WORD
FORMATION
What is a
word formation?
Word formation
is the way in which is a new word is formed by adding a suffix or prefix to its
stem or root.
Prefix + stem/root = a new word
Generally, a
prefix is placed at the beginning of a word.
Example
- Monolingual ( prefix is mono means one)
- Post-war ( prefix is post means after)
- Multicultural ( prefix is multi means many)
- Disrespect ( prefix is dis means not)
- Unusual ( prefix is un means not)
- Irresponsible ( prefix is ir means not)
NEGATIVE PREFIXES
Here are commonly used prefixes that turn the words into negative and all of them mean not.
Negative:
a–, dis–, il–, im–, in-, ir–, non–, un–.
- Political- apolitical (consonant)
- Agree- disagree (consonant or vowel)
- Legal - illegal (l)
- Patient - impatient ( m , p)
- Correct - incorrect
- Regular - irregular
- Sense - nonsense
- Happy - unhappy
- Accurate - inaccurate ( C & V except : i , u)
- rational - irrational (r)
- fiction - nonfiction
- able - unable
SUFFIX
Suffix is
basically placed at the end of a word
Noun suffixes : ‘er’, ‘or’, ‘ist’, ‘ian’, ‘ion’, ‘ment’, ‘ness’, tion/sion, ‘ity’
Example
- Alter ____ alteration
- Drive _____ Driver
- Educate ____ educator
- Expand ____ expansion
- Punish ____ Punishment
- Science _____ scientist
- Busy ____ business
- Educate ____ education
- Responsible ____ responsibility
Verb Suffixes
_ise, _ate, _fy, _en
Example
- Stable ____ stabilise
- Different ____ differentiate
- Simple _____ simplify
- Short _____ shorten
Adjective Suffixes
-al, -ent, -ive, -ous, -ful, -less, -able
Example
- Nation ____ national
- Differ _____ different
- Attract ____ attractive
- Danger _____ dangerous
- Use ____ useful
- Care ____ careless
- Afford ____ affordable
Prefixes and meanings
pro- for, forward, before : proactive, profess, program
re- again, back : react, reappear
mis- bad, wrong: mislead,
misplace
non- not : nonsense
un- against, not, opposite: undo,
unequal, unusual
de- from, down, away, reverse, opposite: decode, decrease
dis- not, opposite, reverse, away: disagree, disappear
ex- out of, away from, former: ex-girlfriend, exhale, explosion
il- not : illegal,
illogical
im- not, without : impossible,
improper
in- not, without : inaction, invisible
Suffixes
and meanings
-ful full of : beautiful,
grateful
-ible forming an adjective : reversible, terrible
-ily forming an adverb : busily, happily, lazily
-less without, not affected by: friendless,
tireless
-ly forming an adjective: clearly,
yearly
-ness showing a state or condition: happiness, wilderness
-y full of, showing a condition : glory, messy, victory
-able having the quality of: habitable, portable
-al relating to: annual,
educational
-er comparative, a person: bigger,
waiter
-est superlative : largest,
friendliest
Practice
Choose a correct prefix for each word below.
un-, in-, im-, il-, dis-, ir-, re-, mis-
- conscious ______________
- possible _______________
- formal ________________
- patient ________________
- regular ________________
- lucky _________________
- order __________________
- legal __________________
- arrange ________________
- understand _____________
