I. T.

S ENGINEERING COLLEGE
GREATER NOIDA

DEPARTMENT OF
APPLIED SCIENCE & HUMANITIES
(Professional English)
CONCEPT OF WORD-
FORMATION
Root Words
A word usually has two parts to it - a root and an affix (i.e.
a prefix and a suffix).

It is in the root part of the word that the base element or

basic meaning is contained.

The root word is also a word in its own right.

In other words, a basic word to which affixes (prefixes

and suffixes) are added is called a root word because it
forms the basis of a new word.
Derivatives
Derivatives are words that are derived from root words.

They are formed by adding an affix ( i.e. a prefix or a suffix or

both) to the root words.

Words that are formed from existing words can also be

confusing as sometimes the original spelling stays the same
and sometimes it changes.
 Concept of Word Formation
Word formation refers to the ways in which
new words are created on the basis of other words.

Word formation is sometimes contrasted with

semantic change, which is a change in a
single word's meaning.

English language uses many processes of word

formation.
 Types of Word Formation

 Derivation
 Conversion
 Compounding
 Blending
 Acronym
 Back-formation
 Clipping
 Derivation

 Derivation is the creation of words by modification of a

root without the addition of other roots. Often the effect
is a change in part of speech.

 The most common type of derivation is the addition of

one or more affixes to a root, as in the
word derivation itself. This process is called affixation, a
term which covers both prefixation and suffixation.

 Affixation can be termed as a subtype of Derivation.

Root Word + Affix = Derivative (Derivation
Process)
E.g. Talk (root word) + -tive (suffix) = Talkative
(Derivative) Process will be that of derivation
 Conversion (Zero Derivation)

 Conversion, also called zero derivation, is a kind of

word formation involving the creation of a word (of a
new word class) from an existing word (of a
different word class) without any change in the
spelling. That is why we also call it derivation using
only zero.
 For examples –
I eared her language.
He words me.
I booked a table for her.
He eyed at the sweets.
 Compounding
 Compounding forms a word out of two or more root
words. The words are called compound words or
simply compounds.

 Common examples of compound words are:

• Whiteboard
• Flyover
• Email
• Dustbin
• Classroom
 Blending
 Blending is one of the most beloved of word formation processes
in English. It is especially creative in that speakers take two words
and merge them based not on word structure, but on sound
structure. The resulting words are called blends.

 Examples include 
 Glitterati (glitter and literati) 'Hollywood social set', 
 Mockumentary (mock and documentary) 'spoof documentary‘
 Smog (smoke and fog) ‘pollutant in the air’
 Brunch (breakfast and lunch)
 Camcorder (camera and recorder)
 Digicam (digital and camera)
 Acronym
 Acronyms are formed by taking the initial letters of a phrase
and making a word out of it. Acronyms provide a way of
turning a phrase into a word.
 The classical acronym is also pronounced as a word. Scuba was
formed from self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. 
 Sometimes, an acronym uses not just the first letter, but the
first syllable of a component word, for example radar, RAdio
Detection And Ranging
 Sonar - SOund NAvigation and Ranging.
 NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
 Clipping
 Clipping is the process of forming a new word by
removing actual or supposed affixes from another word.
 Put simply, clipping is a shortened word (such as edit)
created from a longer word (editor).
 Clippings are shortened words created from longer
words, thus back-formations may be viewed as a sub-
type of clipping.

 Bot – Robot , Lab – Laboratory, Gym – Gymnasium

 Tech – Technology , Cam – Camera
 Clipping
 Clipping is a type of abbreviation of a word in which one
part is 'clipped' off the rest, and the remaining word now
means essentially the same thing as what the whole word
means or meant.

 For example, the word rifle is a fairly modern clipping of

an earlier compound rifle gun, meaning a gun with a rifled
barrel. (Rifled means having a spiral groove causing the
bullet to spin, and thus making it more accurate.)

 Another clipping is burger, formed by clipping off the

beginning of the word hamburger. (This clipping could
only come about once hamburg+er was reanalyzed
as ham+burger.)
 Foreign Words
 A word taken from another language, pronounced and
written as alien, and in English usually printed in italics is
termed as a foreign word.
 English, just like any other language, is riddled with foreign
words stolen from other tongues.
 Some common foreign words we use every day are bona
fide, bon voyage, agenda, faux pas, modus operandi,
status quo, mala fide, chef, resume, octroi, en route,
rendezvous, viva voce, versus, tete a tete etc.
Word formation - Prefixes, Suffixes,
Antonyms, Synonyms
A) Prefixation
 A prefix usually changes or concretizes the lexical
meaning of a word and only rarely parts of speech, e. g.
write – rewrite, smoker – non-smoker
Prefixes are sometimes used to form new verbs: circle –
encircle, large – enlarge etc.
Negation or opposition:
un-: unable, unfair, unpack, unzip
dis-: disagreeable, dislike
a-: amoral, atypical
in-: informal, inexperience
im-: (before b, m, p) impossible, immoral
il-: (before l) illegal, illogical
ir-: (before r) irregular, irrational
non-: nonsmoker, non-scientific
de-: decode, defrost, devalue

Repetition, making it possible:

re-: reread, rebuild, reunited
en-/em-: enrich, enlarge, embitter
Degree, measure or size:
super-: supersonic, superhuman
semi-: semi-final, semidetached
hyper-: hyperactive, hypersensitive
ultra-: ultrahigh, ultraviolet
over-: overtime, overpopulated

Time and place, order, relation:

post-: post-war, postpone, postgraduate
inter-: international, intercontinental
pre-: pre-war, prehistoric, prearrange
ex-: ex-president, ex-husband, ex-film-star
Number and numeral relation:
bi-: bilateral, bilabial
uni-: unisex, unicycle, unilateral
auto-: autobiography, autopump, auto-suggestion
multi-: multinational, multi-storey, multilingual

Attitude, collaboration, membership:

anti-: antisocial, antiwar, antifreeze
counter-: counter-offensive, counter-revolution
pro-: pro-English, pro-vice-chancellor

Pejoration:
mis-: misinform, mislead, misuse
pseudo-: pseudo-scientific, pseudo-intellectual
B) Suffixation
A suffix usually changes not only the lexical meaning of a
word, but also its grammatical meaning or its word class.

 It is characteristic of noun and adjective formation.

e.g. to bake – baker, beauty - beautiful
Noun-forming suffixes:
-or: actor, visitor, director
-er/eer: speaker, engineer, opener
-ist: scientist, satirist, journalist
-ess: hostess, stewardess, actress
-ty/ity: cruelty, purity, stupidity
-ure/ture: failure, exposure, mixture
-dom: freedom, kingdom,
-age: passage, marriage, postage
-ance/ence: appearance, preference
-hood: likelihood, brotherhood, neighbourhood
-ing: reading, opening, beginning
-ion/sion/tion/ition/ation: operation, permission, description
-ness: kindness, goodness, wilingness
-y/ery: difficulty, enquiry, robbery, slavery
-ship: partnership, membership, kinship
-ment: government, development, movement
-t: complaint, restraint
Adjective-forming suffixes:
-able/ible: comfortable, fashionable, sensible
-ic/atic: atomic, heroic, systematic
-ful: beautiful, helpful, careful
-y: bloody, dirty, sunny
-less: useless, homeless, careless
-al/ial/tial: personal, influential, preferential
-ive/ative/itive: active, creative, sensitive
-ant/ent: pleasant, different, excellent
-en: wooden, golden, woollen
-like: childlike, ladylike
-ing: amusing, interesting, charming
-ous: dangerous, famous, mysterious
-ish: bookish, childish, foolish
-ly: friendly, lovely, manly
Verb-forming suffixes:
-ize/ise: civilize, modernize
-ify/fy/efy: simplify, glorify
-en, deepen, sharpen, lengthen

Adverb-forming suffixes:
-ly: formally, calmly, easily
-ward/wards: homeward, afterwards, backwards
-wise/ways: clockwise, otherwise, sideways
-fold: twofold, threefold
C) Antonym

An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another

word. For example
"bad" is an antonym of "good".

Here are some examples:

 Selfish – Unselfish
 Do – Undo
 Essential – Nonessential
 Easy – Hard, Difficult
 Soft – Hard
D) Synonym

 A synonym is a word that means exactly the same as, or very

nearly the same as, another word in the same language. For
example, "close" is a synonym of "shut".

Some examples of synonyms:

 Blow up - explode inflate
 Shallow superficial
 Eager – earnest, keen
 Spontaneous – impromptu, unplanned
 Abbreviations,
Homophones
&
One Word Substitution
 Abbreviations
An abbreviation or initialism is a shortened form of a
word or phrase. It consists of a group of letters taken
from the word or phrase. 
Common examples of abbreviations could be:
VIP – Very Important Person
DND – Do not disturb
i.e. (id est) – That is
e.g. (exampli gratia) – For example
etc. – Et cetera
 Homophones
 Homophones are those words in English language which
have different spellings and meanings, but have an identical
pronunciation or sound.
 Common examples of Homophones could be:
 Sun – Son
 Meet – Meat
 No – Know
 Right – Write – Rite
 Homophones are completely opposite from Homographs
(words having same spellings, but different pronunciations,
and obviously, different meanings). Examples: Live (verb)
and Live (adjective); Read (present tense verb) and Read
(past tense verb, but pronounced as ‘red’)
 Homophones and Homographs together constitute
Homonyms.
 One Word Substitution
 One Word Substitutions is a kind of a reverse dictionary. One
Word Substitutions questions are asked in various competitive
and recruitment examinations to assess our vocabulary skills.

 For examples:
 A bicycle for two or more people - Tandem
 A body of persons appointed to hear evidence or judge and give
their verdict (decision) - Jury
 A brief or a short stay at a place - Sojourn
 A broad road bordered with trees - Boulevard
Requisites of Sentence
Construction
A good sentence must be correct and communicative. It must
convey the idea without ambiguity or confusion.
Avoid odd sentence structure
A man is standing in black suit. (Appropriate)
A man in black suit is standing. (Inappropriate)
 Choice of appropriate words
The dog barks. (not mews or roars)
The food is tasty. (not pretty or beautiful)
 Grammatical Correctness
Here is the books you asked for. (Incorrect)
Here is the book you asked for. (Correct)
 Sentence must not be too short even at the cost of clarity.
 Sentence must not be crowded with information even at the
cost of comprehension.
 Economizing on words: Avoid round about ways of saying
things. Avoid unnecessary repetition of words and ideas.
Example : instead of it goes without saying, we can use
obviously.