Word Formation
and Parts of Speech (part1)
A. Common endings
Nouns for
things = ment; -ity; -ness;
-ion
Nouns for
people = -er; -or; -ist
Verbs = rarely have special endings because they get
manipulated for tense; usually the shortest word form
Adjectives = -ous; -able/-ible; -al; -ed/-ing; -ful/-less; -ic;
-ive
Adverbs = -ly
1. To form an adverb, add –ly to the adjective form (not
the noun/verb form)
2. If two word forms are the same, it will usually be the
noun and verb (e.g.: parent, answer, guess).
3. Nouns ending in –tion will usually take the –al suffix
for adjectives.
BE CAREFUL: these are patterns, not “rules,” and there
will be some exceptions to most of these patterns.
Knowing the correct part of speech for a word form is
important, but it’s less than half the battle. The real challenge comes with
being able to know how to use it appropriately in a sentence. Below are some
(but definitely not all) of the most common usage patterns.
B. The
Prediction Was Predictably Predicted
Nouns
Nouns are people, places, or things.
Nouns always come before verbs and after verbs.
Every sentence will have at least one noun.
Nouns are usually in these positions:
a/an/the …… The prediction came true.
adjective ……
Wrong predictions are dangerous.
Possessive (my, your, his, her, John’s) ….. Their prediction was wrong.
have ….. I have a prediction.
…………. Verb
Predictions make people’s lives easier.
Verbs
Verbs show the action or state of being in a sentence.
Verbs usually aren’t the first word in a sentence.
Exception—Commands: (Go to class.)
EVERY sentence
MUST have a verb!
Verbs are usually in these positions:
Subject ………………. Jessica predicted that she would win
the game yesterday.
Adverb ………………. He always predicts the weather.
can/should/might/must ………………… She can’t predict what he will do.
didn’t/don’t ………………… Don’t predict something unless you know
it is true.
to …………………. I’m going to predict your future.
Adjectives
Adjectives describe nouns (people, places, and things).
They answer the question: “What kind of
person/place/thing?”
Adjectives are usually in these positions:
am/is/are/was/were ………………… The game was predictable.
………………………….. noun Predictable people are easy to
understand.
very …………………………..
Tony is a very predictable
person.
adverb ……………………….. Tony is always predictable.
a/an/the ………………………………. noun The predictable answer was “yes.”
Adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs or adjectives.
They answer the question “How did he do it?”
Usually, you add -ly to the adjective to make an
adverb (but not always!)
Adverbs are usually in these positions:
_____________________ , …………
Predictably,
Tommy was late again.
__________________ Verb He
predictably walked in late.
Verb __________________ He
walked quickly.
very _________________ He
walked very quickly.
________________________ Adjective Tom is predictably late.
a- – without, not
co- – together
de- – opposite, negative, removal, separation
dis- –opposite, negative
en- – cause to be
ex- – former, previous, from
in- – negative, not
non- – absence, not
re- – again, repeatedly
un- – negative, not, opposite, reversal
D. Suffixes
-able – sense of being
-er – agent
-ful – characterized by
-fy – make, become, cause to be
-ism – action or practice, state or condition
-less – lack of
-ly – -like
-ology – study, science
-ship – condition, character, skill
-y – characterized by, inclination, condition
E. Grammatical Form Retaining Derivation
verb to verb: appear → disappear
noun to noun: friend → friendship
adjective to adjective: practical → impractical
F. Grammatical Form Changing Derivation
verb to noun: preserve → preservation
verb to adjective: bore → boring
noun to verb: code → codify
noun to adjective: nature → natural
adjective to noun: ugly → ugliness
adjective to verb: sweet → sweeten
adjective to adverb: quick → quickly
EXERCISES
A. Forming nouns form verbs
This exercise focuses on people and their jobs using
the most common suffixes.
Use the word in bold to form the noun which refers to
the person who does that job.
1. A person who
acts for a living is called an .......... .
2. A ………………..... is someone who earns money from
writing music.
3. She didn't become famous as a ………………...... until
her 17th novel was published.
4. In Part 5 of the FCE Exam your speaking ability will be assessed by the …………………....
.
5. At the end of the interview the .................... asked if he could be
shown around the company.
6. An ......................... is someone who will be
able to go through your accounts
and work out how much money you have.
7. ……………..... to the castle are expected to come
during visiting times only.
B. This exercise focuses on the common prefixes and
suffixes used to form opposite words.
in- im- il- un- -less dis- ir-
1 When he became a teenager he wanted to be more …………………….(DEPENDENT)
from his parents.
2 It was really (HONEST)………………… of you to take that
money without asking.
3 If you hadn't been so…………………………….. (CARE) with that
book you'd still have it now.
4 My broken leg means I'll be…………………………….. (ABLE) to
go on holiday with you.
5 In many countries it is………………………… (LEGAL) to smoke
cigarettes under the age of 16.
6 He waited …………………….(PATIENTLY) for the train to
arrive at the station.
7 The teacher told me it was……………………. (RESPONSIBLE) of
me to set off the fire alarm.
C. Forming verbs
This exercise looks at some common suffixes used in
creating verbs. -en -ify -ize
1. He told her that he (SYMPATHY) ..........................
with her problem but couldn't do anything to help.
2. My belt feels a bit tight after that huge lunch. I
think I'll have to (LOOSE) .......................... it a little.
3. She was severely (WEAK) ...........................
by the long illness she had.
4. There are many different ways to (CLASS) ...............................
areas of English Grammar.
5. If you're really sorry for what you said you won't
mind (APOLOGY)................................
6. There's no need to (CRITIC) ...........................
my work. I'm trying as hard as I can.
7. The pain in his back (LESS) ........................
as soon as he took the medication.
8. Everybody was (HORROR) ........................ by
the news of the earthquake.
Forming adjectives and adverbs
D. This exercise looks at the most common adjective and
adverb endings. For questions 5-8 you will need to make TWO changes to the stem
word.
1. Be sure to contact him if you need advice. He's a
very (HELP) .......................... person.
2. It was a really (ENJOY) .........................
party. Thanks for inviting me.
3. He has just taken out a (MONTH) ...................
subscription to the magazine.
4. She smiled (HAPPY) ........................ when
they offered her the new job.
5. (HOPE) .......................... we'll have enough
money saved to get married next year.
6. In order for the medicine to work (EFFECT) ...........................
you must take the correct amount
7. Although our teacher is very strict in class, she
is (FRIEND) ........................ than you would expect.
8. What a beautiful vase! That's the (LOVE) ............................
present I've ever had.
E. Forming other nouns
This exercise looks at forming nouns from verbs, nouns
and adjectives by using suffixes.
1. My teacher says there has been a big (IMPROVE)
...................... in my English lately.
2. The recipe says you only need to add two (SPOON)
.......................... of salt.
3. Why did you do that? I thought you had more
(INTELLIGENT) ......................... than that.
4. The singer gave a brilliant (PERFORM) ............................
on stage yesterday.
5. Have you seen her magazine (COLLECT) .....................?
She must have over 200 editions.
6. On hearing the news, everyone was overcome with a
feeling of (SAD) ......................... .
7. When you take the FCE Speaking paper you will be
given marks for your (ACCURATE) ......................... and also on how
fluent you are.
8. She has the (ABLE) ........................ to pass
the exam first time round providing she works hard.
F. Difficult spellings
1 He tried to fix his machine but it was (POSSIBLE)
.......... impossible / inpossible
2 You don't need to wear a suit to the party. You can
look (FORMAL) .......... if you wish.
Informal
/ imformal
3 She won the bicycle race (EASY) .......... .
Easyly / easily
4 The weather forecast says it's going to be (RAIN)
.......... today. Rainy / rainny
5 The body was discovered (LIE) .......... on the
floor. Lieing / lying
6 He told her that he was (TRUE) .......... in love
with her. Truely / truly
7 She was filled with (HAPPY) .......... when she
heard the good news. Happiness / happyness
8 He was the (BIG) .......... in the class.
Biggest
/ bigest
