4 Word formation – 1

As you read and listen to English, notice examples of word formation. Some nouns for example,
can be formed by adding -al, -ment or –tion to a verb. Sometimes changes on spellking are
nececcary, for example: try trial
argue argument
inform information
Because word formation rules are very general, people sometimes invent words, which it is
immediately possible to understand. Don’t be afraid to try this yourself! Can you understand these
words: copiability
openness
Are they in your English Dictionary?

Complete each sentence by forming a noun from the verb in brackets.

1. He made an............................................. for the position of manager. (APPLY)
2. We need her ............................................ before we can go ahead. (APPROVE)
3. He made an ........................................... to see me at two o’clock. (ARRANGE)
4. Have you got................................................ of your booking yet? (CONFIRM)
5. This time his ........................................................... were not believed. (DENY)
6. This new centre is an interesting ................................................. . (DEVELOP)
7. He sued the company for unfair .................................................... . (DISMISS)
8. I’m afraid .............................................. is hard to find round here. (EMPLOY)
9. She made a thorough ................................................ of the body. (EXAMINE)
10. He gave no ........................................................... for his absence. (EXPLAIN)
11. I hope to be a minister in the next.................................................. .(GOVERN)
12. Has she got any kind of.................................................... on her? (IDENTIFY)
13. His ........................................... definitely needs working on. (PRONOUNCE)
14. He made a ..................................... to proceed with the sale. (RECOMMEND)
15. We were shocked by his .......................................... to see his son. (REFUSE)
16. I wish you a very happy ................................................................. . (RETIRE)

8 Jobs - word formation

Form the word for the person doing the job by putting an ending to the word in brackets, for
example:
Bill is a teacher at my school. (TEACH)
1. That …………………………………… paints beautiful pictures. (ART)
2. Your …………………………………. makes wonderful broad. (BAKE)
3. You pay the ……………………….. . She's that lady over there. (CASH)
4. The new ……………………………cleans my room very well. (CLEAN)
5. He’s a famous ballet …………………………………………….(DANCE)
6. On most buses you pay the ……………………………………….(DRIVE)
7. He’s a ……………………………………………. in a pop group. (DRUM)
8. Phone the…………………………….if the lights don't work. (ELECTRIC)
9. If the machine goes wrong, tell the …………………………….. (ENGINE)
10. We have a……………………………who comes twice a week. (GARDEN)
11. The ……………………………….. wants to look at your ticket. (INSPECT)
12. Ask the ………………………….. if you can borrow this book. (LIBRARY)
13. He’s the ………………………………of a clothes shop in town. (MANAGE)
14. That …………………………… plays a lot of different instruments. (MUSIC)
15. Ask the ……………………………….to get the number for you. (OPERATE)
16. Do you know a good ……………………………. to paint my house? (PAINT)
17. The …… only had a small camera, but three HUGE lenses! (PHOTOGRAPH)
18. That…………………………………………………plays very well. (PIANO)
19. I’m a………………………………………………………on that ship. (SAIL)
20. Ask a………………………….to type your application form for you. (TYPE)

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 27 Word formation — 1
Remember that when you look up a word in a dictionary, you should see if any other words can be
formed from it. Grouping these words together should help you remember them, for example:
direct direction directly director directory

Change the word in brackets to complete the sentence.

1. We are waiting for the ………………………….. of his plane. (ARRIVE)

2. There was a ………………………….to find the best cook. (COMPETE)
3. We must make a …………………………..about where to go. (DECIDE)
4. The train made a late ………………………………………….(DEPART)
5. The boss wants you to take some ……………………………. (DICTATE)
6. What kind of……………………… is there in this town? (ENTERTAIN)
7. There's some new …………………………...... in the laboratory. (EQUIP)
8. Could you repeat that……………………………………......? (EXPLAIN)
9. He had a strange …………………………………on his face. (EXPRESS)
10. Put the ice-cream in the ………………………………...please. (FREEZE)
11. Is there any more ……………………….. about the accident? (INFORM)
12. You must read the ………………………… to this book. (INTRODUCE)
13. I have an …………………………………… to a party tonight. (INVITE)
14. Are you going to the ………………………………... tomorrow? (MEET)
15. This ………………………………………………is by Picasso. (PAINT)
16. ……………………………….is my favourite hobby. (PHOTOGRAPH)
17. What’s the correct………………………. of this word? (PRONOUNCE)
18. I have lot of………………………………………………to do. (SHOP)
36 Word formation – 2

Remember that when you look up a word, you can often build your vocabulary by seeing if you can
form other words. Some nouns, for example, can be formed by adding –ity or –ness to an
adjective. Sometimes changes in spelling are necessary, for example:
able ability
happy happiness
Can you think of any more examples?

Form noun from the adjective given to complete the sentence.

1. There was a lot of ………………………………….outside his door. (ACTIVE)

2. After some time she recovered……………………………… (CONSCIOUS)
3. His ……………………………...will lead to misfortune one day! (CURIOUS)
4. I don’t expect such ………………………………..from my staff (FAMILIAR)
5. Is there any ……………………………..to treat her so badly? (NECESSARY)
6. Her writing certainly shows ………………………….. ………. (ORIGINAL)
7. There’s a …………………..................that he’ll come tomorrow. (POSSIBLE)
8. This car is famous for its …………………………………………(RELIABLE)
9. This used to happen with alarming ……………………………….(REGULAR)
10. There was a look of ………………………………………….on her face. (SAD)
11. He was unaware of the ……………………………….of her illness.(SERIOUS)
12. They were shocked by his lack of ………………………………..(SENSITIVE)
13. Any …………………………………………is purely coincidental. (SIMILAR)
14. He was impressed by the ………………………………of her skin. (SMOOTH)
15. My ……………………………………………. is Italian sculpture. (SPECIAL)
16. I have a ……………………………………………....for sticky buns. (WEAK)

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 38 Word formation -1

When you look up a word in a dictionary, see if you can form any other words from
it. Sometimes these words will be included in the definition of the word and
sometimes they will appear separately. Look before and after each dictionary entry to
see what words you can find formed from the same source.

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in capital letters. In some
cases you will have to make a negative form by using the prefix dis-, in- or un-.

1. ACT We must take ................................................... before things get worse.

There’s a lot of..,................................................... outside the stadium.
Don’t worry about the volcano. It's been ........……………...for years.
She said she wanted to be a television................................................ .

2. ADD Are all those ..................................... they put in food really necessary?
In ......................................... to doing the cleaning, I make the coffee.

3. ADMIRE This is an ..................................................................... piece of work.

I am full of...................................... for the improvements he's made.

4. ADVANTAGE Unfortunately, you’be at a ........................... if you can’t drive.

Knowing a lot of languages, he's in a very.................. position.

5. ADVERTISE He works for an ............................................................. agency.

I saw an ............................... for the job in our local newspaper.

6. AGREE He gets very angry if you ...................................... with his ideas.

The ............................................. we made was for one year only.

7. ATTRACT I only had a day to visit all the tourist......................................... ,

She smiles so...,....,………………………………… doesn’t she?

8. BASE My grandfather only had a very .................................. education.

The organization is run on a voluntary........................................ .

9. CALCULATE Half these .................................................................. are wrong!

My son wants a pocket....................................... for his birthday.
He was a very cool.............................................. kind of person.

10. COLLECT Stamp ........................................ can be a very expensive hobby.

Here’s a special offer to all............................... of foreign coins!
The .................................. was very successful. It raised £3,500.
11. COMPARE I’m just a beginner in .................................................... with her.
Crimes of violence were ................... rare until a few years ago.
What happened two years ago is not really ........ to the situation now.

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12. COMPETE Would all ............................ please make their way to the start?
We’re selling these toys at a very .................................... price.
If I win this ........................................... I’ll get a new bicycle.

13. CONFIRM. She received a letter of...............................................from the hotel.

We’ve received an ....................... report of an explosion outside the
President’s house.

14. CONTINUE His latest book is a ...................................... of his previous one.

The train service was ........ ….because it wasn't used by many people.
I couldn’t get much work done as I was ................ being interrupted
by people telephoning me.
After four hours’................................ typing I had a terrible headache.

38 Word formation — 2

Change each word in brackets to complete the sentence, for example:

Be careful when you open the door. (CARE)

1. This is my favorite chair. It's so ………………………. ! (COMFORT)

2. It’s ............................................................ to drive so fast. (DANGER)
3. I must clean this ................................................................floor. (DIRT)
4. Elvis Presley was a ................................................ pop singer. (FAME)
5. It was ...................................... so they had to drive very slowly. (FOG)
6. Is lunch ready yet? They’re very ......................................... (HUNGER)
7. Be careful. The roads are very ...................................................... (ICE)
8. I’d like a nice ................................................................ orange. (JUICE)
9. How many ....................................... holidays do you have? (NATION)
10. Why do they give such ................................................parties? (NOISE)
11. His broken arm is still very......................................................... (PAIN)
12. The President was a very .............................................. man. (POWER)
13. The children always get bored on a ................................... day. (RAIN)
14. He always feels ............................................... in the morning. (SLEEP)
15. I live in the.............................................. part of the country. (SOUTH)
16. The film was .............................. and he became very rich. (SUCCESS)
17. I hope we have. .................................. weather for our holidays. (SUN)
18. We have a.......................................... newspaper in this town. (WEEK)
19. Thanks for everything. I had a ................................. time. (WONDER)
20. He lives in a ............................................... house by the sea. (WOOD)

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 47 Word formation — 2

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in capital letters. In some
cases you will have to make a negative form by using the prefix in- or un-.

1. CONVENIENCE
I’m afraid it won't be ............................................. for me to see you tomorrow.
The house is ..................................................... situated near the centre of town.
This is very ............................! Can’t you practise your violin somewhere else?

2. CREATE
I would like to show you my latest.........which I have called ‘Boats on a Lake’.
The chameleon is a very strange ..................................................................... .
Conan Doyle was famous as the .........of the great detective, Sherlock Holmes.

3. CRITIC
Why does everybody ............................................................... him all the time?
After so much ................................................................ he felt he had to resign.
They were very ............................................. of his efforts to improve services.

4. DECIDE
They’re going to announce their ........................................................ tomorrow.
He’s so ..........................................................! He just can’t make up his mind!

5. DECORATE
The ....................................................... said he would charge me £1,000 a room.
During the festival ................................................ were hanging from every tree.

6. DEMONSTRATE
The .......................................................... all sat down in the middle of the road.
He offered to give me a ........................................... of how the machine worked.

7. DEPEND
We are ................................................... on other countries for most of our food.
Every year we celebrate our ............................................................................... .

8. DICTATE
The boss wants you to take some ...................................................................... .
He acted in an extremely .................. manner, which made him very unpopular.

9. DIRECT
Are you sure we’re going in the right.................................................................?
She looked ........................................................................... at me as she said it.
I had to look up the number in the telephone ..................................................... .
Hitchcock is one of my favourite film ................................................................ .

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10. ECONOMY
My new car is more .................................................... than the one I had before.
She studied ..................................................................................... at university.
On my salary we have to live as ....................................................... as possible.
If we don’t............................................ on electricity, there will be power cuts.

11. ELECTRIC
He works as an ........................................................................... for a local firm.
The price of............................................................................ has gone up again.
The fire was caused by an ................................................ fault in the television.
He is an ................................................................................................. engineer.

12. EMPLOY
Last December the boss gave all his ..................................................... a bonus.
I’ve been ...................................................... since June. I must find work soon.
Her ............................................... was so angry at her attitude that he fired her.
He hoped the ........................................................ agency would find him a job.

13. ENTHUSIASM
They all cheered .............................................................. as their team came out.
I’m afraid they weren't very .............. about your idea of going out this evening.

59 Word formation -3
When you look up a word in a dictionary, see if you can form any other words from it. Sometimes
these words will be included in the definition of the word and sometimes they will appear
separately. Look before and after each dictionary entry to see what words you can find formed from
the same source.

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in brackets. In some cases
you will also have to use a prefix. This will be either dis-,im-, ir-, mis-, non- or un- .

Set 1
1. He’s so ...........................................! No wonder he has no friends! (AGREE)
2. We must meet soon,............................................ before Saturday. (PREFER)
3. The earthquake caused ................................................... damage. (EXTEND)
4. The roads were ................................................. because of the snow. (PASS)
5. This place has changed beyond ........................................... . (RECOGNISE)
6. She took the job to be ........................................... independent. (FINANCE)
7. He died under .................................................... circumstances. (SUSPECT)
8. We can look forward to a period of.......................................... . (PROSPER)
9. I’m afraid this plan will prove very ............................................ . (DIVIDE)
10. They were caught in an.. .................................... shower of rain. (EXPECT)
11. I’m afraid I rather .................................................... agreed to help. (WISE)
12. She spent hours getting the house .......................................... clean. (SPOT)

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Set 2

1. If I were you, I wouldn’t make a ................................... just yet. (DECIDE)

2. It’s ....................................... of motorists to drink and drive. (RESPONSE)
3. If you have any special……………......... please let me know. (REQUIRE)
4. I don’t mind ............... criticism but there’s no need to be unpleasant.
(CONSTRUCT)
5. If you’re not too busy, 1 could do with some ……………........ . (ASSIST)
6. I had my trousers ............................. because they were too short. (LONG)
7. If you lose your cheque book, you should ..................................... the bank
without delay. (NOTE)
8. It was a .................................. letter addressed to the boss and the secretary
shouldn't have opened it. (CONFIDE)
9. The .................................... of the flight was delayed so we had to spend the
night at the airport. (DEPART)
10. The teacher warned the children that if they ........................................ again.
They’d be punished. (BEHAVE)
11. It’s ................. to study a language if you're never going to use it. (POINT)
12. I’m afraid I’m in the ....................................... position of being out of work and
heavily in debt. (ENVY)

Set 3

1. Great works of art like the Mona Lisa are .......................................... . (PRICE)
2. I’m afraid you’ve ......... me because that’s not what I meant. (UNDERSTAND)
3. Why do we always end up by having an ..........................................? (ARGUE)
4. I’ve been a ................................................ since I had a heart attack. (SMOKE)
5. Unless you ................................................... I won’t forgive you. (APOLOGY)
6. I wish you’d be ............................................. instead of telling me lies. (TRUE)
7. The weather in this country is so ........................................that you never know
what to expect. (PREDICT)
8. It’s a ......................................................... doing business with you. (PLEASE)
9. Although the stone in your ring looks like a diamond, I’m afraid it’s
................. . (WORTH)
10. How can you .............. the fact that some people live in mansions while others
live in slums? (JUST)
11. Its ...................................... to expect to get something for nothing. (REASON)
12. If you’re hoping to make a good .................... you should pay more .................
to your ...................................................... . (IMPRESS/ATTEND/APPEAR)

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 60 Word formation — 3

Change the word in brackets to complete the sentence, for example:

There was a lot of activity in the room. (ACTIVE)

1. It’s hard to find ........................................ in the summer. (ACCOMMODATE)

2. She has a large .............................................................. of stamps. (COLLECT)
3. He made an unfavorable .... between food in his country and mine. (COMPARE)
4. They made a ........................................................about the heating. (COMPLAIN)
5. I had to write a ......................................................... for homework. (COMPOSE)
6. She gave a .........……………………..of the new computer. (DEMONSTRATE)
7. I had ................................................... starting my car this morning. (DIFFICULT)
8. Have you got some kind of .................................................. on you? (IDENTIFY)
9. How serious is her .........................................................................................? (ILL)
10. They had a very happy ........................................................................... (MARRY)
11. There was a strange ................................................................... in the bowl. (MIX)
12. Gardening is a relaxing .................... for some people, but not for me!(OCCUPY)
13. Could I have ........................................................... to go home early? (PERMIT)
14. There are several ..................................... mistakes in this letter. (PUNCTUATE)
15. I have made a ........................................................ for next weekend. (RESERVE)
16. He made a ................................................................ about the robbery. (STATE)
17. He made another ...............................................about who to invite. (SUGGEST)
18. Can I get a.................................................................of this book?(TRANSIATE)
19. He’s having ............................................................... for his bad back. (TREAT)
20. 've put on .............................................................. since I arrived here. (WEIGH)

61 Word formation -3

Remember to keep looking for words which are formed from the same source. Make
lists of these words and test yourself. As a start, look at the words in capital ,letters in
the word formation exercises in this book and see how many words you can form
from them.

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in capital letters. In some
cases you may have to make a negative form by using the prefix dis-, in- or un-.

1. HONEST It was very .................. of him to steal that money.

I..................... think that this is the best thing to do.
They praised her for her........................................ .

2. IDENTIFY Have you got some kind of....................... on you?

UFO means.................................... Flying Object.

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3. IMAGINE They said my illness was ….. Don’t they realise I’m in a lot of pain?
He hasn’t got the ................................. to think up such a clever plan.

4. INDUSTRY I’m afraid ........ relations aren’t very good in this company.
She was a much less …………........ student than her sister.
He’s a leading ............... with factories all over the country.
In the past few years this area has become heavily ........... .

5. MANAGE The ........ said he wouldn’t change the radio without a receipt.
They are taking over the .............. of the company next week.
Only the ............................... Director can make that decision.
She’s got a job as the ...................................... of a dress shop.

6. NATION If he isn’t Spanish, what.......................................................... is he?

The coal industry was originally private but was ........ in the 1940’s.
There’s no ........................................ service in the United Kingdom.

7. OBSERVE It was very ........................................................ of you to notice that.

This ............................... houses the largest telescope in the country.
He’s under ...................................................................... all the time.

8. SATISFY He couldn’t give a ................................. explanation for his actions.

I get no .................................................................... from doing this.
I’m afraid I was very ......................... with the travel arrangements.
9. SCIENCE She’s a top ........................................ working on our space project.
There is no ...................................... explanation for what happened.
The connection hasn't been ………………………......... proved yet.

10. SHORT Mrs Bailey will be with you ........................................................... .

I had to ....................................... my speech as we had started late.
There is a ............................ of carrots because of the bad weather.

11. VARY The temperature is very ................................... at this time of year.

Do you like this new ........................................................ of apple?
There are .................................................. desserts to choose from.
Politicians .............. blame the media if they don’t win the election.
They’re so predictable.

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 68 Word formation — 4

Some adjectives can be formed by adding -ful, -ly or –y to a noun. Sometimes

changes
in spelling are necessary, for example:
beauty beautiful life lively noise noisy

Complete each sentence with an adjective formed from the noun in brackets.

1. You must be ......................................... when you open the door. (CARE)

2. The countryside looks very ............................................ now. (COLOUR)
3. That was a very ................................................... thing to do! (COWARD)
4. He has a ........ ………………………………..routine of exercises. (DAY)
5. She was .............................................. when I told her my plan. (DOUBT)
6. It was very ......................................................... so I drove slowly. (FOG)
7. It's nice meeting such a ................................................ person. (FRIEND)
8. He looked very .............................................................. in that hat. (FUN)
9. They saw a ......................................... figure at the castle door. (GHOST)
10. Working on the car made her hands ...................................... (GREASE)
11. Let's go for a ....................................... walk in the fresh air! (HEALTH)
12. We're ................................................ that they'll agree to come. (HOPE)
13. Seeing all that food made me very ...................................... (HUNGER)
14. She married a ................................................ businessman. (SUCCESS)
15. He looked .................................. when he heard the news. (THOUGHT)
16. You can trust her. She's a very ........................................ girl. (TRUTH)
17. This map was very ............................................... on my holiday. (USE)
18. It was ........ ……………………………..to see him again. (WONDER)

(From ‘Build Your Vocabulary 1’,

‘Build Your Vocabulary 2’,
‘ Build Your Vocabulary 3’
by John Flower, Michael Berman
Pre-intermidiate)

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