Don't Tell Me the Ending

C2 Proficiency · Word Formation · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

HASTE

PLACE

NOTICE

HURRY

REPEAT

CERTAIN

EXCUSE

ASSURE

Few social sins are now regarded as quite so (0) ___ as revealing the ending of a series to someone who has not yet caught up. Fans mute keywords, abandon social media for days and leave rooms (1) ___ when conversation turns to the latest episode. Yet research suggests that this fear may be largely (2) ___ . In several experiments, readers given stories whose endings had been revealed in advance enjoyed them no less, and in some cases (3) ___ more, than those who came to them fresh. Knowing the outcome, it seems, frees us to spot details that a (4) ___ first reading would miss, and to savour how a story is told rather than simply what happens. On reflection, this should hardly surprise us. People (5) ___ return to favourite films and novels whose plots they know by heart, and the pleasure of a great story rarely depends on (6) ___ alone. None of this makes spoiling a story for others (7) ___ , of course; the thrill of discovery is real, and it belongs to the person discovering. But it should (8) ___ anyone who has had an ending ruined: the story itself has survived.

Don't Tell Me the Ending

FORGIVE

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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