Word formation: changing the word class
Wide, widen, width; possible, possibility; modern, modernise; danger, dangerous; misunderstand, rebuild: word families.
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Most words belong to a word family: a verb, a noun, an adjective and an adverb built on the same root. Decide, decision, decisive, decisively. At B1 you met the common endings (-tion, -ment, -ness, -ful, -less) and the negative prefixes. At B2 you need more endings that change the word class (a verb into a noun, an adjective into a verb), and prefixes like over-, under-, mis- and re- that change the meaning.
Verb | Noun | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
decide | decision | decisive | decisively |
succeed | success | successful | successfully |
differ | difference | different | differently |
strengthen | strength | strong | strongly |
widen | width | wide | widely |
create | creation | creative | creatively |
Which word class does the sentence need?
Before you build the word, look at its place in the sentence.
Place in the sentence | Word class | Example |
|---|---|---|
after a, the, my, an adjective | noun | a big decision |
before a noun; after be, seem | adjective | a creative idea |
describing a verb | adverb | she spoke confidently |
after to or a modal verb | verb | we need to widen the road |
- Incorrect: She answered all the questions very confident.
- Correct: She answered all the questions very confidently.The word describes how she answered, a verb, so use the adverb.
Nouns from adjectives: -ity, -ence, -ance, -th
Ending | Examples |
|---|---|
-ity | possible → possibility, popular → popularity, real → reality, responsible → responsibility |
-ence, -ance | different → difference, confident → confidence, important → importance, patient → patience |
-th | strong → strength, long → length, wide → width, deep → depth, true → truth |
Adjectives in -ent usually make nouns in -ence, and adjectives in -ant make nouns in -ance. High is irregular: height.
- The popularity of the show surprised everyone.
- You need a lot of patience to teach young children.
- Incorrect: The long of the bridge is two kilometres.
- Correct: The length of the bridge is two kilometres.After the, you need the noun: long → length.
Verbs: -ise, -en, -ify
Ending | Examples |
|---|---|
-ise | modern → modernise, real → realise, critic → criticise, special → specialise |
-en | wide → widen, short → shorten, strength → strengthen, threat → threaten |
-ify | simple → simplify, class → classify, clear → clarify, just → justify |
British English uses -ise or -ize; American English uses -ize: modernise / modernize. Choose one and keep to it. A few verbs are spelt -ise everywhere, because -ise is not an ending there: advertise, advise, exercise, surprise.
- They're going to widen the road next year.
- Can you simplify the instructions?
- Incorrect: The city plans to modern the old station.
- Correct: The city plans to modernise the old station.After to, you need a verb: modern → modernise.
Adjectives: -al, -ous, -ive, -ic
Ending | Examples |
|---|---|
-al | nature → natural, nation → national, culture → cultural |
-ous | danger → dangerous, fame → famous, ambition → ambitious |
-ive | act → active, create → creative, attract → attractive |
-ic | science → scientific, energy → energetic, history → historic |
- This is a very dangerous road at night.
- Incorrect: It was a danger situation.
- Correct: It was a dangerous situation.Before the noun situation, you need an adjective.
Some roots have two adjectives with different meanings: economic growth (about the economy), an economical car (it doesn't use much fuel). Historic means important in history, historical means about the past.
Prefixes: over-, under-, mis-, re-
These prefixes don't change the word class. They change the meaning.
Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
over- | too much | overcook, overeat, overestimate, overpaid |
under- | not enough | undercooked, underestimate, underpaid |
mis- | wrongly, badly | misunderstand, misspell, mislead, misuse |
re- | again | rebuild, rewrite, reconsider, reopen |
- I think you underestimate how hard this job is.
- Sorry, I misunderstood your question.
- They're going to rebuild the bridge.
- Incorrect: I think you disunderstood me.
- Correct: I think you misunderstood me.For "understand wrongly", use mis-.
Spelling changes
When you add an ending, the spelling of the root sometimes changes. The common changes are a final -e that drops (create → creation, fame → famous), y that becomes i (happy → happiness, beauty → beautiful), and a change in the middle of the word (long → length, high → height). The stress can move too: photograph, but photography.