and allow for

To account for a result is to explain it; to account for 40 per cent is to constitute that share. To allow for a factor is to consider it in planning or calculation.

The model accounts for seasonal variation. The schedule allows for seasonal variation.

The first explains it; the second accommodates it.

Amount to and add up to

Amount to can mean total numerically or be equivalent in significance: “The refusal amounted to an admission.” Add up to commonly gives a total and can also suggest a combined implication. In formal argument, amount to often evaluates what an act constitutes.

Shy away from and steer clear of

Both express avoidance. Shy away from often suggests reluctance, lack of confidence, or unwillingness to confront something. Steer clear of suggests deliberate avoidance of danger, trouble, or an unsuitable topic. Context must establish the motivation.

Gloss over and pass over

To gloss over a problem is to mention it superficially or minimise it, often making an account seem smoother. To pass over a person may mean ignore them for promotion; to pass over a topic can mean omit it. A brief reassuring sentence about a serious flaw may gloss it over rather than omit it.

Come around to and settle on

To come around to a view is to accept it gradually after doubt or opposition. To settle on an option is to choose it after considering alternatives. One tracks changed belief; the other tracks selection.

Original eight-gap cloze

The following practice is original and is not Cambridge sample, recalled, leaked, or predicted material.

Reinterpreting an old excavation

For decades, archaeologists assumed that a settlement had been abandoned after a single flood. That conclusion (1) ______ on a layer of river sediment found across several buildings. Later researchers argued that the layer might instead (2) ______ from repeated smaller floods.

New dating results appeared to (3) ______ out this interpretation: material above and below the sediment came from periods farther apart than a single sudden event would permit. The original report had acknowledged inconsistent dates but devoted only one reassuring sentence to them, thereby largely (4) ______ over their significance.

The new model also (5) ______ for differences in the height of the sediment across the site, explaining them through several episodes. Some specialists initially (6) ______ away from abandoning the dramatic one-flood account, partly because it had shaped public exhibitions for years.

They gradually (7) ______ around to the revised view as evidence accumulated. This did not (8) ______ to proof that flooding alone caused the settlement’s decline; trade and population changes may also have contributed.

1. A hinged B related C fastened D leaned
2. A stem B rise C issue D launch
3. A bring B bear C carry D turn
4. A glossed B passed C went D looked
5. A answered B accounted C counted D stood
6. A shied B refrained C turned D stood
7. A came B got C went D brought
8. A constitute B amount C rise D come

Answers and rationales

1. A, hinged. The sediment layer was the decisive basis for the conclusion, so the conclusion hinged on it. Related to would only express connection and would require a different particle.

2. A, stem. Repeated floods are presented as the source of the layer. Stem from preserves outcome-to-source direction. Give rise to would require the causal nouns in the opposite order.

3. B, bear. Dating results confirm the revised interpretation, so they bear it out. The printed out and claim-like object license the evidential phrasal verb.

4. A, glossed. The report mentioned the dates in a reassuring sentence but minimised their importance. Gloss over captures that superficial treatment; pass over would suggest omission, which the explicit sentence rules out.

5. B, accounted. The model explains the differences. The other verbs do not complete a standard verb + for frame meaning “explain” here.

6. A, shied. Specialists were reluctant to abandon a familiar public story. Shy away from + gerund encodes that reluctance. Refrain takes from directly, not away from; the remaining verbs do not complete the frame.

7. A, came. They gradually accepted a view they had resisted: came around to. Settled on could describe selecting an account, but would not carry the same explicit change-from-resistance path and does not fit the printed particles.

8. B, amount. The evidence was not equivalent to proof that flooding alone caused decline. Amount to + noun expresses what the evidence constitutes.

Direction diagrams in prose

When a causal verb confuses you, write a plain arrow:

repeated floods → sediment layer

Then fit the grammar:

The layer stems from repeated floods.

Repeated floods gave rise to the layer.

Do the same for evidence:

dates → confirmation of interpretation

The dates bear out the interpretation.

This quick restatement catches reversed subjects more reliably than translating each verb.

Complementation drill

Complete the frame and explain the relation.

1. The dispute hinges ______ whether the term includes temporary residents.
2. Her reluctance stems ______ an earlier failed trial.
3. The later records bear ______ his original account.
4. The calculation allows ______ expected price changes.
5. The report accounts ______ almost half of the observed difference.
6. The committee shied away ______ recommending a total ban.
7. The summary glosses ______ two substantial limitations.
8. Several former critics came around ______ supporting the proposal.

Answers: 1 on, decisive dependency; 2 from, source; 3 out, evidential confirmation; 4 for, accommodation in planning; 5 for, proportion; 6 from, avoidance before a gerund; 7 over, superficial/minimising treatment; 8 to, gradual acceptance before a gerund.

Why these are C2 choices

The difficulty is not that every expression is rare. It is that the distractors can describe the same topic while encoding a different logical relation. A model may account for variation and also allow for it, but the first claims explanatory coverage while the second may only incorporate variation into a calculation. A writer may pass over a limitation entirely or gloss over it with one inadequate sentence.

C2 control also includes restraint. “This amounts to proof” is stronger than “this bears out the interpretation.” A careful passage may deliberately deny that stronger status even after presenting confirming evidence.

Common errors

• Reversing source and result with stem from and give rise to.
• Treating hinge on as a decorative synonym for any connection.
• Confusing bear out with the visually similar bring out.
• Using allow for when the sentence claims an explanation.
• Missing the evaluative “be equivalent to” meaning of amount to.
• Following shy away from or come around to with an infinitive rather than a gerund or noun.
• Choosing pass over when the text says a problem was mentioned but minimised.
• Treating changed belief and final selection as identical processes.

Independent practice

Write a 140-word Part 1 cloze about researchers revising an explanation for an ecological change. Use the eight target expressions as answers. Ensure each gap contains a visible relation: source, decisive dependency, confirmation, accommodation or explanation, equivalence, reluctant avoidance, minimisation, or gradual acceptance. Provide four options and a rationale for every gap. If an alternative remains acceptable, strengthen the clue rather than relying on formality alone.

Sources

• C2 Proficiency exam format — Cambridge English
• C2 Proficiency preparation — Cambridge English
• C2 Proficiency handbook for teachers — Cambridge English

Related articles

• Cambridge C2 Part 1: Collocations and Shades of Meaning
• Cambridge C2 Vocabulary: Precision Beyond C1
• Cambridge C2 Key Word Transformations: Meaning and Collocation
• Cambridge C2 Open Cloze: Grammar and Fixed Phrases

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