86 _ Prefixes: creating new meanings HE) common prefixes (and its variations ime, il, ir-) can make a word negative, as in inaccuracy, inability and imperfect mis- means wrongly or badly, ¢.g. misbehave and misuse. [use in the wrong way or forthe wrong purpose] out. suggests being greater or better than something, e.g, outnumber {to be largerin number than another group] and outweigh. (be greater or more important than something else] re- has the meaning of ‘do again’ as in reconsider [think again about a decision or opinion], redevelop and rethink. [change what you think about something or what you plan to do} has the meaning of ‘electronic as in e-commerce [buying and selling goods online], e-reader [an electronic device for teading books] and e-cigarettes, [cigarettes that use water vapour rather than tobacco] ec0- has the meaning of ‘good for the environment, as in eco-friendly cleaning products, an eco-city [using energy efficiently and producing very little pollution] and an e¢o-warrior. (an informal word for someone who campaigns to protect the environment] HM) reposition-based prefixes over- may indicate (a) an excess of something, (b) being above something, or (c) going across something (2) excess That film was overrated in my view. [people said it was better than it really was] It was a bad restaurant, with an overpriced menu. [too high prices) (6) asove Several of our neighbour’ large trees overhang our garden. [their branches go over our garden) Our garden is overshadowed by the block of flats next door. [the flats cast a shadow over our garden] She always felt overshadowed by her older, more successful, sister. [metaphorical tse el less important than] (€) Across He overstepped the mark winen he said that. [rossed a bar unacceptable behaviour] Will you be staying overnight? [cross from one day tothe next :ppropriate, incapable, into offensive/ under may indicate (a) less than the desired amount, b) something below another thing, or (c) some kind of negative behaviour (2) Less Don'tunderestimate the time it will take. [think it willbe less than it really is} ‘The company is seriously understaffed, (lacking staf] (b) aeLow It's quite wet underfoot. Did it rain last night? [on the ground, beneath your feet} The underlying question is a very difficult one. the deeper question] (6) Necarive | wish you would not undermine everything | do. (attack, weaken] He did it in avery underhand way. [secretly and possibly dishonestiy] tup- can suggest a change of some kind, often positive. The airline upgraded me to business class. changed my ticket to a better ciass} There has been an upturn in the economy. [change forthe better] (ere rere eeerces con-/com- often suggests mixing things together (often in verbs of communication). converse commiserate condolences congeal contaminate pro- can often suggest pushing something forward or increasing it Promote proliferate procrastinate _procreate can give the idea of something coming out of something. They were ejected from the restaurant for bad behaviour. [thrown out; format ‘The machine emitted a loud noise and then stopped working. [gave out; formal] 178 English Vocabulary in Use Advanced86.1 86.2 86.3 86.4 Exercises Choose a word from A opposite to complete each sentence. They are planning to... the area around the old bus station, Itis to use informal language in a formal essay. The yes votes _. the no votes by two to one. Ian's English is excellent but he still tends to idioms occasionally. We all hope you will, ~ your decision to turn down our offer of ajob. Um afraid | only have an .. understanding of the situation myself. These pupils do not usually in class. An to drive is a serious problem for anyone in this line of business. Lance seems to be... of understanding even the simplest instructions. 10 Paula lost marks in her science test because of the. of her measurements. 11 More and more businesses use the internet in order to sell their products, so. becoming more and more important to the economy. 12 More farmers are now choosing to use fertilisers that don’t harm the environment or wildlife is Decide which of the meanings of over- and under- are most obvious in the words in bold. Use the labels (a), (b) or (c), as in B opposite. Circle the correct letter. Use a dictionary if necessary. Lreally think she overstated her case, and lost a lot of sympathy. The plane’s undercarriage failed to open and it crashed, A detailed list of awards is given overleaf. He has a very overbearing personality. The project was underfunded from the outset. During the cruise, a child fell everboard and drowned. Priya's contribution to the project has sometimes been underrated, Phil always gets an underling to do the tasks he doesn't enjoy. Rewrite these sentences using words from the opposite page. There are more women than men on my COUrSe. Women aubnumber men on my curse The hotel gave me a luxury room instead of the ordinary one I'd booked. Would you like to spend the night there or come back the same day? The problem that lies under the surface is a very serious one. For me, the advantages of air travel are more significant than the disadvantages. I think this hotel charges too much. Its slippery walking just here. Be careful The company experienced a rise in popularity after it changed its name. elt that whet she said was critical of my position and weakened it somewhat. 10 Itwould be a mistake to think Frances was less intelligent than she really is. Match these definitions to a word in C opposite. Use a dictionary if necessary. to keep delaying something that must be done. to make something poisonous or less pure to throw out with force. suddenly to increase a lot in number to sympathise with someone's unhappiness... to change from a liquid or soft state to a solid or hard state to produce young (formal) to.chat formal) 7 to send out (a beam, noise, smell or gas) 10 to encourage people to buy or use something. English Vocabulary in Use Advanced 179180 Suffixes: forming new words Productive suffixes Many suffixes (and prefixes too) are productive. (stil used to create new words] You might feel adventurous enough to try coining some words of your own! (creating) The meaning of the example words below is clear from the meanings of the root and the suffix. -able can be used productively, whereas -ible never is. It combines with verbs to form adjectives. Note that -able means ‘can be’: a washable jacket [one that can be washed] disposable nappies Predictable results avoidable problems manageable situation fonscious combines with nouns to form adjectives that describe people who consider one aspect of their ives especially important: health-conscious person class-conscious society safety conscious company time-conscious workforce -free combines with nouns describing something undesirable to form adjectives to describe nouns. without that undesirable aspect: stress-free life tax-free shop additive-free food -tich combines with nouns (often chemical or organic substances) to form adjectives to describe nouns with alot of that substance: ich diet caleium-rich foods -led combines with nouns and nationality adjectives to form adjectives describing things that are controlled or influenced by the original noun ornationality: community-| led protest worker-led uprising -minded combines with adjectives or nouns to form new adjectives describing people with particular characters, opinions or attitudes: like-minded friends [with similarinterests] career-minded young, women money-minded managers high-minded (having high moral standards) -proof combines with nouns to form adjectives describing things that can resist the damage or difficulty caused by that noun: ovenproof dish waterproof jacket soundproof room idiot- proofinstructions -related combines with nouns to form adjectives to describe one thing as connected with another: stress-related absence from work age-related illness jdden combines with nouns to form adjectives describing people or things with a lot ofthat noun: guilt-ridden person crime-ridden city bedridden [2 person wha has to stay in bed because they are il) -worthy combines with nouns to form adjectives that describe people or things that merit whatever the original noun refers to: newsworthy incident {worth reporting in the nevis) praiseworthy action/pupil [deserving praise] Language The first part of words with -ed, related, -conscious, ete. is usually a singular rather than a plural noun, e.g. university-led, crime-related, age-conscious [NOT emiversitiested-crimesrretated ages conscious) ‘Suffixes in different word classes -ly is not only an adverb ending, italso forms quite a few adjectives: lively children {full of energy) costly holiday [expensive] leisurely walk [relaxed] miserly man [mean with money] int is most familiar as an adjective ending (relevant information, distant hills) butt can also make nouns from verbs to describe a person: an applicant forajob an insurance claimant a police informant a quizcontestant an occupant of a house en makes adjectives from nouns (weelten jumper, golden heir) but it also makes verbs from adjectives: tomeistenyourlips to sweeten tea asituation worsens a face reddens English Vocabulary in Use Advanced87.1 87.2 87.3 87.4 87.5 87.6 Exercises Complete the table below with the correct phrases. new examplein phrase | meaning a Aeatabl issue anissue that can be debated conscious ‘employers who are very aware of money “free ‘2 city centre without any cars =rieh 12 drink which provides alot of energy “led fashion that is dictated by the French minded Itiends who are very focused on sports proof 2 car with protection against bullets related ‘rime that is connected in some way with drugs wridden ‘2 society where there isa lot of poverty “worthy '2 person who deserves others’ trast Match each adjective with the two nouns it best collocates with in the box. EXAMPLE student-led: sell, demonstration 1 additive-free 6 newsworthy [knives and forks income drinks mistake 2 avoidable 7 ooierich rebellion delay foods room criminal 3 disposable 8 ovenproof expression glove story booth illness 4 guiltridden 8 soundproof | speech personality dish country 5 high-minded 10 stress-related | demonsivation principles problems _ economy Which of the suffixes in A opposite could combine with the words in the box below to make new words? Note that there is more than one possibility for each word. child dust calorie _ work Rewrite the sentences using the suffix given in brackets. 1 The weather can’t be predicted. (-able) the weather is unprenctable 2 Poisonous mushrooms can be easily identified. (able) 3. He thinks so much about his career that he has no time for his family. (minded) 4 The new speed cameras are supposed to be indestructible by vandals. (-proof) 5 During the Civil War, the country was totally overcome by terror. (ridden) 6 The soil on that farm contains a lot of nutrients. (rich) 7 The bank decided that he did not have enough income to allow him credit. (worthy) Using a suffix from A, make up words with the following meanings. 1 food for vegetarians must be this 4 canbe dry-cleaned 2 connected with class 5. very aware of people's clothes 3 containing a lot of vitamins 6 initiated by the government Are the following words adverbs, adjectives or verbs? Use a dit jonary if necessary. 1 dampen 5 roughen 2 friendly 6 masterly 3 dearly 7 kindly 4 silken 8 darken English Vocabulary in Use Advanced 1s