Forming of Words

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COMBINING FORMS

Combining forms are added to the beginning or end of a word to change the word’s grammatical form, to give the word a particular meaning, or to change the part of speech of a word. In English, the most common combining forms are word endings.

Word endings

• word endings used to make grammatical forms.

For example, the past simple of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending -ed, and the comparative of many adjectives is formed by adding -er.

• Word endings used to give meaning or change the part of speech.

Some word endings add or change meaning. For example, the ending -ism is often used to form nouns that refer to beliefs or ways of behaving: nationalism, pacifism, Buddhism. Very often, adding a word ending will change the word’s part of speech. For example, the ending -en changes the adjective hard into the verb to harden.

The following table gives the meanings of important word endings and shows how they change the part of speech of the word.

FORMING VERBS

            

       -en  ADJECTIVE - VERB     to cause to have or increase the        stated quality     

                          hard - harden

                           tight - tighten

                           wide - widen

      

-ify  ADJECTIVE/NOUN - VERB  to cause an increase in the stated quality  

simple - simplify

pure - purify

solid - solidify

      

-ize ADJECTIVE/NOUN - VERB  to cause to become   

central - centralize

modern - modernize

standard - standardize

FORMING NOUNS

      

-al   VERB - NOUN      the action described by the verb                approve - approval

refuse - refusal

bury - burial

      

-(a)n/-ian     NOUN - NOUN/ADJECTIVE (a person) connected with or belonging to the stated place or group    

Africa - African

Canada - Canadian

Rome - Roman

Christ - Christian

      

NOUN - NOUN     a person who specializes in the stated area of activity or interest     

history - historian

music - musician

politics - politician

      

-ance/-ence  VERB - NOUN      the action or series of actions described by the verb, or the state or quality described    perform - performance

defy - defiance

prefer - preference

      

-ance/-ence  ADJECTIVE ENDING IN -ant/-ent - NOUN (the t changes to ce)           

brilliant - brilliance

distant - distance

absent - absence

silent - silence

      

-ee  VERB - NOUN      the person to whom the action of the verb is being done  

employ - employee

train - trainee

      

-ee/-or  VERB - NOUN      the person or device that does the activity   (person)

run - runner

act - actor

(device)

heat - heater

generate - generator

      

-ful  NOUN - NOUN     the amount of something needed to fill the stated container or space 

spoon - spoonful

hand - handful

pocket - pocketful

      

-ion/-ation

 -ition/-sion  VERB - NOUN      the process or condition connected with the verb      

educate - education

tax - taxation

add - addition

decide - decision

      

-ism       ADJECTIVE/NOUN - NOUN social, political, or religious beliefs or ways of behaving     

national - nationalism

hero - heroism

race - racism

      

-ist  ADJECTIVE/NOUN - NOUN a person with a particular set of beliefs or way of behaving      

extreme - extremist

feminism - feminist

Marxism - Marxist

      

-ist  NOUN - NOUN     a person who has knowledge of the stated subject or is connected with the stated thing 

economy - economist

science - scientist

piano - pianist

      

-ity  ADJECTIVE - NOUN    the state or quality referred to by the adjective     

sincere - sincerity

generous - generosity

possible - possibility

      

-ment    VERB - NOUN      the action or process described by the verb, or its result 

govern - government

invest - investment

develop - development

      

-ness     ADJECTIVE - NOUN    the quality or condition described by the adjective  

happy - happiness

dark - darkness

ill - illness

    

        FORMING ADJECTIVES

       WORD ENDING CHANGE

    Examples

      

Speech

       -able/ible     VERB - ADJECTIVE     used to add the meaning “that can be” or “worth being” 

desire - desirable

permit - permissible

      

-al/-ial   NOUN - ADJECTIVE    connected with the stated thing  nation - national

culture - cultural

      

-ful  NOUN - ADJECTIVE    having the stated quality to a high degree, or causing it 

power - powerful

hope - hopeful

care - careful

      

-ic/-ical  NOUN - ADJECTIVE    connected with or like the stated thing     

alphabet - alphabetical

psychology - psychological

metal - metallic

economy - economic/economical

      

-ish NOUN - ADJECTIVE    connected with the stated country or people  

Britain - British

Jew - Jewish

       -     NOUN - ADJECTIVE    (often disapproving) 

 being like the stated thing      

baby - babyish

fool - foolish

boy - boyish

      

-     ADJECTIVE –

ADJECTIVE   used to add the meaning “to some degree” 

red - reddish

      

-less      NOUN - ADJECTIVE    without 

use - useless

meaning - meaningless

      

-ly   NOUN - ADJECTIVE    like the stated person or thing  father - fatherly

        coward - cowardly

      

-ous       NOUN - ADJECTIVE    full of the stated thing or quality    

mountain - mountainous

ambition - ambitious

humor - humorous

      

-y    NOUN/VERB - ADJECTIVE  full of or like the stated thing, or tending to do the action described by the verb   

noise - noisy

ice - icy

wealth - wealthy

FORMING ADVERBS

       WORD ENDING   

CHANGE IN PART Or   CHANGE IN MEANING      

EXAMPLES

      

-ly   ADJECTIVE - ADVERB in the stated way       

loud - loudly

happy - happily

careful - carefully

      

-     NOUN - ADVERB   happening at the stated regular period of time (usually the -ly form can also be used as an adjective)    hour - hourly

year - yearly

day - daily

      

-ward(s) PREPOSITION/NOUN - ADVERB      toward the stated direction or place (the -ward form can also be used as an adjective)    

back - backward(s)

home - homeward

in - inward

Word beginnings

Word beginnings, often called prefixes, do not change the part of speech of the word. They are used to change the meaning.

Number and quantity

       kilo-       one thousand      a ten kilometer race

       micro-    very small     a microorgansim

       multi-    having many a multicultural group

       semi-     half or partly a semicircular table

relationships

       inter-     between or among     to interconnect

       post-      after or later than       the postwar period

       mid-      the middle of a midday break

       pre- before (a time or event)    a prearranged signal

       re-  do again to reprint a book

opposite and negative meanings

       anti-      against, preventing, or opposite of antifreeze

       dis- not, or the opposite of       to disagree

       un-  not, or the opposite of       unhappy

other combining forms

In addition to suffixes and prefixes, there are words that act as combining forms to change or add meaning

       catlike quickness (= quick in the way a cat is quick)

       a high-protein diet     (= having a lot of protein)

       a moviegoer (= someone who goes to movies regularly)

       ultramodern furniture (= extremely modern)