Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
WORD FORMATION
SUFFIXES
1.- NOUN SUFFIXES.
Ocupational.
-EER
-STER
-ER
engineer
gangster
teenager
Status, domain.
-HOOD
-SHIP
-DOM
boyhood
friendship
kingdom
Noun / Adjective suffixes.
-ITE
-(I)AN
-ESE
Israelite
republican
Chinese
Verb - Noun.
-ER (OR)
-ANT
-EE
driver / actor inhabitant
employee
-ING
-AGE
-AL
building
drainage
arrival
Adjective - Noun
-NESS
-ITY
-ISM
happiness
sanity
idealism
These are the most important prefixes and suffixes used in the formation of
English words.
PREFIXES
1.- NEGATIVE.
UNNONUnfair
non-smoker
2.- PRIVATIVE.
UNDEUntie
defrost
3.- PEJORATIVE.
MISMisunderstand
MALmaltreat
ULTRAultra-violet
5.- ATTITUDE.
COCOUNTERCooperate
counteract
6.- LOCATIVE.
SUPERSUBSuperstructure subway
7.- TIME AND ORDER.
FOREPREForetell
pre-war
A(N)amoral
DISdisconnect
DISdislike
PSEUDOpseudo-intellectual
SURsurvive
OVERoverdressed
UNDERunderprivileged
MINIminiskirt
ANTIanti-social
-LIKE
childlike
TRANStransatlantic
POSTpost-war
INTERinternational
EX
ex-husband
-Y
hairy
-IC
heroic
-(E)RY
slavery
-IST
socialist
-ATION
exploration
-MENT
amazement
-IAN
Darwinian
-LESS
childless
-EN
sadden
PROpro-communist
-OCRACY
democracy
-FUL
useful
-IVE
attractive
-WISE
crabwise
-ISH
foolish
-OUS
virtuous
EXERCISES
1.- FORMING NOUNS.
a) The suffixes in the following list combine with nouns and verbs to
form new nouns. Write down the noun or verb they come from.
SUFFIX
-AL
NOUN FORMED
arrival
-ANCE
......................................
abundance
SUFFIX
VERB / NOUN
NOUN FORMED
-CY
......................................
constancy
-ANT
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
.......................
defendant
assistant
trainee
addressee
actress
princess
driver
painter
historian
musician
scientist
novelist
supervisor
visitor
-DOM
......................................
kingdom
-ENCE
......................................
independence
-FUL
......................................
mouthful
-HOOD
......................................
neighbourhood
-ING
......................................
dancing
-ION
......................................
invention
-ISM
......................................
criticism
-ITY
......................................
sensitivity
-MENT
......................................
agreement
-NESS
......................................
happiness
-SHIP
......................................
ownership
1.- If you are employed by a company, you are one of its ................................
3.- A woman who works as a ......................... does the same job as a waiter.
4.- The ............................. in a discussion are the people who participate in it.
-EE
-ESS
-ER
-IAN
-IST
-OR
7.- A ............................ is someone who earns their living by playing the piano
8.- If someone examines you, you are the ........................................ and he or
she is the .............................................
2
e) -en , -ify, and -ize combine with nouns and adjectives to form
verbs. Look at the following list of adjectives and nouns and make
them verbs.
ADJECTIVE - VERB
NOUN -
VERB
Hard
.....................
horror
.....................
Now look at the verb printed in bold and write down the appropriate
adjective in the space provided.
Modern
.....................
memory
.....................
Deep
.....................
beauty
.....................
Intense
.....................
sympathy
.....................
3.- I've got extra French lessons with a .............................. teacher. (RETIRE)
False
.....................
apology
.....................
4.- He made himself ......................... by handing round the coffee cups. (USE)
Fat
.....................
glory
.....................
Sterile
.....................
length
.....................
6.- He felt very ......................... towards her and loved her dearly. (PROTECT)
-able
-ible
-ed
-ing
-ful
-ive
7.- The coat was .............................. in shades of blue and green. (PATTERN)
f)
8.- She slept on a ........................ bed with rough prickly sheets. (COLLAPSE)