WORD FORMATION

There are four most important kinds of word formation:

 Prefixes
We add them before the base or stem of a word
Eg. Dis+locate
 Suffixes
We add them after the base or stem of a word.
Predominantly adding a suffix is aimed at showing what class of word it is
Eg. Reason+able
 Conversion
Conversion involves changing a word from one word class to another
Eg. Text=noun and verb
 Compounding
Compounding is used when we link together two or more bases to create a new word
Eg. Chewing gum
 Abrreviation
Abbreviation concerns shortening a word
Eg. Refrigerator - fridge
 Back formation
Back formationemove involves removing part of a word when we form verbs from nouns.
Eg. Enthusiasm- to enthuse

Verbs
A. prefix + verb verb

Prefix Meaning Examples

Revisit
re- again or back Rebuild
Redo

Disappear
dis- reverses the meaning of the verb Disconnect
Dislike

Overdo
over- too much Oversleep
Overdose

Unlike
un- reverses the meaning of the verb Unfasten
Uncork

Misguide
mis- badly or wrongly Misinform
Mistreat

Outstand
out- more, greater, better Outgrow
Outwit

Becalm
be- make or cause Befriend
Bestrange
 Co-educate
co- together Co-habit
Co-own

Deflate
de- do the opposite Decompose
Detract

Forewarn
fore- earlier, before Forelock
Forebid

Interfere
inter- between Interact
Interchange

Preabsorb
pre- before Preadjust
Preapply

Sumberge
sub- under Subscribe
Submerge

Transfix
trans- across, over Translocate
Taransplace

Understaff
under- not enough Undercook
Underdo

B. Suffix creating the meaning ‘cause to be’.

Suffix Example
 Criticize
-ize Stabilize
Energize

Communicate
-ate Duplicate
Associate

Simplify
-fy Amplify
Magnify

Fasten
-en Straighten
Darken

Nouns
A. prefix + noun noun

Prefix Meaning Examples

Antipathy
anti- against Antibiotic
Antihero

Autograph
auto- self Autobiography
Automotive

Bisexual
bi- two Binoculars
Bigamy

co- joint Co-owner

 Co-operator
Co-funder

Counterpoint
counter- against Counter-attack
Counterpart

Dissatisfaction
dis- the converse Dislike
Disability

Ex-boyfried
ex- former Ex-boss
Ex-worker

Hypertension
hyper- extreme Hyperbole
Hyperthyroid

Inability
in- the converse Insufficiency
Infidelity

in- inside Introvert

Intercom
inter- between Interaction
Interceptor

Kilogram
kilo- thousand Kilometre
Kilobyte

mal- bad Malfuction

Malcontent
 Maleficience

Megawatt
mega- million Megabyte
Megastar

Mistreatment
mis- wrong Misconduct
Mistake

Mini-market
mini- small Mini-skirt,
Miniscule

Monoxide
mono- one Monocle
Monarch

Neoplasm
neo- new Neoconservatist
Neonatal

Outpatient
out- separate
Outbuilding

Polygon
poly- many Polymer
Polymath

Pseudointellectual
pseudo- false Pseudo-expert
Pseudopregnancy

re- again Return

Reassessment
 Restructuring

Semifinals
semi- half Semicircle
Semitrailer

Subway
sub- below Subset
Submarine

Superpower
super- more than Superbug
Superhero

Surname
sur- over, beyond, extremely Surtax
Surplus

Telegraph
tele- distant Telecommunication
Telescope

Tricycle
tri- three Triceratops
Triathlon

Ultraviolet
ultra- beyond Ultrasound
Ultramarine

Undercoat
under- below, little Undergrowth
Undergraduate

vice- deputy Vice-mayor

 Vice-chair
Vice-president

B. suffix added to a verb, noun or adjective noun

Suffix Meaning Examples

Continuation
Relation
Temptation
-tion
action of V-ing
-sion
Immersion
Comprehension
Tension

Teacher
Paiter
Looser
person who V-s
-er
something used for V-ing
Pacifier
Computer
Silencer

Achievement
-ment action of V-ing Developement
Refreshment

-ant person who V-s Tenant

-ent Consultant
Assistant

Student
Opponent
 Correspondent

Storage
-age action/result of V Reassemblage
Wreckage

Commital
-al action/result of V Approval
Arrival

Reference
Absence
Difference
-ence
action/result of V
-ance
Ignorance
Appliance
Dominance

Discovery
Pottery
action/instance of V-ing Fishery
-ery/-ry
place of V-ing
Nursery
Bakery

Suffix Meaning Examples

Jeweller
-er person concerned with N Lawyer
Treasure

-ism doctrine of N Adventism

Agnosticism
 Anarchism

Ownership
-ship state of being N Judgeship
Proprietorship

Luggage
-age collection of N Baggage
Tankage

Suffix Meaning Examples

Clarity
-ity state or quality of being A Deity
Compatibility

Aimlessness
-ness state or quality of being A Witness
Awareness

Insufficiency
-cy state or quality of being A Transparency
Irrelevancy

Adjectives
A. suffix added to verbs or nouns adjective

Suffix Example

Abdominal
-al Skeptical
Erratical

-ent Diligent
 Intelligent
Urgent

Disruptive
-ive Active
Excessive

Enormous
-ous Disastrous
Ridiculous

Harmful
-ful Cheerful
Playful

Defenceless
-less Homeless
Sleepless

Lovable
-able Reliable
Suitable

B. negative + adjective adjective

Prefix Examples

Unmotivated
un- Unevitable
Unfriendly

im-/in-/ir-/il- Immortal
Immature
Impartial
Inconvenient
 Incomprehensible
Indefinite
Irrational
Irreparable
Irreplaceable
Illegible
Illiberal
Illegal

Nonprofessional
non- Nonconflicting
Nonfictional

Disabled
dis- Disrespectable
Disgusting

Mixed
A. base with both prefix and suffix

Unfeasible

Inaccuracy
Adjectives
Semi-circular
Decapitation

Misconception
Nouns
Disapproval

Excercise
1. Fill in the blank with the prefix or suffix to create the correct word.
 a) This hall is so ………………….! Put all the shoes away! ( tidy)
b) Lilly doesn’t have work. She’s ……………………..(employed)

c) I study hard but I don’t have good marks. That’s……………………..(fair)

d) Be ………………………when you cross the road.(care)

e) Could she repeat that ………………….., please? I don’t really understand her
argument.(explain)

f) The guide was very……………………. and told us the history of this place in
details.(help)

2.Fill in the blank with the negative prefix (im-, in-, il-, un-, dis-) to create the correct word.

a. The papers on my desk are usually very…………………. .(tidy)

b. I don’t really think it is like this. Actually, I……………….. with this opinion.
(agree)

c. I usually ………………the backpack as soon as I come home from school.(pack)

d. We couldn’t afford buying a car on 2020 because I was ………………… for half
a year.(employed)

e. He always answers in a rude way. He is very………………..(polite) and not nice.

f. I never buy ticket for football matches because I…………………….. sport in

general.(like)

g. My wallet …………………. while I was walking around the marketplace.

(appeared)

h. Distributing films online without a licence is …………………………….( legal)

i. He said it is…………………. to travel in time because we don’t have the

technology to do it.(possible)
3. Fill in the blank with the correct adverb transformed form the adjective.

a) He hit the head ____ over the wall. (hard)

b) The news is broadcast _____. (daily)

c) She did ____ in the singing contest. (good)

d) Please close the window _______ as the baby is sleeping. (quiet)

e) We drove ____________ grandma’s home. (straight)

f) We came to cinema ____________. (early)

g) She ____________ mixed pasta with tomato sauce. (quick)

h) Dad likes to cycle ____________. (fast)

i) They walked______________ through the forest. (cautious)

j) I threw the javelin ____________ into the air and it flew quite far. (high)

k) How __________ do you know Spanish? (good)

l) Mum arrived _________ from the meeting. (late)

m) Shelby did ___________on the test. (bad)

n) The boss spoke ___________. He just listened. (little)

o) The fair is held in London___________ . (annual)

p) The service replied _____________ to my complaint. (immediate)

q) The board of directors met ____________. (weekly)

r) She will cook dinner ____________ and then finish tidying up. (first)
 s) We were ______________ dressed for the wedding unlike Mark. (suitable)

4. Fill in the blank with the correct adverb transformed form the adjective.

a. The doctor’s handwriting was ________ legible. (scarce)

b. Henry crossed the bridge as _________ as he could. (careful)

c. The solution was______ found. (easy)

d. Anne managed the project failure _______. (capable)

e. I _____ expected her to be fired. (full)

f. The film was _____ magnificent because of the 3D effect. (true)

g. The fact that vitamin C is beneficial has never been ______________ proved.
(scientific)

h. Please come ____________ to the edge and don’t look back. (slow)

i. We were doing homework _____________ until eleven o’clock. (steady)

j. Our carpenter arrived _____________to measure the wall. (punctual)

k. My parents ___________ accepted our idea to move out. (ready)

5. Form nouns referring to jobs using a proper suffix.

1. A person who acts on a stage or in a film is an__________.

2. A __________ is someone who is occupied with composing music.
3. He wasn’t recognised as a sensational __________until his poems were discovered.
4. During the exam in the last part I had an interview with the __________who gave me points
for my speaking .
5. At the begining of the interview the __________ asked me to present an overview of my CV
and tell something about myself.
6. The __________ asked the chef if he could season the soup with more spices at customer’s
request.
7. An __________ is someone who prepares invoices and is generally resposible for salaries and
finances in the company.
8. __________to the museum are expected to wear masks inside the building.
9. He was a fantastic __________ of films. He was writing scripst and telling the actors what they
should do.
10. __________ broke the record and did 1500 meters butterfly stroke in unexpected time.

6. Form nouns from verbs, nouns or adjectives using a proper suffix.

1. My tutor says there has been some (IMPROVE) .......... in my Japanese lately.
2. Grandma says you only need to add two (SPOON) .......... of sugar and a pinch of salt.
3. Why did you she act like this? I thought she has more (INTELLIGENT) .......... and skill in
solving personal problems.
4. Riverside gave an amazing (PERFORM) .......... during the Rock Concert Festival last week.
5. Have you seen a big stamp (COLLECT) ..........? I’ve seen once about 4000 pieces in one place.
6. On hearing about his resignation all the workers were overcome with a feeling of (SAD) ..........
.
7. In the emails the most important aspect is covering all the necessary incormation and language
(ACCURATE) ...........
8. She has the (ABLE) .......... to see the future in her dreams. She is a fortuneteller by profession.
9. His biggest (ACHIEVE).......... as to win three golden Olimpic medal is a row in three different
competitions.
10. I can say that she will be chosen a new manager with (CERTAIN) ........... She is the best
among the applicants.

7. Form the oppotites of the word given using a proper negative prefix or suffix.
o in-
o im-
o il-
 o un-
o -less
o dis-
o ir-

1 When I grow up I want to be__________ (DEPENDENT) from any employer or company.

2 It was really __________ (HONEST) of then to not accept the agreement even though they saw
it before and had no comments.
3 If she hadn’t been so __________ (CARE) she would have remembered about the anniversary.
4 Sorry but I am__________ (ABLE) to answer any phone calls now. I am on a meeting until the
very late evening.
5 In my country it is __________ (LEGAL) to sell alcohol to those who are underaged.
6 We waited __________ (PATIENTLY) for the test results but I fell asleep just before midnight.

7 The police officer told me it was __________ (RESPONSIBLE) of me leave the car with the
leaking fuel on the side of the road.
8 She was __________(CHILD) for the whole of her life and she never married as well.
9 That is quite an__________(RATIONAL) assumption, as we have never had any problems
because of the full moon.
10 His reputation was __________(PECCABLE) among the senior accountants and the boss
himself.

8. Form the verbs with the use of suffixes.

1. Boss announced that he (SYMPATHY) .......... with the situation of the subsidiary company but
he is not able to offer any help.
o ize
o en
o ify

2. I have eaten so much for the dinner that my belt is too tight. I’ll (LOOSE) .......... it a little bit
to feel more comfortable.
 o ize
o en
o ify

3. Uncle Tom was very much (WEAK) .......... by the marathon distance and he withdrew from
the race.

o ize
o en
o ify

4. We have to (CLASS) .......... this species into ‘fish’ category due to the existance of scales and
fishbones.

o ize
o en
o ify

5. Don’t (APOLOGY).......... if you don’t feel like you’ve done something wrong to her.

o ize
o en
o ify

6. She really likes to (CRITIC) .......... my decisions and my outfits. She is never satisfied with
anything.

o ize
o en
o ify
7. The pain in my tooth (LESS) .......... as soon as the dentist drilled through it.

o ize
o en
o ify

8. The audience (HORROR) .......... by the news of the bomb in the building.

o ize
o en
o ify
9. This skirt is too long for you so you should (SHORT) .......... it. Should I give it to the
seamstress tomorrow?

o ize
o en
o ify

10. Music was a little bit too silent so the staff had to (AMPLE) .......... it.

o ize
o en
o ify

9. Form the proper adjective or adverbs from the words given.

1. Laurie is such a (HELP) .......... colleague. If you need her she is always there for you.

2. It was a truly (ENJOY) .......... event. Many interesting people and good music.

3. We have just taken out a (MONTH) .......... subscription to the Storytell platform to enjoy a
good book when we want to listen to it.

4. Kids smiled (HAPPY) .......... when they heard about the trip to the zoo.

5. (HOPE) .......... she will manage to collect enough money for the heart transplant of the poor
little Jack.

6. For (EFFECT) .......... work one needs to take enough rest and eat healty.

7. This dog (FRIEND) .......... than that dog. He is wiggling his tail and licking my hand.

8. The painting by Beksiński was (LOVE) .......... present she’s ever got in her life.

9. Parents danced (PROUD) .......... to the song which I had composed for them before the
birthday party.

10. Susie wakes up.......... (LATE) becuase she is a night owl and she likes reading at nights.

10. Form the correct words using word building strategies.

1. Her plan was quite....................... (EFFECT) because the work was poorly assessed and she
was eliminated from the contest.
2. Lana was hiding her pregnancy.......................(EXCEPTION) long time because she was
ashamed of it.
3.For my........................(RETIRE) I would like to move out to a hot countries and but small
and ........................(AFFORD) house near the beach.
4. Alcoholic beer ......................... (CONSUME) was much lower than last year due to the
pandemic.
5. She suffered a lot of ........................(HATE) form the internet haters who commented on her
dress during the Oscars.
6. People usually do not realise the......................... (IMPORTANT) of good sleep and relax in
retaining fitness and good mood.
7. The....................... (GRADE) collapse of the empire was caused by the malfunctioning of the
army and the death of the emperor.
8. My ....................... (RECOLLECT) of the accident is hazy but I remember the lights, the
scream and the ambulance coming.
9. Are you a ....................... (BELIEVE)? What do you believe in?
10. The artist took her............................... (INSPIRE) from the streets of New York and people
spending time in Central Park.
11.Your ................................ (SUGGEST) are very good and I think we will take them into
account while creating the draft.
12. Her ....................... (EXIST) was miserable as she lost her husband, sold her house and was
fired from her job.
13. Your ...........................(ATTACH) to this blanket is strange. I have never seen anyone having
such a childhood object so long.
14. It is an...................... (DENY) fact that he was the best sportsman ever and there will be no
other or faster runner than him.
15. His .......................(WILLING) to conform to the rules is outstanding. He is ......................
(OBEY) in everything he does.
16. That performance was ...................... (SPECTACULAR) well developed in terms of the plot,
the acting skills and the musical background.
17. He is a builder so he spends a lot of time on the .......................(CONSTRUCT) site every day
of the week
18. Travelling abroad in the lockdown moment is a pure .................................. (MAD) because
there are restrictions everywhere and the risk of infection is high.
19. She needs to establish that the house is ...................................(RIGHT) her in the court next
month.
20. I ............................. (SLEEP) last Monday for the meeting with my boss so I had to call and
make some excuses.
21. Luke is a............................. (FINANCE) specialist in one of the banks in Scotland but he is
looking for some other place to work.
22. The paediatrician ..................................... (DIAGNOSIS) her illness taking
into ......................... (CONSIDER) specific rash on her shoulders and high temperature.
23. I see some ......................... (DEVIATE) in the numbers on the stock exchange resulting from
the change of the year.
24. I can’t .............................. (PLEASURE) her totally because she is such a character that is
never happy with anything.
25. There was no ............................. (RESIST) on the side of the rebelling forces when the allies
entered the city.
26. Our consultants will be at your ......................... (SERVE) form 8 am till 8 pm seven days a
week.
27. A secret place where someone can go when the person does not want to be found by other
people is called a............................... (HIDE)
28. Can you . ............................... (CLEAR) the last point of the presentation? I don’t quite get
what you mean.
29. Do your holidays ............................... (COINCIDENCE) with my days off? If so we have to
reconsider the vacation agenda.
30. My favourite................................ (ACTIVE) to do at weekend are sleeping and watching TV
all.