Term formation: Derivation

1. What does the prefix en- express in the following verbs: encircle, enforce,
enclose, enlighten, endanger, enrich, ensure, enlist, enroll, enjoy, envisage,
enlarge? Can you add more examples?
En- is used when making somebody something like.

Use the right form of the verbs above to fill in the blanks:

a) To get your copy of the report, please write ……enclosed = attached on a

computer………… a stamped, addressed envelope.
b) Laws aimed at preventing young people from taking up smoking are very difficult to
……enforce = a pune in aplicare…………
c) The old town is being ……encircled………… by a ring of modern suburbs.
d) The supermarket is being ……enlarged………… and will soon have a new bakery.
e) He’s going to ……enroll………… on a course to learn word-processing skills.
f) I’d like supermarkets to ……ensure………… that young people are not tempted to
buy cigarettes there.
g) I can’t ……enjoy………… a meal in a restaurant where people are allowed to
smoke.
h) I wonder if I could ……enlist = to put you on a list………… your support in an anti-
smoking campaign.
i) The plain meat sauce can be ……enrich………… with herbs and spices.
j) People who smoke actually ……endanger………… the lives of themselves and
others.
k) Do you ……envisage………… any problems in convincing the supermarkets to
change their policies?
l) I don’t seem to have understood so far, I wonder if you could ……
enlighten………… me.

2. For each term below, add prefixes and/or suffixes to form as many derivatives as
possible.

real: realest, unreal, reality, surreal, realistic, unrealistic, to realize, realization, really,
photograph: photography, photographer, photographic, unphotographed,
microphotograph
family: familiar, unfamiliar, familiarity, to familiarize, familiarization, familalism,
macrofamily, superfamily, multifamily (in architecture), familicide
market: marketer, marketed, marketing, marketable, unmarketable, marketier (smuggler
= contrabandinst) , minimarket, hypermarket
person: personal, impersonal, personalization, personality, personnel ( staff) , to
impersonate (a imita) impersonation, persona, personally, personification, to personify
inform: information, informational, informative, noninformative, informer,
uninformative,
product: production, producer, preproduction, productive, unproductive, productivity,
reproduction, nonproduction
manage: managerial, unmanaged, management, managing, manageable, unmanageable,
mismanagement

3. Add the suffix -ible or -able, then the negative prefix in- or un- (if both are
possible, explain the difference in meaning/usage, if any):

compare: comparable =/ incomparable

cure: curable=/ incurable
defend: defendable/defensible =/ indefensible/undefendable

indefensible -> behavior (nu are scuza, cannot be justified by reason)

undefendable -> refers to physical attack

define: definable =/ indefinable

destroy: destroyable/destructible =/undestroyable (very long lasting, trainic in
romana)/indestructible (impossible to destroy)
digest: digestible=/indigestible
explain: explainable/explicable =/ unexplainable/inexplicable (inexplicable
that=mysterious)
value: valuable =/ invaluable

4. Add the right prefixes to the terms in each column (if several prefixes are possible
for the same term, explain the difference in meaning/usage if any):

Time, order, number

Negative prefixes Size prefixes
prefixes
Disconnect(technic) multiracial semiautonomous
discontinuous multiaccess minibus
uncover multidisciplinary climate
unequal postelection environment
uneven=odd(impar la monomaniac (cineva care miniseries
mate) tine ideea lui fixa) semifinal
unload multistory (story=floor, microchip
misnumber multistorybuilding) semitone
misplace multinational semiprecious
dissimilar bilingual/monolingual/ macroeconomics/
unemployment (somaj) multilingual microeconomics
misstatement monoplane microorganism/
misconduct dioxide microorganism
unqualified/disqualified retroactive equilateral
inappropriate pregrade equidistant
incalculable tax macroprocessor
incoherent multitasking
incompatible superordinate/subordinate
uneducated
nonessential
nonflammable
irreversible
(chemistry)/nonreversible
unofficial
unintervention
nonobservance
noncombustible/
incombustible
unpayment

! Inflammable is not recommended, it needs to be avoided because it does not meet the
principles of / it runs counter (nu indeplineste) si incalda the principles of precision and
transparency.

To observe a law/a rule = a respecta o lege/regula