Word formation
Build new words with prefixes and suffixes: un-, dis-, mis-, over-, -ness, -ment, -ity, -able, -ise — essential for exams and vocabulary growth.
In this lesson you will
- Form nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs with suffixes
- Change meaning with prefixes
- Choose the right negative prefix
Learn
Noun suffixes: -ment (develop → development), -ness (kind → kindness), -ity (able → ability, popular → popularity), -tion/-sion (decide → decision), -ance/-ence (perform → performance), -er/-or/-ist (teach → teacher).
Adjective suffixes: -ful/-less (care → careful/careless), -able/-ible (rely → reliable), -ous (danger → dangerous), -ive (create → creative), -al (nation → national). Verbs: -ise/-ize (modern → modernise), -en (wide → widen), -ify (simple → simplify).
Negative prefixes: un- (unhappy), in- (incorrect), im- before m/p (impossible), il- before l (illegal), ir- before r (irregular), dis- (disagree).
Meaning prefixes: mis- (wrongly: misunderstand), re- (again: rewrite), over-/under- (too much/little: overcook, underestimate), pre-/post- (before/after), co- (together: co-worker), anti- (against).
Examples
- Her reliability makes her a great employee.
- It’s illegal to park here.
- We underestimated the cost.
- The city plans to widen the road.
Vocabulary
prefix
letters added to the start of a word
suffix
letters added to the end of a word
underestimate
think something is smaller than it is
reliable
can be trusted
word family
words from the same root
Practice
Complete the sentence.
Speaking
Pick five root words (e.g. use, able, act, nation, care) and say as many related words as you can, using each in a sentence.
Writing
Write a paragraph (100–130 words) about the pros and cons of technology, using at least ten words formed with prefixes or suffixes. Underline them.
Lesson quiz
Complete the sentence.
Review
Key points
- Nouns: -ment, -ness, -ity, -tion, -ance.
- Adjectives: -ful/-less, -able, -ous, -ive.
- Verbs: -ise, -en, -ify.
- Negatives: un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-; meaning prefixes: mis-, re-, over-.
What you learned
- ✓ I can build word families.
- ✓ I choose the right negative prefix.
- ✓ I can handle word-formation tasks.