Try this test. 50 questions. http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/Flash_apps/inuse/EVUAdvTest/EVUAdvIndex.htm I'm not sure whether advanced means for English speakers or for speakers of English as a second language. My result said I got three wrong. I would disagree about at least one of those. See how you do.
I got 2 wrong, one of which was carelessness on my part and the other I think could be disputed. But one always gets a few of such things with multiple choice.
Probably the latter. There are a lot of idioms that a foreigner might not have learned yet, even if his grammar and pronunciation are perfect. It appears to have been created in the U.K. Most Americans would not recognize several of those idioms. Not to mention that one Gaelic word from Ireland, Scotland or Wales! I missed one and I also disagree. See spoiler. Spoiler I missed one: hand. And I also disagree. "Overhand" is a perfectly common term in sports: an overhand pitch in baseball, an overhand stroke in tennis, an overhand shot in basketball. It's also used in sewing, although I did not know this: a stitch that connects two edges. According to the dictionary, it can even be used in everyday language: to pick up your fork with your hand over the handle instead of using proper etiquette and lifting it more daintily is to grasp it overhand. I doubt very much that these are strictly Americanisms, especially the non-sports definitions. I'd call it an error in the test.
Yes, on that question there are no wrong answers. Swizz! The other two were Spoiler "I thought the job wouldn't take long............It took two days" I said the missing words were "You live and learn". "Famous last words" would only be right if the sentence began "I said the job wouldn't take long" It has to be a statement which is quickly shown to be mistaken, not a thought. The last one I got wrong was "What do you take me for?" means "I don't believe you". I put the one about taking it with a pinch of salt. The correct answer is probably better grammar.
