NOUNS - ADJECTIVES - VERBS - ADVERBS

1. Word formation

1.1. Formation of nouns

Suffixes Examples
-ER (person) Teacher, manager, driver
-OR (person) Actor, director
-ANT (person) Attendant, assistant, accountant
-(I)AN (person) Musician, electrician, American
-IST (person) Economist, dentist, artist, guitarist
-EE (person) Interviewee, employee
- ION Action, invention, construction, direction
- MENT Development, appointment
- ING Swimming, teaching, jogging, training, building
- NESS Kindness, goodness, happiness, sadness, darkness
- TY Safety, loyalty, cruelty, variety, ability, honesty
- TH Length, depth, width, truth, warmth, strength
- DOM Freedom, wisdom, boredom
-ISM Patriotism, capitalism, socialism, heroism
- SHIP Friendship, leadership, scholarship, comradeship
- HOOD Childhood, brotherhood, neighbourhood
- AL Refusal, arrival, dismissal
|-AGE Marriage, teenage, breakage
-ICS Physics, economics
-URE Pleasure, failure, nature
-TIVE Detective, relative
-ENCE/ANCE Attendance, importance, dependence
-CY/RY Expectancy, efficiency, bravery, ancestry
-GRAPHY Photography, biography, geography

1.2. Formation of adjectives

Suffixes Examples
-FUL Useful, successful, helpful, peaceful, beautiful
-LESS Careless, hopeless, useless
-Y Healthy, dirty, rainy, cloudy, sunny, sandy
-AL Natural, national, agricultural, cultural
-IAL Industrial, potential, essential, substantial
-OUS Dangerous, delicious, adventurous, nervous
-IOUS Industrious, cautious, studious
-IC Artistic, electric, electronic, alcoholic, economic
Comfortable, reasonable, reliable
Note: word ending in “ge” or “ce”
E.g. notice + able  noticeable
-ABLE knowledge + able  knowledgeable

Others: E.g. admire  admirable

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 -IBLE Possible, sensible, compatible, digestible
-IVE Active, expensive, competitive, protective, decisive
-ANT Important, relevant, ignorant
-ED Interested, bored, surprised, disappointed
-ING Interesting, boring, surprising, disappointing
-ISH Foolish, bookish, reddish, selfish, childish
-LIKE Childlike
-LY Manly, friendly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
-SOME Handsome, awesome, troublesome

1.3. Formation of verbs

Prefixes and suffixes Examples

DIS- Dislike, disagree, discharge, dislocate
MIS- Misunderstand, misread, mislead
OUT- Outrun, outnumber, outweigh, outlive
OVER- Overact, overpay, overheat, overcharge, overestimate
Prefix

RE- Rewrite, retell, recall

UNDER- Undercharge, underdo, underline, underestimate
EN- Enrich, enable, enlarge, encourage, endanger
BE- Befriend, belittle
SUB- Subcontract, subdivide
INTER- Interact, intermingle
-EN Weaken, sharpen, tighten, loosen, shorten, soften
Suffix

- ISE / IZE Sympathise, economise, socialize, memorize

-IFY Qualify, beautify, identify
-ATE Translate, evaluate, associate, relate, communicate

2. Word functions

2.1. Function and position of nouns

2.1.1. Function
- Noun as subject:
E.g. Biology is a branch of natural science.
S V
- Noun as direct object:
E.g. She gave a wonderful performance last night.
S V O
- Noun as object of the preposition:
E.g. My parents are satisfied with my study results.
prep O
- Noun as compliment
E.g. He became a president one year ago.
complement
2.1.2. Position of nouns
- behind
 adjective E.g. Dogs are intelligent animals.
 demonstrative (this, that, these, those) E.g. I love this song.
 article (a, an, the) E.g. My mother is a doctor.
 some, any, a lot of… E.g. I need some water.
 possessive adjective (my, your, …) E.g. My house is very large.
 enough E.g. I have enough money to buy a T-shirt.

2.2. Position of adjectives

- Before nouns
E.g. It is an interesting story.
After nouns to indicate length and age:

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 E.g. This table is 2 metres long.
This boy is 2 years old.
- Adjectives beginning with “a”: asleep, alight, alive, awake, alike... stand after the nouns.
E.g. When I entered the room, I saw my son asleep.
- After “to be” and “linking verbs” (E.g. become, get, look, sound, seem, appear, keep, taste, smell,
feel…)
E.g. I feel tired. It is getting cold.
- After: something, anything, somebody...
E.g. Did you meet anybody interesting?
- In a certain sentence structures:
 S + find + it + adj + to V
E.g. Many people find it interesting to learn French.
 It + be + adj + for sb + to V
E.g. It is necessary for you to finish your homework.
 S + be + too + adj + for sb + to V
E.g. It is too cold for him to go out.
 S + be + adj + enough + for sb + to V
E.g. It isn’t warm enough for him to go out.

2.3. Position of adverbs

Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjectives (E.g. fortunate  fortunately...).

- After verbs:
E.g. She sings beautifully.

- At the beginning of the sentence (fortunately, suddenly, luckily,surprisingly…)

E.g. Unfortunately, he went home with empty hands.
- Before adjectives to describe the degree of the adjectives
E.g. Everything here is surprisingly cheap.
- Before a past participle
E.g. She is badly treated by her husband.

Irregular adverbs:
- Adjectives ending in “-ic” are changed into their adverb form by adding “-ally” to the end, except in the
case of the word public, which simply requires “-ly” to become publicly.
E.g. 1. The manager took drastic action. (adjective)
2. The manager responded drastically. (adverb)
3. This is a historic site. (adjective)
4. This site is historically important. (adverb)
- Adjectives ending in “-le” or “-ue” are made into adverbs by removing the final “e” and adding “-ly.”
E.g. 1. John is a simple man. (adjective)
2. John likes to live simply. (adverb)
3. His story seems to be true. (adjective)
4. He truly experienced everything he recounted. (adverb)
5. Yesterday was a horrible day. (adjective)
6. Everything went horribly wrong yesterday. (adverb)

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 PRACTICE EXERCISES
I. Choose the best answer
1. Some species of rare animals are in ______ of extinction.
A. danger B. dangerous C. dangerously D. endanger
2. There are small ______ between British and American English.
A. different B. difference C. differently D. differences
3. Her ______ was so great that she broke a glass.
A. anxious B. anxiously C. anxiety D. anxiousness
4. Since ______ has been so poor the class is being closed.
A. to attend B. attend C. attended D. attendance
5. She was too ______ to tell his teacher about the stupid mistake.
A. shame B. shameful C. shamed D. ashamed
6. He is one of the greatest ______ to appear in this theatre.
A. perform B. performing C. performance D. performers
7. This matter is very ______. Don’t discuss it outside the office.
A. confidence B. confidential C. confidently D. confident
8. Every woman nowadays seems to want to lose ______.
A. weight B. weigh C. weighty D. weighted
9. English is a ______ easy language for European people to learn.
A. comparison B. comparative C. comparatively D. comparativeness
10. His behaviour always ______ me at parties.
A. embarrass B. embarrasses C. embarrassing D. embarrassment
11. ______ is a serious problem in many countries.
A. employ B. employee C. employer D. unemployment
12. Can you tell me whether this disease is ______?
A. infecting B. infectious C. infected D. infection
13. It’s very ______ to have snow in the middle of summer.
A. usual B. usually C. unusual D. unusually
14. Burning coal is an ______ way of heating a house.
A. economy B. economic C. economical D. economically
15. There are very few ______ places left on earth. Man has been nearly everywhere.
A. explore B. exploring C. explored D. unexplored
16. The thing I hate about John is his ______.
A. reliable B. reliability C. unreliability D. unrelying
17. I find it quite ______ to talk in front of a group of people.
A. embarrassing B. embarrassingly C. embarrassment D. embarrassed
18. I was quite ______ by his comment about my clothes.
A. embarrassing B. embarrassingly C. embarrassment D. embarrassed
19. There were sixty-two contestants in the ______ contest.
A. beauty B. beautiful C. beautifully D. beautify
20. It was ______ of you not to play the music while I was asleep.
A. considering B. considerate C. considerable D. consideration
21. Some people are concerned with physical ______ when choosing a wife or a husband.
A. attraction B. attractive C. attract D. attractiveness
22. Although some societies are ______ undeveloped, their languages, from a linguist's point of view,
are very complex.
A. technology B. technologically C. technological D. technologist
23. The dog made no effort to communicate its ______ to the man.
A. apprehensive B. apprehended C. apprehend D. apprehension
24. Some are swimming animals such as fishes and sharks that move ______ of water currents.
A. dependent B. dependently C. independently D. independent
25. Doctor and pharmacists have to assume ______ for human life.
A. responsible B. responsibility C. respond D. responsibly
26. Chemical wastes from factories are ______ that cause serious damage to species habitats.
A. pollutes B. pollutants C. pollutions D. polluters
27. Stress and tiredness often lead to lack of ______.
A. concentration B. concentrate C. concentrated D. concentrator

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28. I think that up to now there has not been a real ______ between men and women.
A. equal B. equally C. equality D. equalize
29. A child receives his early ______ from his parents.
A. educate B. education C. educator D. educative
30. To preserve that ______, it was necessary to preserve the people that had created it.
A. civil B. civilize C. civility D. civilization
31. She is a ______. She is interested in ______.
A. biology/conservator B. biologist/conservation
C. biological/conservation D. biological/conservator
32. The ______ of the moon for the earth causes tide.
A. attract B. attracted C. attraction D. attractive
33. The conference called for papers from professors and ______ nationwide.
A. educate B. education C. educators D. educative.
34. Her book is about the ______ between men and women.
A. unequality B. disequality C. inequality D. non-equality
35. As the eldest, I suppose I inherited a position with some benefits but also quite a few ______.
A. advantages B. disadvantages C. unadvantages D. non-advantages
36. They often enjoy doing things in a ______ way.
A. create B. creative C. creativity D. creatively
37. Information technology is very ______ to our lives.
A. useful B. useless C. use D. usefully
38. They remained ______ even though I tried to cheer them up.
A. sad B. sadness C. sadly D. sadden
39. We hope to prevent anything ______ from happening.
A. please B. pleasant C. unpleasant D. pleasure
40. She was quite ______ that everything would go as planned.
A. confident B. confidence C. confidential D. confidentially
41. She is ______ to understand the matter.
A. enough intelligent B. so intelligent C. intelligent enough D. very intelligent
42. What ______!
A. an exciting story B.is an exciting story C. a story exciting D. the exciting story
43. We found the beds very ______.
A. comfortable B. comfortably C. comfort D. comforts
44. Electronic music is a kind of music in which sounds are produced ______.
A. electron B. electric C. electronic D. electronically
45. It is necessary for students to listen to their teacher ______.
A. attentive B. attentively C. attention D. attend
46. Housework is ______ shared between them.
A. equally B. equal C. equality D. equalizing
47. The Internet has ______ developed nowadays.
A. increase B. increased C. increasingly D. incredible
48. This machine is ______easy to install and cheap to operate.
A. compare B. comparative C. comparison D. comparatively
49. He didn't drive ______ enough to pass the driving test
A. careful B. carefully C. care D. careless
50. ______, we got home before it started to rain.
A. Fortunate B. Fortunately C. Fortune D. Unfortunately
51. How ______ she dances!
A. beautiful B. beautifully C. beauty D. beautify
52. Farmers ______ their land to make it ______.
A. fertilize / product B. fertilizer / productive
C. fertilize / production D. fertilize / productive
53. You can ______ knowledge by reading newspapers.
A. richly B. enrichment C. rich D. enrich
54. Nowadays, modern technology will allow consumers and artists to ______ directly.
A. act B.co-act C. interact D. react
55. Traditional musical genres ______ with music performed by modern village orchestras.
A.re-exist B. unexist C. under-exist D.co-exist
56. More and more ______ are very excited at discovering as many interesting things in the deserts as

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possible.
A. explores B. explorations C. explorers D. exploratory
57. Several ______ advanced countries have had plans to make desert more hospitable.
A. science B. scientific C. scientifically D. scientist
58. How many _____ took part in the 22nd SEA Games?
A. compete B. competitors C. competition D. competitor
59. In former days, women were considered not to be suitable for becoming a ______.
A. politics B. political C. politically D. politician
60. For ______ reasons, passengers are requested not to leave any luggage unattended.
A. secure B. securely C. security D. securing
61. London is home to people of many ______ cultures.
A. diverse B. diversity C. diversify D. diversification
62. Children who are isolated and lonely seem to have poor language and ______.
A. communicate B. communication C. communicative D. communicator
63. The lecturer explained the problem very clearly and is always ______ in response to questions.
A. attention B. attentive C. attentively D. attentiveness
64. As an ______, Mr. Pike is very worried about the increasing of juvenile delinquency.
A. educate B. education C. educator D. educative
65. Mr. Pike provided us with an ______ guide to the full-time and part-time programs on offer to a
range of candidates drawn from schools and colleges.
A. inform B. informative C. informed D. information
66. Nobody seemed to be interested in the news. It was greeted with a lack of ______.
A. enthusiastic B. enthusiasm C. enthusiastically D. enthusiast
67. A / an ______ species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct.
A. dangerous B. endanger C. endangered D. endangerment
68. Their ______ is rejected due to some problems of pollution.
A. suggest B. suggestion C. suggestive D. suggestible

II. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of
the following questions.
1. He has been very interested in doing research on _______ since he was at high school.
a. biology b. biological c. biologist d. biologically
2. Are you sure that boys are more _______ than girls?
a. act b. active c. action d. activity
3. You are old enough to take _______ for what you have done.
a. responsible b. responsibility c. responsibly d. irresponsible
4. These quick and easy _______ can be effective in the short term, but they have a cost.
a. solve b. solvable c. solutions d. solvability
5. He was looking at his parents _______, waiting for recommendations.
a. obey b. obedience c. obedient d. obediently
6. The interviews with parents showed that the vast majority were _______ of teachers.
a. support b. supportive c. supporter d. supporting
7. My husband and I both go out to work so we share the _______.
a. happiness b. employment c. responsibility d. household chores
8. John cannot make a _______ to get married to Mary or stay single until he can afford a house and a
car.
a. decide b. decision c. decisive d. decisively
9. It was such a boring speech that I fell _________.
A. asleep B. sleep C. sleepy D. sleepily
10. The speaker said _______ nothing worth listening to.
A. complete B. completing C. completely D. completion
11. We were so late that we _____ had time to catch the train.
A. nearly B. almost C. hardly D. simply
12. Although they are twins, they have almost the same appearance but they are seldom in _______.
a. agree b. agreeable c. agreement d. agreeably
13. The more _______ and positive you look, the better you will feel.
a. confide b. confident c. confidently d. confidence
14. The lecturer explained the problem very clearly and is always _______ in response to questions.

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 a. attention b. attentive c. attentively d. attentiveness
15. He is not really friendly and makes no attempt to be _______.
a. society b. social c. socialize d. sociable
16. Smoke, dirt and noise are all kinds of ________.
A. pollute B. polluting C. pollutants D. pollution
17. The Minister of the Education and Training Department appeared on TV last night to________ his new
policy.
a. public b. publicly c. publicize d. publicizing
18. He owed his success not to privilege but to self-education and a driving desire for _______.
a. achieve b. achiever c. achievement d. achievable
19. Despite many recent _______ advances, there are parts where schools are not equipped with
computers.
a. technology b. technological c. technologically d. technologist
20. There is a wide range of _______ in the education system of the USA.
a. select b. selective c. selected d. selection
21. The making of good habits _______ a determination to keep on training your child.
a. require b. requires c. requirement d. required
22. He was the only _______ that was offered the job.
a. apply b. application c. applicant d. applying
23. Parents can express a _______ for the school their child attends.
a. prefer b. preference c. preferential d. preferable
24. Many people have objected to the use of animals in _____ experiments.
a. science b. scientist c. scientific d. scientifically
25. A letter of _______ is sometimes really necessary for you in a job interview.
a. recommend b. recommended c. recommender d. recommendation
26. He hoped his ______ would give him a pay rise.
A. employee B. employed C. employ D. employer
27. I find it quite ______ to talk in front of a group of people.
A. embarrassingly B. embarrassed C. embarrassment D. embarrassing
28. He was offered the job thanks to his _______ performance during his job interview.
a. impress b. impression c. impressive d. impressively
29. It is _______ to fail a job interview, but try again.
a. disappoint b. disappointing c. disappointedly d. disappointment
30. For more than ten years, we have seen the significant _______ in the economy of our country.
a. develop b. developments c. developers d. developed
31. Henry was a studious student. He needed no _______ to work hard.
a. encourage b. encouraging c. encouragement d. encouraged
32. Constant _______ of attack makes everyday life dangerous here.
a. threat b. threaten c. threatening d. threateningly
33. No one can predict the future exactly. Things may happen _______.
a. expected b. unexpected c. expectedly d. unexpectedly
34. You must fill in this _______ form in capital letters.
A. apply B. application C. applicant D. applicable
35. I’m fed up with queuing for my _______ benefit every Thursday.
A. employment B. employee C. unemployed D. unemployment
36. The North is flatter and more _______ than the South.
A. industrial B. industrialize C. industrialization D. industrialist
37. To become a novelist, you need to be ________.
a. imagine b. imagination c. imaginative d. imaginarily
38. The ASEAN Security Community (ASC)aims to ensure that countries in the region live at _______
with one another and in a democratic and harmonious environment.
a. peace b. peaceful c. peacefully d. peaceable
39. ASEAN's aims include the acceleration of economic growth, _______ progress, cultural,
development among its members, and the promotion of regional peace.
a. society b. social c. socially d. socialize
40. If you work hard, you will eventually ________.
A. successfully B. successful C. succeed D. success
41. One of the tasks of the Red Cross is also to support local ________ care projects.
a. health b. healthy c. healthful d. healthily

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42. According to World Bank figures, 41 per cent of Brazilians live in absolute _______.
a. poor b. poorer c. poorly d. poverty
43. Up until the middle of the 19th century, there were no _______ and well established army nursing
systems for casualties.
a. organize b. organized c. organizational d. organizers
44. Before the 22nd SEA Games, Vietnam had made a good _______ in every aspect.
a. prepare b. preparation c. preparative d. preparer
45. The government initiated the programme of ______ reform in the 1980s.
A. economically B. economic C. economized D. economist