Word Formation

Verb suffixes

ize/ise – modernise, prioritise

-ify/-fy – beautify, exemplify

-ate – communicate, resonate

-en – whiten, darken

PRACTICE. Complete the table.
ADJECTIVE ADVERB ABSTRACT NOUN VERB

1) 2) 3) astonish

4) 5) belief 6)

thoughtful 7) 8) 9)

10) considerately 11) 12)

perfect 13) 14) 15)

correct 16) 17) 18)

embarrassing 19) 20) 21)

PRACTICE. Complete the table.
ADJECTIVE ADVERB ABSTRACT NOUN VERB

1) astonished/ing 2) astonishingly 3) astonishment astonish

4) believable 5) believably belief 6) believe

thoughtful 7) thoughtfully 8) thought 9) think

10) considerate Considerately 11) consideration 12) consider

perfect 13) perfectly 14) perfection 15) perfect

correct 16) correctly 17) correction 18) correct

embarrassing 19) embarrassingly 20) embarrassment 21) embarrass

PRACTICE. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in bold.

1. The teacher was _________ about my headache. Maybe he

thought I was making it up. (sympathy)
1. The teacher was unsympathetic about my headache.
Maybe he thought I was making it up. (sympathy)
2. His performance in last
night’s match was ________
bad. (embarrass)
2. His performance in last
night’s match was
embarrassingly bad.
(embarrass)
3. Don’t take her comments
to heart. She can be too
_____ sometimes. (critic)
3. Don’t take her comments
to heart. She can be too
critical sometimes. (critic)
4. She thinks she’s
gorgeous-looking.
Personally, I can’t see the
______ (attract)
4. She thinks she’s
gorgeous-looking.
Personally, I can’t see the
attraction (attract)
5. I didn’t enjoy the film
because I didn’t find the
characters very ________
(believe)
5. I didn’t enjoy the film
because I didn’t find the
characters very believable.
(believe)
6. When I wrote the second
draft of my essay I made
several _______ (correct)
6. When I wrote the second
draft of my essay I made
several corrections (correct)
7. She tells great stories.
They’re so _________.
(imagine)
7. She tells great stories.
They’re so imaginative.
(imagine)
8. It was _______ of him to
make me apologise when it
wasn’t my fault. (reason)
8. It was unreasonable of
him to make me apologise
when it wasn’t my fault.
(reason)
PRACTICE
For questions 1-8, use the word given in
capitals at the end of some of the lines
to form a word that fits in the gap in the
same line. There is an example at the
beginning (0). Write your answers IN
CAPITAL LETTERS.