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Word Formation
Word Formation
Word Formation
What are Word Formations?
There are many word beginnings (prefixes) and word endings (suffixes) that can be
added to a word to change its meaning or its word class. The most common ones are
shown here, followed by examples of how they are used in the process of word
formation. More can be found in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.
Verb Formation
The endings ize and ify can be added to nouns and adjectives to form verbs.
Noun
+ ize = Verb
American
+ ize = Americanize
Legal
+ ize = legalize
Modern
+ ize = modernize
This will make the factory more modern. This will modernize the factory.
Adjective
+ ize = Verb
Beauty
+ ify = beautify
Humid
+ ify = humidify
Pure
+ ify = purify
These tablets make the water pure. They purify the water.
Adverb Formation
The ending ly can be added to most adjectives to form adverbs.
Adjective
+ ly = Adverb
Easy
+ ly = easily
+ ly = stupidly
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Noun Formation
The endings er, ment, and ation can be added to many verbs to form nouns.
Verb
+ er = Noun
Fasten
+ er = faster
Open
+ er = opener
Drive
+ er = driver
+ ment = amazement
Retire
+ ment = retirement
Develop
+ ment = development
+ ation = admiration
Organize
+ ation = organization
Examine
+ ation = examination
+ ity = stupidity
Cruel
+ ty = cruelty
Adjective Formation
The endings y, ic, ical, ful, and less can be added to many nouns to form
adjectives. The ending able can be added to many verbs to form adjectives
Noun
+y
= Adjective
Dirt
+y
= dirty
Smell
+y
= smelly
+ ic
= atomic
Poetry
+ ic
= poetic
+ ful = hopeful
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Pain
+ ful = painful
+ less = careless
Pain
+ less = painless
+ able = Adjective
Love
+ able = lovable
Wash
+ able = washable
Opposites
Prefixes can be added to the front of many words to produce an opposite meaning.
Some words produced are not exact opposites, but have similar meanings.
un
+ fortunate
= unfortunate
un
+ happy
= unhappy
+ efficient
= inefficient
il
+ literate
= illiterate
im
+ possible
= impossible
+ centralize = decentralize
De
+ ascend
= descend
de
+ inflate
= deflate
+ approve
= disapprove
dis
+ honest
= dishonest
dis
+ agree
= disagree
I dont agree with everything you said. I disagree with the last part.
non
+ payment
= non-payment
non
+ sense
= nonsense
The things you say are not making any sense. What you are saying is nonsense.
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