Do you know how to use prefixes and suffixes? What are the typical terminations for a verb? Or for a noun? And if you have a noun but you need and adjective?

This knowledge can be very useful for your writing and for improving your fluency, especially if you are taking an official exam. In Cambridge exams, for example, word formation is an essencial part.

For example, approve is a verb. If you want a noun, you can add a preffix, such as -al (approval), or/and a suffix such as dis- (disapproval). Wide is an adjective, but if you want a verb, you add -en (widen).

Look at the following chart to check the basic rules (click on the pink magnifying glass icon to see examples):

Now, let’s see if you got it!

Here you have a list of verbs. Can you transform them into nouns?

PAY, INFORM, ERASE, WORK, ACT, ENJOY

Let’s try now transforming these verbs into adjectives:

CREATE, PERMIT, ACCESS, UNDERSTAND, INVENT, INTUIT

Now let’s do the opposite, transform this adjectives into verbs:

BROAD, MODERN, THICK, INTERNATIONAL

Now let’s make adjectives with the following nouns:

REGION, BEAUTY, CUSTOM, COMPLEMENT, MAGIC, DAY, POISON, FURY

And finally, let’s make some adverbs with these adjectives:

QUICK, GRACEFUL, HAPPY, HARD, POWERLESS

If you want to learn more, you can check this page by Cambridge Dictionary and keep practicing: WORD FORMATION

Do you have any questions? Would you like us to check your answers? It’s free!

You can use our forum or write an email to hola@millinguals.com

We’ll be glad to help you!