WORD FORMATION

Make nouns from the verbs given below by adding suitable suffixes:

Protect – protection Develop – development

Inform – information Manage – management
Accept – acceptance Require – requirement
Prefer – preference Maintain – maintenance

Different parts of speech like noun, verb, adjective and adverb are formed by the addition of a syllable
mostly at the end of a word. The process of adding syllables is called affixing.

The base word to which a syllable is affixed is called the root/stem. When a syllable or a word is affixed
at the beginning of the root word, it is called a prefix. When we add it at the end of the base word, it is
called a suffix.

1. Suffixes like -ant, -ator, -er, -ist, -or are added to form personal nouns.

Immigrate – immigrant Terminate – terminator

Conduct – conductor Perform – performer

Education – educationist

2. Suffixes like -ance, -ence, -ation, -ion, ism, -ment, -sion, -tion, -ty, -age, -ency can be used to
form functional nouns.

Refer - reference immerse - immersion

Maintain - maintance transparent - transparency

Invest - investment cultivate - cultivation

Tour - tourism secure - security

Examine - examination bond - bondage

3. Adjectives are formed by adding suffixes like -able, -al, -ative, -ical, -ing, -ive, -ory, -tic.

Reason - reasonable collect - collective

Develop - developing transit - transitory

Paralyze - paralytic technology - technological

Environment - environmental preserve - preservative

 4. Adverbs are formed by the addition of -ally, -ly, or -lly to most of the adjectives.

Verb Adjective Adverb

Comprehend comprehensible comprehensibly

Communicate communicative communicatively

Develop developing/developed developmentally

developmental

Exercise

I. Form different parts of speech by adding suitable suffixes.

Verb Noun Adjective

Application Applicable
Experiment
Conclude Conclusion
Extraction
Labour Laborious
Intensify Intensive
Operation operative
Industrialize
Season
Systematize Systematic
Close
Signify
Vibration Vibratory
Inform
Require Requirement
Dispose Disposable
Production
Motivated
speculate
Simplification
Reliable
Stagnation
Generate
Restorative
II. a. Form nouns from adjectives

able ecological

brief pure

frequent maintainable

wide destructive

active innovative

b. Form nouns from verbs

acquaint repeat

allude recognize

practise install

oblige obey

envelop publish

c. Form verbs from nouns:

list fresh

beauty priority

furniture procurement

table hoarding

friend pursuit

d. Form verbs from adjectives

long attractive

large valuable

perfect useful

clean fertile

explanatory practical
 ANTONYMS

Antonyms of words can be formed by adding negative prefixes like a, an, anti, counter, de, dis, il, im, in,
ir, mis, non, un etc.

Prefix Meaning Example

a without/on amoral/ afoot
an without anarchy
anti against antibiotic
counter contrary/in opposition to counterpart
de not debug
dis not disarm
il not illogical
im not immodest
in not inefficient
ir not irrelevant
mis bad / unfavourable misuse
non not non-interference
un not/reverse action unreal / unlock
a. Give the negative forms:

appropriate rational

nutrition productive

centralize logical

possible destructible

normal manage

b. Change the following words into their opposites by adding suitable prefixes:

ability like
violence regular
fortune moral
legal suitable

c. Give antonyms of the following words by adding suitable negative prefixes:

approve infect

normal consistent

function nutrition

forestation mobile
 legible handle

conventional relenting

sufficient purity

sophisticated sensitive

social advantage

conductor relevant

balance management

pollution intelligible

permeable repairable

generate locate

reversible renewable

IV. Fill in the following blank spaces with the appropriate form of the word:

Noun Adjective Person concerned

Chemistry chemical Chemist
Drama dramatic Dramatist
Environment Environmental Environmentalist
Psychology Psychological Psychologist
Botany Botanist
Therapeutic
Sociology
Astronomical
Economist
Politics
Physical
Technological
Special
Conservationist
Linguistic
Nature
Diplomat
Mechanical
Industrialist
Ecology
Geneticist
Scientific
Physiologist
History
V. Fill in the blanks with two forms of the nouns given, the first one referring to an action and the
second one to a substance:

Verb Noun 1 Noun 2

catalyse catalysis catalyst
corrode corrosion corrosive
advertise
filter
demonstrate
conquer
absorb
indicate
detonate
print
advise
terminate
consign
magnify
speculate
violate
program
VI. Add suitable prefixes to the following words to match the meaning given against them:

1. Supersonic having a speed greater than that of sound

2. Ultrasonic having a wavelength beyond the violet end of the spectrum

3. Substandard not having the required or normal quality

4. Hypertension abnormal blood pressure

5. ----racial a nation having many races of people

6. ----practical not practical

7. ----staff supplementing / supporting staff

8. ----function not working properly

9. ----value value something below the level

10. ----little make something or someone unimportant

11. ----number more than something

12. ----power give more power

13. ----sect division within

14. ----official not official

15. ----market store where everything is available

16. ----spection look into oneself

17. ----developed a nation not fully developed

18. ----natal existing before birth

19. ----humanize take away human qualities

20. ----sonic below the level of audibility

21. ----conductivity property having zero electrical resistance

22. ----embark leave aircraft

23. Fault---- without fault, accurate

24. ----stand endure (something) without giving in

25. ----impose an image placed over another image

26. ----ficial a first quick look at an object, situation

27. ----governing autonomous

28. ----bearable that cannot be tolerated or endured

29. ----national operating across boundaries

30. ----mediate coming between two things, place, etc

31. ----lingual speaking two languages

32. ----thumbed a book read often

33. ----achieve do better than expected

34. ----long cause to last longer

35. ----zero less than zero

36. ----sensitive excessively or abnormally sensitive

37. ----heat heat before hand

38. ----balance a weight balancing another

39. ----marine brilliant deep blue

40. ----orbital situated above the orbit of the eye

41. ----paid not earning enough

42. ----tropical (of regions) near but not in the tropics

 43. ----venous in or into veins

44. ----precious less valuable than a precious stone

45. ----way channel

VII. Give five words each using the following prefixes and suffixes.

1. Self self-help, self-sufficient, self-employment, self-esteem

2. Super supersonic, supernatural supermarket, superpower

3. Sub---

4. Anti---

5. By---

6. ----ment

7. ----ance