Word Formation

• Prefix: the part added in front of a word to

derive another word.
• Suffix: the part added at the end of a word to
derive another word.
• Affixation: the process of word formation by
adding prefix or suffix.
• Eg.: establish– establishment—antiestablishment
Order- orderly- disorder
narrate- narrative– narrativization--renarrate
 Negative prefixes

• Un-, non-, a-, in-

• De-, dis-, un- are called reversative prefixes
because they show reversal of action. Eg.
Disown, derecognize, untie, unsettle,
deforestation.
• Mal-, mis-, pseudo- are called pejorative
prefixes because they mean ‘wrongly’. Eg.
Misadventure, mislead, malpractice,
malfunction, malware, pseudoscience
 Prefixes of degree or size

• Substandard, subhuman
• Ultrasound, infrared
• Supersonic
• Hypertension
• Minibus, megastar
• underestimate
 Prefixes of time and order

• Foresee, foretell
• Premarital, premature
• Post mortem, postgraduate
• Ex-minister, ex-husband
• Resettle, reiterate
 Prefix of attitude

• Counterproductive, counterrevolution
• Antithesis, antisocial
• Co-operate, co-ordinate
• Pro-government, pro-life
 Number prefixes

• Unilateral, monotheistic, monogamous

• Bilateral, dissect
• Triangle
• Polygamy, polytheistic, multiparty, multiplex
 Suffixes

• Adverb endings: extremely, towards, likewise

• Adjective endings: useful, respectable,
forcible, selfish, musical, muscular, heroic,
courteous, vivacious
• Verb endings: digitize, simplify, heighten
• Noun suffixes: payment, payee, trainee,
employee, exploration, drainage, friendship,
childhood, journalist, communism,
 Reduplication: Words formed through repetition of
sounds. Eg.: Goody-goody, blah-blah, itsy-bitsy, lovey-
dovey

Clipping: shortening the length of the original word.

Eg.: phone, fridge, memo, gym, ad, lab, math, exam.

Blending: combining parts of two words to form a

word that means a combination of both. Also called
portmanteau words. Eg. Brunch, smog, emoticon,
docudrama ( Also, Branjalina, Virushka  )
Conversion: Using one part of speech to do the function
of another part of speech
• Bottle and can are nouns, usually

She bottled the juice, and canned the jam

verb verb

• Empty is an adjective

I emptied my bag
verb
Compounding: Adding one base word to another base
word

• Teapot, motorcycle (noun functioning as adj. + noun)

• Sightseeing (object + verb)
• Swimming-pool (verb functioning as adj. + noun)

Bahuvrihi Compounds: A new word is formed by

combining two words that indicate a feature/
quality of the referent. It is figurative in nature.
Eg: turncoat, featherhead, old money, white-collar