What is Word formation? Learning about Word formation in English

Word formation is one of the most important concepts to understand in English. Mastering the techniques of Word formation allows learners to continually expand their vocabulary over time. In today's post, let PREP share with you the theory of Word formation as well as tips for acing Word formation exercises. Check it out below!

I. What is Word formation?

What is Word formation? Word formation refers to the process of creating a new word by using morphological elements such as prefixes or suffixes. Word formation plays an important role in developing a rich vocabulary. Instead of memorizing individual words, one can understand word construction to derive new words. Furthermore, understanding Word formation helps you easily guess and comprehend the meaning of new words. For example:

II. How to form nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in English

So in Word formation, are there any rules for how nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are derived? Below are some common rules PREP has gathered for forming English nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs:

1. Noun formation

2. Adjective formation

3. Verb formation

4. Adverb formation

III. Some rules to follow when forming words

Here are some notes on rules to keep in mind when forming new words, which PREP has summarized. Preppies, be sure to reference these guidelines!

• Before making any changes to a root word, first try to analyze the word class and role of that word in the sentence.
• In most cases, the beginning portion of the root word remains the same, even when a prefix is added before it. For example: The root word "Responsible" (adj) ➞ "Irresponsible" (adj) when the prefix "Ir-" is added before, but the beginning "Res-" portion does not change.
• When adding suffixes, there are cases where you may need to drop one or more letters from the end of the root word. For example: The root word "Silent" (adj) ➞ "Silence" (n) when changing from adjective to noun, requiring removal of the "-t" ending and addition of "-ce". However, some words like "movement" have a suffix added without any changes to the root spelling.
• Here are some easy ways to recognize common noun suffixes, verb suffixes, adjective suffixes, and adverb suffixes:
  • Nouns ending in ‘er’, ‘or’, ‘ist’, ‘ian’, ‘ion’, ‘ment’, ‘ness’, and ‘ity’.
  • Verbs ending in 'ise', 'ate', and 'en'.
  • Adjectives ending in ‘able’, ‘ible’, ‘ive’, ‘ic’, ‘ed’, ‘ing’, and ‘al’.
  • Adverbs often end in 'ly'.
• When forming compounds, add a hyphen between elements if needed. And not every combination of two words joined together will necessarily form a meaningful term. For example:
  • Well-behaved (adj): to behave properly ✅
  • Well-eaten (nonsense) ❌
• Changing verbs between English's 12 verb tenses could also be considered a type of Word formation.
• Comparative adjectives may also fall under Word formation. For short adjectives, the comparative and superlative degrees are formed by adding "-er" and "-est" after the adjective. Comparatives and superlatives of adjectives with two or more syllables are formed using "more" and "most" before the adjective.

IV. Tips for acing Word formation questions on English tests

Word formation appears frequently on English exams and assessments. Let PREP share some strategies for maximizing your score on these types of questions:

1. Determine the part of speech

Word formation questions often require students to fill in the correct part of speech into blanks: noun, verb, adjective, adverb. You can analyze context clues before or after the blank, or linking words, to deduce what's needed.

For example: "My father is a fast _______" (run). Since "fast" is an adjective preceding the blank, a noun is logically required after it. The task is to supply the noun form of the verb "run" using Word formation skills.

2. Understand the sentence/paragraph meaning

After determining the part of speech, consider the intended meaning of the blank space. For example: "My father is a fast _______." (run). The verb "run" has two possible noun forms: "running" (the act of running) and "runner" (someone who runs). Therefore, in this sample sentence, the implied meaning is that my father is a fast "runner," making that the correct answer.

3. Experiment with prefixes and suffixes on root words

What if during a test, you can't determine the required word class or meaning? A helpful strategy is to add familiar prefixes and suffixes onto the root word. Then use your pattern recognition skills to pick the option with the most familiar spelling.

For example: "We have been fighting for fairness and _______." (equal). With this sentence, we first determine that the blank requires a noun. Common noun suffixes include: equaltion, equalness, equality, equalhood, equalnance, equalnence, equalment,... In reality, our vocabulary knowledge is greater than we think, especially our ability to recognize spelling patterns. From the listed options above, we can easily choose "Equality" as the answer.

While this Word formation tactic is somewhat intuitive, try every method to complete the exercise rather than skipping it and regretting it later. 

V. Word formation exercises with answers

To further deepen your understanding and apply the theoretical knowledge, let's practice completing these two quick Word formation exercises with PREP!

1. Exercises

Exercise 1. Write the correct form of the words in the sentences below:

1. Having a strong __________ is important for a happy and fulfilling life. (Friend)
2. The country has a rich cultural heritage and is known for its __________ festivals. (Nation)
3. Many breakthroughs in medicine are the result of years of dedicated __________. (Search)
4. The band played an energetic and __________ set that had the audience all dancing. (Music)
5. Environmentalists work tirelessly to promote the __________ of our planet for future generations. (Conserve)

Exercise 2: Find and correct mistakes in the sentences below:

1. Mr. Peter is responsibility for dealing with customer’s complaints.
2. Keep silent! You are so noise.
3. We have to be careless when riding our bikes on the streets. 
4. The old man walked slow to the park. 
5. The author's happily is communicated through his song. 

2. Answer

Exercise 1:

1. Friendship
2. National
3. Research
4. Musical
5. Conservation

Exercise 2:

1. responsibility ➞ responsible 
2. noise ➞ noisy
3. careless ➞ careful
4. slow ➞ slowly
5. happily ➞ happiness

PREP hopes the information and strategies shared here have helped you gain an understanding of what Word formation is, the most common patterns for forming new words, and exercises with detailed answers. Wishing you success in conquering English!