ENGLISH NOTEBOOK FOR C1 TEST - WORD FORMATION INDEX 1. ADDING PREFIXES .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. ADDING SUFFIXES .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 3. SPELLING RULES FOR ADDING AFFIXES............................................................................................................................................................. 4 1. ADDING PREFIXES Prefixes to give negative meaning DIS - Respect – Disrespect IN - Convenience – Inconvenience / Sanity – Insanity UN - Conventional – Unconventional Before many (but not all) words beginning with: LM - and P R- We add the prefix: IL - Literate – Illiterate / Legal – Illegal IM - Perfect – Imperfect IR - Rational – Irrational ~1~ ENGLISH NOTEBOOK FOR C1 TEST - WORD FORMATION Other prefixes and their meanings 1 MIS - Wrongly or badly Behave – Misbehave / Use – Misuse / Understand – Misunderstand RE - Again (often added to verbs) INTER - Between or among OVER - From above UNDER - Below or not enough Mine – Undermine / Paid – Underpaid / Value – Undervalue Mature – Premature Consider – Reconsider / Write – Rewrite National – International Loaded – Overloaded / Cook – Overcook PRE - Before a time or event POST - After or later than Graduate – Postgraduate PRO - Supporting or approving of sth European – Pro-European ANTI - Opposed to or against Social – Anti-social / Terrorist – Anti-terrorist BI - Two Bilingual, biannual, bicycle TRI - Three Tripod, tricycle MONO - One Monorail CO - Together POLY - Many SEMI - Half or partly MID - In the middle of NEO - Mew or in later form OUT - Greater than, better than Cohabit, co-driver, co-worker Polymorphous, polytheism Semi-completed, semi-skilled Mid-century, mid-term Neo-classical Outdo, outlast DE - Undo an action or process PHOTO - Relating to light Photosynthesis PSEUDO - False or pretend Pseudo-science PSYCHO - Connected with the mind Psychoanalyst SUB - Less than usual SUPER - More than usual MEGA - Very big HYPER - Over, above THERMO - Relating to heat 1 Decode, de-ice, decontaminate, demotivate Subheading, submarine Superhuman, superstructure Megabyte, megaton Hyperactive, hyperventilate Thermodynamic, thermometer AUTO - Relating to self or self-acting CYBER - Relating to computers or the Internet Autobiographical, autopilot E- Relating to the Internet and email e-commerce, email Ex-husband, ex-manager Cyberspace EX - The person no longer plays a role FORE - Before NON - Without MACRO - Large Macroeconomics, macromolecule MICRO - Small Microscope, microbiology INFRA - Beneath, below Forehand, foresee, foremost Nonsense, non-negotiable, nonentity Infrastructure, infrasonic EXTRA - Outside of, beyond DOWN - Reduce or lower Extraterrestrial TELE - At a distance Television, telepathic TRANS - Across Transatlantic, transfer UP - Make or move higher PROOF - Resistant against something Downgrade, downhearted Upgrade, uphill Waterproof, windproof There are no absolute rules for when to use a hyphen or when to write a prefixed word as one whole word. ~2~ ENGLISH NOTEBOOK FOR C1 TEST - WORD FORMATION 2. ADDING SUFFIXES Verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs can be formed from other related or base words by adding a suffix to the end of the word. There are no clear rules – each word and the words which can be formed from it must be learned individually. Some of the most common suffixes and their usual meanings are listed below: noun → adjective -Y adjective → noun Filth – Filthy - ENCE Convenient – Convenience - FUL Fruit – Fruitful - ANCE Significant – Significance - OUS Number – Numerous - NESS Ready – Readiness - LESS Speech – Speechless 2 - ITY Diverse – Diversity / Liable – Liability - EN Flat – Flatten Clear – Clarify - AL Nutrition - Nutritional - IC Idealist – Idealistic - ISH Snob – Snobbish 3 Adjective / noun → verb noun → noun - ISM Material – Materialism - IFY - IST Violin – Violinist / Therapy – Therapist - ISE Sponsor – Sponsorship - IZE - SHIP verb → noun General – Generalise / Generalize verb → adjective - MENT Recruit – Recruitment - ATION Accuse – Accusation - ING Grip – Gripping / Bore – Boring - ITION Define – Definition - ABLE Sustain – Sustainable - TION Distract – Distraction - IBLE Neglect – Negligible - SION - ED Bias – Biased / Bore – Bored Provide – Provision - ENT Persist – Persistent - ER Rule – Ruler - IVE Exclude – Exclusive - OR Supervise – Supervisor - ENCE Interfere – Interference - ANCE Acquaint – Acquaintance - ANT Contest – Contestant - AL Arrive – Arrival - EE Train – Trainee 4 If the word ends in: Adjective / noun → adverb -L + - LY (don’t drop the final – l) Hopeful – Hopefully consonant + - E + - LY (don’t drop the final – e) Immense – Immensely / Definite – Definitely - LE changes to - LY Gentle – Gently / Remarkable – Remarkably - IC changes to - ALLY - LL +-Y 5 Heroic – Heroically / Tragic – Tragically Full – Fully -Y changes to - ILY Easy – Easily / Cosy – Cosily - UE changes to - ULY True – Truly - WARD (S) - WISE East – Eastwards / Up – Upwards / Down – Downwards / In – Inwards Clock – Clockwise / Edge – Edgewise / Length – Lengthwise / Like - Likewise 2 Used to add the meaning “without” 3 Notice that -able becomes -ability 4 “-ise” is more common in British English; while “-ize” is commonly used in American English 5 Exception: Public – Publicly ~3~ ENGLISH NOTEBOOK FOR C1 TEST - WORD FORMATION Some adverbs have the same form as adjectives. The most common are fast (not fastly), left, hard, outside, right, straight, late, well , and time words such as daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Adjective Adverb This coconut is really hard. You’ll need a hammer to break it up. She drives a fast car. An outside light would be a really good idea for our house I get a monthly pay cheque You have to bang the door hard to shut it. They can swim quite fast now actually. When I went outside, the light came on automatically. My company pays me monthly. Some adjectives end in -ly (e.g. lively, lonely, ugly). We don’t form adverbs from these adjectives because they are not easy to pronounce. We usually reword what we want to say instead. Don’t act in a silly way. Not: Don’t act sillily. / She said it in a friendly way. Not: She said it friendlily. 3. SPELLING RULES FOR ADDING AFFIXES Affixes are either prefixes or suffixes. When a prefix is added (before the word), the spelling does not change (e.g. appoint – disappoint / satisfied – dissatisfied / truthful – untruthful / necessary – unnecessary / relevant – irrelevant). Below are some spelling rules when adding suffixes: When adding - ED, - ING, - ER, - EST, - ANCE, - ENCE, - EN or - Y, double the final consonant in: Don’t double the final consonant when: Drop the final - E Don’t drop the final - E » One-syllable words which ends in consonant-vowelconsonant. (W, X and Y are never doubled). » Run – Running / Flat – Flatten / Mud – Muddy » Verbs or two or more syllables which end in consonantvowel-consonant when the final syllable is stressed. » Occur – Occurrence / Forget – Forgetting » Verbs which end in - L after one vowel in British English (in American English the – L may not double). » Travel – Traveller / Cancel – Cancellation » There are two final consonants. » Correspond – Correspondence » There are two vowels before the final consonant. » Disappear – Disappearance » The stress is not on the final syllable. » Deepen – Deepening If there is a consonant before it and the suffix begins with a vowel (e.g. - er, - ed, - ing, - ance, - ation, etc.). Note this exception: adding - ABLE to words ending in - CE and GE: Noticeable, Knowledgeable When the suffix begins with a consonant. Note this exception: Argue – Argument In words which end in - Y after a consonant when the suffix (with the exception of - ing) is added. Add – ES rather than - S for plural nouns or present simple verbs when the word ends in: Safe – Safety Arrange – Arrangement Disgrace – Disgraceful Note these exceptions: Dry – Drier / Drily; but Dryness Shy – Shyness / Shyly Happy – Happiness Try – Tried / Trial Study – Studious Family – Familiar Rely – Reliance When adding – ING to words which end in - IE: Lie – Lying / Die – Dying Change - Y to - i Change - IE to - Y Nonsense – Nonsensical Amaze – Amazing Sane – Sanity » » » » -S - SH - CH -X Note: for some common nouns ending in - F or - FE the plural ending is - VES. ~4~ » » » » » Bus – Busses / Miss – Misses Watch – Watches Wish – Wishes Relax – Relaxes Leaf – Leaves / Loaf – Loaves / Knife – Knives
