WORD FORMATION
Mgr. Kateřina Podveská
• Text paraphrasing
• Academic English environment
• Facilitates text comprehension
• Ppt slides and their interpretation
Vocabulary building
• -tion/-sion = action (demonstration, expansion,
admission, exploration, authorization)
• -ment = action or its result (punishment, argument,
development, enlargement, unemployment)
• -al = action or its result (denial, refusal, trial, renewal,
proposal)
• -ance/-ence = action or result (dependence, attendance,
acceptance, interference)
Noun suffixes (1)
• -ship = state or condition (friendship, citizenship,
leadership, authorship, membership)
• -cy = state or condition (bankruptcy, constancy, decency,
accuracy, normalcy)
• -ry/-ery = action, condition, occupation (slavery, foolery,
dentistry, cookery, chemistry)
• -ility/-ity/-ty = state or condition (ability, simplicity,
cruelty, readability, visibility, stability)
Noun suffixes (2)
• -er = profession, purposeful device, origin of persons
(banker, bookseller, container, locker, Londoner)
• -ee = sb affected by sth/sb (employee, chatee,
interviewee, evacuee)
• -ant/-ent = sb who carries out (servant, inhabitant,
informant, solvent)
• -ing = result (building, clothing, painting)
Noun suffixes (3)
• -ify = to make, to cause (simplify, prettify, classify,
exemplify, justify)
• -ize/-ise = to make, to treat in the way of (civilize,
organize, Americanize, legalize, nationalize, popularize)
• -en = to make, to make become (shorten, blacken, darken,
harden, weaken, widen, sadden, deafen, deepen)
• -ate = to add or provide with (urinate, ventilate,
dehydrate, duplicate, differentiate)
Verb suffixes (1)
• -able/-ible = sth that is/can be (drinkable, available,
breakable, portable, reliable, responsible, audible)
• -al = of the nature/origin of (natural, tidal, accidental,
musical, criminal, educational, editorial, continental)
• -en = materials (wooden, woolen, golden/gold)
• -ese/-an/-ian/-ish = origin (Japanese, Portuguese, British,
Turkish, German, Russian)
Adjective suffixes (1)
• -ful = full of, of the nature of (doubtful, powerful, careful,
useful, helpful, spoonful, handful, tactful)
• -ic = of the nature of (comic, domestic, aristocratic,
dramatic, phonetic, systematic, energetic)
• -ical = of the nature of (economical, biological, comical,
historical)
• -ing = sth experienced like (amazing, amusing, shocking)
Adjective suffixes (2)
• -less = devoid of (homeless, endless, careless, spotless,
thoughtless, jobless, nameless)
• -ly = periodic occurrence (daily, monthly, yearly,
quarterly)
• -like = behaving like (childlike, gentlemanlike, godlike)
• -ward = in the direction of (homeward, eastward, onward,
backward, forward)
• -y = of the nature of (funny, rusty, bony, nervy, catchy,
sticky, headachy, classy)
Adjective suffixes (3)
• a- = not, lacking in, not affected by (amoral, atheist,
asymmetry, asexual, apolitical)
• dis- = not, absolute opposite (disloyal, distrust, disabled,
dislike, disagree, disadvantage)
• non- = lacking in (non-fiction, non-political, non-neutral)
Negative prefixes (1)
• un- = opposite (unhappy, unfair, unreal, unexpected,
unproductive)
before words of French origin:
in- (insane, injustice, intolerance, inconvenient)
il- = before l- (illegal, illogical)
im- = before p- (imperfect, impatient, improbable,
immature)
ir- = before r- (irregular, irresponsible, irreplaceable,
irrelevat)
Negative prefixes (2)
• Economic – deals with economy
• Economical – less wasteful
• Economically is the adverb form of both words
• Historical – took place in history, it is from the past
• Historic – has significance in the history (event, person)
• Historically is the adverb form of both words
Beware the differences
• Alternate = /ɔːlˈtɜː(r)nət/ adj. following by turns, one
after the other, a substitute or second, every other in a
series
• Alternately is the adverb form
• Alternate /ˈɔːltə(r)neɪt/ = verb related to the adjective = to
go back and forth
• Alternative = adj. /ɔːlˈtɜː(r)nətɪv/, noun /ɔːlˈtɜː(r)nətɪv/,
refers to be able to be used instead of sth, the other choice
• Alternatively is the adverb form
Beware the differences (2)
• Bad = adjective, describes nouns or pronouns, often used
with verbs like look, feel, sound, or to be.
• Incorrect: She felt badly about missing the date.
• Correct: She felt bad about missing the date.
• Badly = adverb, describes verbs and should be used with
all verbs other than linking verbs. It usually answers the
question "How?"
• Incorrect: Mudville played bad last night.
• Correct: Mudville played badly last night.
Beware the differences (3)
• Continual = repeated again and again
• Continuous = uninterrupted
• I was continually interrupted by the telephone.
• It rained continuously for forty-eight hours.
Beware the differences (4)
• Different from X Different than?
• Different from is standard English – proper use
• Different than is nonstandard – improper use
Beware the differences (5)
• Special = adj. = particular, designed for a particular purpose
• Specially = adv. = particularly, for a particular purpose
• Especial = adj. = exceptional, noteworthy, particular
• Especially = adv. = exceptionally, in a noteworthy manner,
or particularly
• In the sense of particular or particularly - synonyms
• Stressing the exceptional quality = especial/especially
• Stressing the distinctive purpose of something =
special/specially
• This program has specially designed macros for word
processors. X He did especially well in All-Star Game.
Beware the differences (6)
• Farther = length or distance = comparative form of far
when referring to distance
• Further = to a greater degree, additional, additionally. It
refers to time or amount = comparative form of far when
meaning much
• London is farther north than Juneau. (distance)
• This plan requires further study. (additional study, refers to
amount)
• According to my timetable, we should be further along.
(time)
Beware the differences (7)
• Good = adj. = describes nouns or pronouns, used also
with verbs like look, feel, sound, taste, or be to describe
the subject
• Incorrect: The coffee tasted well this morning.
• Correct: The coffee tasted good this morning.
• Correct: The pitcher is looking good today.
• Well = adv. = describes verbs (sometimes adjectives),
used with most other verbs
• Well as an adj. means healthy
• Correct: He pitches well.
• Incorrect: I do not feel very good.
• Correct: I do not feel very well. (healthy)
Beware the differences (7)
• Number or Amount?
• Use the word amount with quantities that cannot be
counted and number with quantities that could be counted
one-by-one.
• He had a small amount of ammunition left.
• He had a small number of bullets left.
Beware the differences (8)
• Perspective = noun = point of view, especially the ability
to see the whole of something (in art - the ability to draw
three dimensional objects using two dimensional ones)
• The prefix per- means completely
• Prospective = adj. = future or potential
• The prefix pro- means forward
• Prospect = noun form
• The Latin root of both words, -spect-, means to see. So
perspective literally means seeing completely and
prospective means seeing ahead.
Beware the differences (9)
• Quote = verb = to repeat the words of a writer or speaker
• Quotation = noun = words quoted, the act of quoting
• Quotation marks = punctuation marks used to highlight a
written quotation
• Correct: He quoted Shakespeare frequently.
• Incorrect: We listened to a long quote from the government
report.
• Correct: We listened to a long quotation from the
government report.
• Incorrect: You need to put this part in quotes.
• Correct: You need to put this part in quotation marks.
Beware the differences (10)
• Raise = to make higher, to build, to nurture and cause to
grow. It is normally transitive, that is, the action is done
to something or someone else. It is a regular verb.
• Rise = to get up, become elevated. It is never transitive.
The past tense is rose; the past participle, risen.
• They raised the barn in two days.
• He was raised by his grandparents.
• The sun rises and sets every day.
Beware the differences (11)
• Real = adjective, modifies only nouns or pronouns
• Really = adverb, modifies verbs, adjectives, or other
adverbs
• Correct: He stayed at hotels with real class.
(Class is a noun. The adjective modifies it.)
• Incorrect: He stayed at a real classy hotel.
(Classy is an adjective. It should be modified by an adverb.)
• Correct: He stayed at a really classy hotel.
(The adjective classy is modified by the adverb.)
Beware the differences (12)
• Sure = adjective, modifies nouns or pronouns
• Surely = adverb, modifies verbs, adjectives, or adverbs
• Correct: It is a sure thing.
(Thing is a noun. An adjective modifies it.)
• Incorrect: It is sure hot outside.
(Hot is an adjective. It should be modified by an adverb.)
• Correct: It is surely hot outside.
(Hot is an adjective. An adverb modifies it.)
Beware the differences (13)
• Borrow = from someone
• Lend = to someone
• Can I borrow your bike, please?
• I can lend you my bike if you want.
• Bring = to carry to a nearer place from a more distant one
• Take = to carry to a more distant place from a nearer one
• Bring that file over here.
• Take this package to the post office.
Beware the differences (14)
• Learn = to educate oneself
• Teach = to educate others
• I am a student and I am learning about adjectives.
• She is teaching us how to use adjectives.
• Try And or Try To?
• Try and followed by a verb is nonstandard = improper use
• Always use try to
• Incorrect: Try and do it again.
• Correct: Try to do it again.
Beware the differences (15)
Thank you for your attention
