Richmond

3 Reading and
Use of English
Part 3
B2 FIRST PREPARATION
Word Formation – Part 3

The question type here is called word formation.

There are 8 questions to answer in part three. This

section of the test focuses on your vocabulary.
Each question is worth one mark. It is similar to
parts 1 and 2.

You are given a text with 8 gaps where one word

completes the sentence. Unlike parts 1 and 2, at the
end of the line the gap is on, you are given a
prompt which you have to change in some way to
get the answer.

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Word Formation – Part 3

This question type is about knowing different

forms of the same word e.g. how it changes –
special, specialize, specialism, specialist etc.

For this you need to understand word forms,

prefixes, and suffixes to answer.

Reading is a good way of seeing how word form

changes and how it is used in text.

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Word Formation – Part 3

As Part 3 tests your knowledge of the way words are

formed in English, including the use of prefixes and
suffixes, and any spelling rules associated with these
changes. Let's try some examples:

Nouns from verbs

The stem - given- word could be a verb and the required
word to fill the gap might be a noun. Nouns are often
formed with a suffix such as 'ment', 'ion', 'ness', 'ence’ etc.

Practice:
https://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/wfmation/ex1.htm

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Word Formation – Part 3
Adjectives from nouns
The required word will often be an adjective and you'll
sometimes need to identify the correct suffix, for example, 'like',
'ous', 'ful’.

Practice:
https://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/wfmation/ex5.htm

Forming opposites
We often use prefixes to create the opposite form of adjectives.
Some common prefixes include 'im', 'in', 'un' , 'dis'.

Practice
https://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/strategy/wfmation/ex3.htm

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Practice 1
Let’s practice for this part of B2 First, using flashcards.

Visit this page:

https://quizlet.com/es/362056712/first-use-of-english-part-3-
word-formation-flash-cards/

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Practice 2
Here you will find a PDF document with a board game
you can use to practice word formation with a partner
and have some fun at the same time.

*If you are a teacher, you can print several copies and
make your students play together. Feel free to change
the words to get extra practice.

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General Tips

 Examine the sentence structure to identify the

part of speech required, such as a noun, verb,
adjective or adverb.

 Use your understanding of the context to

decide if the missing word is positive or
negative.

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Extra Practice
Access the links to get extra practice on
Part 3 Word Formation:

https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/FCE/Par
t3/fce_word_formation_1.php
https://www.englishrevealed.co.uk/FCE/Par
t3/fce_word_formation_2.php

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