What is Word Formation in English?

Word formation is how we build new words from existing ones. It’s like having building blocks for language. You take a base word and add small parts to it, or sometimes you just use the same word in a new way.

• It helps you understand the relationships between words.
• It allows you to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• It’s essential for expanding your active vocabulary.

Why are Parts of Speech Important for Word Formation?

Understanding parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) is fundamental to word formation. Many word formation processes change a word's part of speech.

• For example, if you have the verb to inform, you can add a suffix to make it a noun: information.
• Or, you can take an adjective like quick and add a suffix to make it an adverb: quickly.
• In the B2 First exam, you often need to change a given word into the correct part of speech to fit the sentence.

Common Ways to Form New Words

Let's look at the main methods of word formation that are important for B2 English.

Using Suffixes

Suffixes are letters or groups of letters added to the end of a base word. They often change the word's part of speech.

• To form Nouns: Add -tion (inform → information), -ment (develop → development), -ness (kind → kindness), -er/-or (teach → teacher).
• To form Adjectives: Add -able/-ible (comfort → comfortable), -ful (beauty → beautiful), -less (hope → hopeless), -y (cloud → cloudy).
• To form Verbs: Add -ise/-ize (modern → modernize), -en (dark → darken).
• To form Adverbs: Add -ly to an adjective (quick → quickly).

Using Prefixes

Prefixes are letters or groups of letters added to the beginning of a base word. They usually change the word's meaning, but not always its part of speech.

• To show opposite meaning: un- (happy → unhappy), dis- (agree → disagree), im- (possible → impossible), ir- (regular → irregular).
• To show repetition: re- (write → rewrite).
• To show something is wrong: mis- (understand → misunderstand).

Conversion (Zero Derivation)

Sometimes, a word changes its part of speech without any change in its form. This is called conversion.

• Par exemple, walk can be a verb (I walk every day.) and a noun (Let's go for a walk.).
• Another example is light, which can be a noun (The light is on.), an adjective (It's a light jacket.), or a verb (Please light the candle.).

Mastering Word Formation for B2 First (FCE) Exam

The B2 First Reading and Use of English, Part 3, specifically tests your knowledge of word formation. You will see a text with eight gaps, and at the end of each line, there will be a base word in capital letters. You must change this base word into the correct form to fit the sentence.

• Identify the part of speech needed: Look at the words around the gap. Is it a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb?
• Consider prefixes: Does the word need a negative meaning? Or does it need to show repetition?
• Consider suffixes: Which suffix will change the base word into the correct part of speech?
• Check for plural forms: If a noun is needed, does it need to be plural?
• Read the whole sentence: Always read the sentence with your new word to ensure it makes sense grammatically and semantically.

Exemples

• The beauty of the landscape was breathtaking. (Noun from adjective beautiful)
• She felt a great sense of achievement after finishing the project. (Noun from verb achieve)
• It was an unforgettable experience. (Adjective with negative prefix un- and suffix -able from verb forget)
• He spoke confidently about his plans. (Adverb from adjective confident)
• They decided to light the candles. (Verb from noun light - conversion)
• The company needs to modernize its equipment. (Verb from adjective modern)

Entraînement

Erreurs courantes chez les hispanophones

Spanish speakers sometimes make mistakes in word formation due to differences between English and Spanish structures:

• Choosing the wrong suffix: For example, using informatic instead of information ou informative. Always check the correct English suffix for the desired part of speech.
• Forgetting to change the part of speech: Using a noun where an adjective is needed, like It was a success day instead of It was a successful day.
• Incorrect negative prefixes: Using unpossible instead of impossible ou disconvenient instead of inconvenient. Remember that prefixes like un-, dis-, im-, in-, ir-, il- are not interchangeable.
• Overlooking conversion: Not recognizing that a word can function as different parts of speech without changing its form, leading to unnecessary additions.

Questions fréquemment posées

What is the most important thing to remember about word formation for the B2 First exam?

The most important thing is to correctly identify the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) that is needed in the gap. Then, apply the correct prefix or suffix to transform the base word into that part of speech, ensuring it fits the meaning of the sentence.

How can I improve my word formation skills?

Practice regularly! Pay attention to how words change in English texts. Keep a vocabulary notebook where you group words by their root and list their different forms (e.g., educate (verb), education (noun), educational (adjective), educationally (adverb)). Learning common prefixes and suffixes is also very helpful.

Are there rules for which prefix/suffix to use?

Yes, there are general patterns, but some are irregular. For example, -tion often makes verbs into nouns, and -ly makes adjectives into adverbs. Negative prefixes like un-, dis-, im-, in-, ir-, il- often depend on the first letter of the base word or the word's origin. The best way is to learn them as you encounter them.

Does word formation only involve prefixes and suffixes?

No, it also includes conversion (using a word as a different part of speech without changing its form, like to email from an email) and compounding (joining two words to make one, like sunscreen). For B2 First, prefixes, suffixes, and conversion are the most commonly tested.