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Word Formation Games

Preapwork for Teaching Writ ing

Activities with Prefixes and Suffixes

Ken Lackman

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Ken Lackman & Associates Educational Consultants

Methods and activities for more effective teaching with less preparation


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Contents Introduction Suggested Teaching Approach Activities

Guess the Affixed Word Papers on Walls Categorizing Suffixes on the Board Four Walls Circle Brainstorm FCE-style Gap Fill Word formation Scavenger Hunt Jeopardy Word Building Card Game Word Formation Family Feud Guess the Affix

Bibliography Appendix

Copyright Ken Lackman 2010. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.


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Introduction Affixation is the process of adding suffixes and prefixes to a base to change the meaning of the word and/or change it to another part of speech. Prefixes primarily affect the meaning of a word, the most common being the ones which form opposites, like -un, -in, -im, -il, -ir, etc. However, in this group are also those which add more specific meaning, like -de, which can

indicate the removal of something (de-ice, destabilize, dehydrate, etc.) and -mis, which refers to things which are done wrongly or badly (miscalculate,

misquote, misuse, etc.). In addition, there are numerous prefixes with specific connotation (-bi = two, -co = with, -pre = before, etc.)

Suffixes, on the other hand, primarily classify words. There are two types of suffixes, inflectional suffixes, which denote the word’s grammatical function, (-s indicates plural, -est, the superlative, -ed, -past tense and participles)

and derivational suffixes, which classify the part of speech. For example, the suffix -al turns nouns into adjectives (accidental, regional, musical, etc.) and –ion changes verbs into nouns (action, creation, exhibition, etc.).

However, in this group there are still some that impart some semantic notion, like –er and –or which form nouns to refer to people (actor, drummer, etc.) and others like –ence, which form nouns which refer to the

action, state or process connected to the original verb (insistence, correspondence, preference). Then there are suffixes whose semantic contribution is much more obvious, like -less, indicating the lack of something (careless, endless, flawless) and –proof, which indicates

protection against something (waterproof, foolproof, soundproof). From the student’s perspective, affixation is a valuable aspect of English to understand and use. Attention to meaning, even if it’s merely recognizing the part of speech of an affixed word, will lead to improved receptive skills, while understanding structural patterns would enhance production. Most, if not all, students would agree that expanding their lexicon is a priority. Affixation provides a relatively easy way of achieving that. The following example, taken from an upper-intermediate class, shows the lengths that a student had to go to because he lacked a relatively simple affixed word to express a concept he was trying to describe. Had he known the affixed word, “outnumbered”, he could have expressed himself a lot more clearly and efficiently.

The Polish Army had only 4,000 soldiers. The Swedes were 10,000. There were too many of the Swedes. But the Polish Army won the battle.


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Suggested Teaching Approach A systematic approach, especially in regards to the form and meaning of affixed words and their interrelationship, would aid students both receptively and productively. Although there are a limited number of rules for affixation, there are many patterns and raising student awareness of these patterns will help them understand affixed words when they come across them and also help them create them by applying appropriate prefixes and suffixes to root words. Michael Lewis, in Implementing the Lexical Approach, said that “...it is

easier to remember patterns than random lists...we recognise wholes to be broken down, not parts to be built up.”(1998:56) The application of the strategy that the Lexical Approach takes to semi-fixed expression could provide a suitable system for teaching affixation. Consider the following sample from Implementing the Lexical Approach: Could you pass the ...., please? The expression with the slot unfilled still carries clear meaning and filling the slot reveals similarity among the items. Once we fill it, we realize that the items we have chosen are all likely to belong on a dining table (salt, butter, wine, etc.) Similarly, we could do the same sort of thing with affixation.

mis

inform pronounce read quote hear

-mis + verb = to do wrongly or badly (verb)

un

believe predict fathom imagine think

able

-un + verb + able = you can’t do it (adjective)

In both the above cases the item(s) that are fixed carry some meaning and the slot fillers are words that are similar. This is not to say that all words that could fill the slots would bear similarity (consider misadventure, misgiving)

but that certain patterns can be established. Also, it is not necessary, although perhaps preferable, that the fixed elements always carry meaning. Although McCarthy suggests the teaching value of “...isolating a small group of highly productive prefixes or suffixes”, he also refers to research that maintains that “the general shape of the incoming word is important, not every minute contour of its make-up.” He points out that awareness of the im___ly structure aids speakers in producing words like the following:

immediately, impossibly, impatiently, imperviously (1996:5,35).


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Gairns and Redman assert that “for lower level students...the best policy is to treat the derivatives as individual items and teach those which are most important for their productive (or receptive) vocabulary.” (1996:49) However, affixation which occurs in high frequency words at their level should be explicitly pointed out. Using the example mentioned above, it wouldn’t be difficult to mention that the prefix -im creates the opposite of ‘possible and is stronger than “not possible’. Not only should this be corrected to avoid fossilization, but low level students should be encouraged to use simple affixes and discouraged from going around them, hence opening them up to acquiring more affixes. McCarthy points out that the suffixes –er and –or are highly productive as they can be attached to a large number of words and lower level students can be made aware of the concept of affixation with simple examples of this (write/writer, act/actor, read/reader, etc.) (1996:100) Generally, the exercise which appears in the Headway Elementary workbook, where students are asked to form nouns with –ion

from given verbs and vice-versa, is a good example of an easy low-level activity which will familiarize students the form and function of affixes. For levels above elementary, affixation should be dealt with by highlighting the affix and looking at groups of words which can be fit into the slot next to it/them. Keeping to Michael Lewis’s restriction of 5 frame fillers is a good idea as it is a sufficiently low enough number to allow for selection of words of similar nature. Once this pattern has been established, it would be a good idea to let the students to pick out other words which fit the model orthographically, phonologically or semantically. This could be done receptively (listening or reading text) or they could be given lists of words which they would have to sort according to their potential to fit into slots provided by the teacher. For example, ‘recognize’ would be more likely to fit into the un______ able slot than to the one next to over__________. The point is that students recognize the patterns. A useful production activity could be to have the students use selected groups of affixed words in context in a piece of writing. A collaborative effort would be more likely to produce discussion about the correct use of the particular items. For more communicative speaking practice, a pair of students could try to use affixed words from a list in a conversation, with production being monitored by another student.


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Guess the

Affixed Word

Activities

Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker

A simple activity would be to have the student - once they were introduced to an affixation pattern - think of a situation in which they could apply a word from that pattern and then they would explain the situation, without the word, to a partner who would have to apply the word to it. For example, if the un_______able structure was being featured, a student might tell

another about seeing a friend in a costume and not realizing who it was. The intention would be that the partner would say the friend was 'unrecognizable'. Students can quiz each other this way and they get a point for each affixed word that is guessed correctly. The game could also be played in threes, where one student gives the clue and the other two compete to see how can say it first. This concept is observable in the game below, where each student would be give a strip with a gap fill and they have to mingle and say their sentence with a gap to another student, who would then have to figure out the affixed word that belongs in the gap.

Fill in the spaces with a negative adjective. The negative prefixes are dis, im, in, ir and un.

1. He never agrees with anyone. He is very _______________________able.

2. He and his brother are never separate. They are ______________________able.

3. I cannot use that old computer. It is ________________________able.

4. I wouldn’t advise you go there. Going there is _________________________able.

5. They are so different you can’t compare them. They are __________________able.

6. You cannot escape the truth. The truth is _____________________able.

7. Nobody loves him. He is ______________________able.

8. Her company never makes a profit. The company is _______________________able.

9. You cannot move that heavy object. It is _______________________able.

10. You cannot break that glass. It is _________________________able.

Samples from guessing game with neg. prefix______able First Choice B2, Cornelsen, 2009


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The above activity could be made more challenging for students by not mentioning the root word in the clue and instead by using synonyms or other words to get the same meaning across. For example:

1. He always argues with anyone. He is very _______________________able.

2. He and his brother are never apart. They are ______________________able.

And the above version of the activity could be simplified by only using the same negative prefix. Consider the example below, which could be used by learners at a lower level to elicit the words unhappy and unlike.

1. He is very sad. He is very un _______________________.

2. He is not the same as his brother. He is un ______________________ his brother.

Card version

Cards could be made for a game where the students could just turn over a card with a clue and the answer. They would give the clue to the other student(s) they would be playing against who would have to guess the affixed word on the card. Cards could be prepared by the teacher or by groups of students for other groups of students to use. Words with prefixes can easily be located in a dictionary while words with the same suffix can be found at http://onelook.com/. Type in an asterisk and then your suffix (e.g., *ment) and then hit SEARCH. Then hit COMMON WORDS only.

This word is used to describe the caps that drug manufacturers put on bottles so children

cannot open them.

childproof

This word is used to describe the process of treating metal so it will not decay.

rustproof

This word is used to describe glass which has been specially made not to break into small little pieces on impact.

Shatterproof

This word is used for material that has been treated so it will not burn.

fireproof

This word is used to describe something that is designed to survive bad weather in general.

weatherproof

This word is used to describe a something that has been treated so liquids will not go through it.

leakproof

Sample cards for guessing game from First Choice A2, Cornelsen, 2009

http://onelook.com/


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Papers on Walls

Alternate version



This is a really useful activity to find out what students already know and to get them familiarized with common affixes and certain affixed words. It can It can be a great warmer for any lesson featuring affixed words. To prepare for the activity, decide on which affixes you want to deal with (all prefixes, all suffixes, a mixture of both, negative prefixes, etc.). Write each affix on top of a sheet of paper and spread the papers out on the walls of the classroom. You should have at least 6 different affixes/papers. Divide the students into pairs or small groups and give each team a different coloured marker. Explain that when you say to start, they will write some examples of words on each sheet that feature the affix written on the top. The only rules are they cannot write one that is on the sheet already and they can’t write two in a row in their colour (so that they don’t just stand at one sheet). In the end, whoever has contributed the most words, wins. Give teams a minute to discuss their strategy (I’ve seen students throwing the marker around the room) then tell them to start. When they’ve finished, eliminate the incorrect words, provide explanation of others, if necessary, and have each group total up their contributions to determine the winning team. Have enough sheets with affixes on them for every team in the class. Post them on the walls. Each team has a different coloured marker. Tell each team to start in front of a different sheet on the wall. When you say to start, they race to write an affixed word on each sheet in succession (in a clockwise direction) and the first team to finish all of the sheets wins. You can have teams play for second and third place also.

Categorizing Suffixes on the

Board



This is a good game for getting students familiar with suffixes used to create the different parts of speech. To prepare you’ll need a sheet of words with common suffixes relative to the students’ level. There is a sample sheet in the appendices that can be used with students who are intermediate and above. Slice the sheet of paper up into individual words and put them on your desk. Put a box or similar container next to them for the ones that students finish with. Then divide the board up into four columns, labeled VERBS, NOUNS, ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS. Put students into pairs or threes and give each one a different coloured board marker. Students then race to take a word from your desk, write it in the correct column and then discard it in the box and take another. When they are finished with all the words, erase and rewrite the ones on the board that are in the wrong columns and have each team then count up how many they did correctly to determine a winner. In the next phase of this activity, students should work in their pairs/threes and make a list in their notebooks of the suffixes in each part-of-speech category. Then they should make some conclusions, with your guidance,


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about the suffixes, e.g., “ness” is the most popular noun suffix, “ly” is really the only adverb suffix, “al” can be used for adjectives and nouns and there are relatively few verb suffixes, other than “ed” and “ing”, which, of course, are used for adjectives also.

Four Walls



This is a very simple game that can be used as a warmer and a review of suffixes used for different parts of speech. To prepare, you need four sheets of paper labeled with the four main parts of speech and you need a list of words with suffixes. You can use words that the students have dealt with already or, if you want to make it more challenging, you can use new words. It’s possible to use words they are unfamiliar with as long as long as they end in a suffix that would determine its part of speech. You could even throw in words that could be more than one part of speech like professional or acting. Just before you start the activity, you need to post each part-of-speech sheet on a wall in the classroom. Then ask the students to stand up and when you say a word from the list, they have to move to the wall representing the part of speech it is. Let them know if they are correct. Continue with other words.

Circle Brainstorm



This is a brainstorming game is useful because it encourages students to experiment with adding suffixes and prefixes. Students are in small groups and sit in circles. The object is to go around the circle with each person saying an affixed word which connects to the one before it. Every time a word is added it should be written on the paper so it can be checked later by the teacher. The group will be awarded a point for each correct word. The game can be played in different ways determined by the way each word connects to the one before it. The simplest way is to have the students brainstorm all the words they know with the same affix. The list below provides an example of words ending with –ness:

happiness

sadness

darkness

illness

fitness

For higher level classes you can make the game more challenging by having them alternate between matching affixes and matching the root word. Following is an example:


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information

organization (suffix matched)

disorganized (root matched)

disapprove (prefix matched)

approval (root matched)

professional (suffix matched) Alternately, you can allow them to match any part of the word. Example below:

information

education

organization

organizer

player

replay

To make this game more challenging, disallow using –ed and –ing as affixes. Make sure students that realize that in order to keep the game going, if they can’t think of a word, they should make one up. This is a very useful activity because it encourages students to speculate by using their basic knowledge of affixation to create affixed words that they are unsure of.

FCE-style Gap Fill



This activity is based on an a section of the Cambridge FCE and CAE exams where the students are given a gapped text and root words which have to be changed by adding suffixes or prefixes in order to properly fit in the gap. The strategy students should use for this is to read the text first and consider, using the context, which part of speech goes in each gap. Teachers can train them to look for context clues like a gap after an article (likely indicating a noun), a gap before a noun (likely an adjective), etc. Once they have done that, they think of some common prefixes or suffixes and try them with the root words to see if they “sound right”. It’s always a good idea to encourage students to take guesses even if they end up being wrong, as that’s how they will learn.

For many people punctuality is a big issue. Parents are often keen to impress upon their children the ____________(1) of being IMPORTANT

punctual because they see it as an aspect of ____________(2) and POLITE consideration for others. It is also a quality that ____________(3) EMPLOY regard as very positive, and those who are _____________(4) unpunctual USUAL may end up being ____________(5) in their careers as a result SUCCESS Sample with first 5 gaps from an FCE test


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A great way to use this in class is to get students to write the gap-fill exercises themselves. This not only saves the teacher lots of work but it gives the students writing practice and a chance to attach affixes to words and then work them into a context. Then, of course, once they’ve written the exercises, they can switch with other students and get practice filling in the gaps. A good way to prepare students for this is to put them in pairs and give each pair list of 5 or 10 root words, depending on how long a text you want them to create. You can use the list in the appendices for this (page 20). Then students work in pairs and have to contextualize the root words – in different forms – in a text. They can write about anything they want as long as they can fit the words in. They use dictionaries to help them change the form of the word and they write the root word in the margin and number the gaps just like in the sample above. Students should write the exercises on sheets of paper and when they are finished, they write their names on it and hand it to you. When all students are finished put their papers in a pile and start a race to see who can do the most gap fills correctly. Each pair comes up at takes a paper. They cannot write on the papers so they must write their affixed words in their notebooks instead. When they they’ve chosen an affixed word for each gap, they check with the team who wrote it to see if they got them correct and they award themselves a point for each correct affixed word. Then they take another paper and continue. When I do this, I also write one which I contribute to the pile (with my name on it). This ensures that there is always an extra exercise available for students to do.

Word Formation Scavenger

Hunt



This activity is unusual because it is a competitive game that involves receptive skills rather than productive ones. You can use this game with any text that is appropriate to the students’ level, i.e., at their level or even above it. Students are given a checklist of certain types of affixed words and they go over a text and try to find examples of each one. Ones that are rarer or more difficult to find or categorize can be assigned higher point values. You can write the scavenger list based on the affixed words that you find in a certain text or you can use a general, “all-purpose” one as the fact that some items may not appear in the text makes it even more challenging for students. An example of a scavenger hunt list is below.


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CATEGORY POINT VALUE WORD 1 WORD 2

LINE TOTAL

a noun with a suffix 1

an verb with a suffix (not with –ed or –ing) 25

an adjective with a suffix 1

an adverb with a suffix 1

an adverb of opinion 5

a word with a negative prefix 2

a prefix that has a specific meaning (not just to negate) 15

a word with a negative prefix with a positive meaning 25

a noun formed from an adjective 10

a noun formed from a verb 10

a verb formed from an adjective 20

an adjective formed from a noun 10

an adjective formed from a verb 10

an adverb formed from an adjective 2

Total

To play this game, put students in pairs or threes and give each group a copy of the text you have chosen and a copy of the scavenger list. They work together and scan the text to find as many of the items as they can. End the hunt and elicit the examples in each category to make sure they are correct. After students have eliminated their wrong answers, get each group to total their score to determine the winners. Note that you can choose to have more than two columns for each category.


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Jeopardy



This game is fun and a great way to get students familiar with the meaning and/or use of affixes and the types of words that go with them. You can create your own games or you can use the ones included in the appendices. If you are creating a game for suffixes, you may want to use http://onelook.com/. Type in an asterisk and then your suffix (e.g., *ment) and then hit SEARCH. Then hit COMMON WORDS only (under SEARCH). But the best idea is to have your students create the game. Decide how many categories (affixes) you are going to have and put students into small groups and give them each one category (or two, depending on the number of groups you have relative to the number of categories). Then using the dictionary, they look up five (or three, if you want to create a quicker game) words with the same affix, write the clues and arrange them in order of difficulty. Once all students have done that, draw the game grid on the board with columns for each affix (write the affix on the top) and then rows below with the dollar amounts (100, 200, 300, etc.). Then one team starts and picks any category other than their own. Then erase the dollar value for that square. The team that wrote that category gives them the clue in the dollar range they indicated. If they get it right, write the answer in the square and write their points on the board, beside the team name. Continue in this way.

Word Building Card Game

Game 1



This is a fun and challenging game that familiarizes students with the most common affixes and common root words that go with them. It provides an excellent opportunity for student to use their knowledge and make educated guesses about the formation of words. This game is probably best suited to students at intermediate level and up. There are two versions of the game, Game 1 which is fairly simple to understand and play and Game 2, which is a bit more complicated but a lot more challenging and fun. The cards are on photocopiable sheets in the appendices. Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6 players. You will need more than one deck for larger classes unless you want to have students play as a pair. One student is the judge and takes the set of cards with all the affixed words on them. The judge places the cards with the affixed words in front of him/her. The student to the left of the judge is the dealer. The dealer deals four cards to each player. Each player chooses their worst card and passes it face down to the player on the right, who then picks it up and adds it to their hand. The dealer then puts a card down in the centre of the table. Next player puts down another card on top of it to form a word by combining either of the two words on the first card with a suffix /prefix on his/her card or vice versa, meaning they combine the affix on the card in the centre with either of the two words on their card. The judge checks the word on the Judge’s Cards and if the word is legitimate, the student uses that word in a sentence. Play continues to the left in the same way. If a player cannot

http://onelook.com/


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Game 2

play, he/she places a card face down in front of his/herself. Once all cards have been played, each player counts the cards they placed face down in front of them and that number is subtracted from 4 (total number of cards they started with) to give them the final score for that round. The scores for each player are written on a score sheet. For the subsequent rounds, all cards are collected and shuffled and the judge and dealer roles move one player to the left. Note: any word which uses the root card and a suffix/prefix card is allowed. Thus, the “profess” card is combinable with “al” to form “professional” even if the player does not have the “ion” card. The winner of the game is the one with the highest score at the end. Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6 players. You will need more than one deck for larger classes unless you want to have students play as a pair. One student is the judge and takes the set of cards with all the affixed words on them. The judge places the cards with the affixed words in front of him/her. The player to the left of the judge is the dealer. The dealer deals 4 cards to each player, puts the pile in the centre and then picks up the top card from the pile and adds it to his/her hand. Dealer then chooses one card from his/her hand and puts it in the centre. Play moves to the left as players must use the prefix/suffix on that card to form words with one of the two words on their cards. Each card is played on top of the first card so that the affix on the first card remains visible and is always the one that is played upon. If a player cannot combine a word from one of his/her cards, they place one of their cards upside down on the pile, still allowing the original affix on the first card to show. Judge determines legitimacy of each word and each player uses it in a sentence. The dealer plays last card. The last card played face-up takes the trick, meaning that all cards in played in that round are given to the last player to successfully form an affixed word. The winner of each trick starts play again by picking a card from the pile and choosing a card to start with. Tricks taken are totaled at the end of each round and each player’s points are written down. The maximum score will be 4. Then dealer and judge roles move to the left. Tricks where no cards are played face-up are not won by anyone and are placed to one side. The object of this game is to take as many tricks as you can while you are dealer and to “steal” as many from other dealers when you are not Another wrinkle you can add to this game is to ask the judge to write down the sentences used by the players. This way you can check them for accuracy after the game and take up any wrongly used words with the class.


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Word Formation

Family Feud



This activity is based on the popular game show where there are two teams (usually two families) who each take turns trying to guess all the items in a certain category (e.g., fruits that begin with ‘O’). In this version, there are two teams and the teams try to name all the common affixed forms of a certain root word. What the common forms actually are, is up to you. What you need to do to prepare for this game is to choose a group of root words – you can use the Judge’s cards from Word Building Card Game, if you’d like. Usually a round of play with one word takes around 5 minutes so that will determine how many words you will need when you do it in class. Then you select your root words and choose a group of at least 4 affixed forms for each that you feel your students should know or learn, e.g., excite, excitement, exciting, excited, excitedly, excitable, unexciting. To play the game in class, divide the students into two teams. For large classes, you can go with three. Write the list of root words on the board. One team decides to go first and they choose one of the root words to attempt. Then list on the board the part of speech of each affixed word for the root word. Below is the example for excite (including ‘excite’ itself):

V N Adj/V Adj/V Adv Adj Adj

Then the team members guess one word each, in turn, that might go with any of the parts of speech listed on the board. If the first member guesses one correctly, write it on the board next to the part of speech designation (example below). If a member gets it wrong, then give them an X, which is written on the board. When they get 3 X’s, their turn is over but they get points for each affixed word that they guessed. At that point, you can allow the other team(s) one or more guesses (your choice) as to what the other words are that they missed. Award them points for each one they guess. Play then moves to another team who chooses another root word from the list.

V N excitement Adj/V Adj/V Adv Adj Adj


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Guess the Affix

Sample with root words for ‘-ment’

Alternative version



This game provides students with a list of 10 root words which all take the same affix. They have to guess what affix it is by listening to the words and thinking about which affix they could apply to all of them. An easy way to play this game is to put the students in teams of two to four and give each team some strips of paper and a marker. Then you read out the list of 10 root words and they have to think of what affix would go with all of them. You can choose to read less than 10, if you’d like to make it more challenging. Give them a time limit to think of the affix and then a warning that they have 10 seconds left. They have to write the affix on the strip of paper with the marker and when you say “Go”, they hold it up. Look at what each group wrote and award teams with the correct affix a point. Play again with another group of words.

…MENT

1. Govern 2. Develop 3. Depart 4. Treat 5. Manage 6. Move 7. Environ 8. Agree 9. Invest 10. Equip

In this more challenging version, teams can write whatever affix they think it is at any point while you are reading the root words. Read the list out slowly, allowing time for students to write the affix before you say the next word. Each time you say a word you say the number it is, going from 10 backwards. Students have to write whatever number you have just said when they write the affix on their strip. That number represents the points they will get if they are correct. So, for example, if the suffix was “ment” and you said “Ten, invest” and they wanted to guess “ment” at that point, they would write “10 ment” on their strip of paper and hold it up before you gave the number 9 word. The thing is they only get one guess and by going for 10 points, they are taking a chance they will get nothing if they are wrong. Other students may decide to wait for more words before hazarding a guess, but they will get fewer points. When you have read the final root word, ask all teams to hold up their strips and those that got it right, award themselves the number of points indicated by the number on their strip.

8 MENT Sample strip for 8 points with ‘ment’


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Finding root words

The best way to find root words for this game is to go to a corpora website like http://www.americancorpus.org/ You will need to register to use it but it is free and it’s a great tool for language learners and instructors. Simply type in the affix with an asterisk in the WORD(S) box to get the words with that affix. So, for example, if you type in *ment, and hit SEARCH, you will get the following list:

1. Government 2. Moment 3. Development 4. Department 5. Treatment 6. Management 7. Movement 8. Environment 9. Agreement 10. Investment 11. Equipment

Note that “moment” is not actually an affixed word, so you can eliminate it and replace it with ‘equipment’ to get 10 words. If you scroll down you will find a lot more words. The words are in order according to how frequently they occur in the corpora databank. So, it would appear that the most popular word with the suffix “ment” is ‘Government’. You can write “ment” on the top of your list and just write the root words below, without “moment”, of course.

…MENT

1. Govern 2. Develop 3. Depart 4. Treat 5. Manage 6. Move 7. Environ 8. Agree 9. Invest 10. Equip

http://www.americancorpus.org/


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Corpora Website


Bibliography Gairns, Ruth & Redman, Stuart Working with Words CUP, 1996 Lewis, Michael Implementing the Lexical Approach LTP, 1998 McCarthy, Michael Vocabulary OUP 1996 Sinclair, John ed. Collins Cobuild English Guides 2: Word Formation Harper Collins 1996 Lackman, Ken First Choice A2 Teaching Guide Cornelsen 2009



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Appendix

Words for Categorizing Suffixes on the Board

fame dependency famous excitable

action independent profession excited

active direct professor unexciting

actor direction professional exciting

variety director professorship excitedly

actively directness professionally use

activist directly professionalism useful

activism directional specify useless

activate personalize decision useable

compete personality undecided usefulness

competition various indecision uselessness

competitive variable decisive approve

competitor specific decisiveness approval

competitiveness independence specifically disapprove

competitively dependant excite approvingly

depend dependability excitement approving

dependable shortness shortly shorten


19

Jeopardy Games

Grid for Negative Prefixes (upper-intermediate - advanced level)

de dis il im in mis non ir un

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200

300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300

400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400

500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500


20

Negative Prefixes Answer Sheet

de dis il im in mis non ir un

de-ice to remove frozen water

from something, esp. airplane

dishonest adj. for someone who

doesn’t tell the truth

illegal against the law

impolite someone who is rude

inaccurate something which is not

100 % correct, esp. statistics

mispronounce verb for saying words, esp. in

another lang-uage with the wrong sound

non-alcoholic drinks without anything which

makes you drunk, e.g. some kinds of beer

irresponsible adj. for one who doesn’t

care about the results of their actions

unfair not right according to a

set of rules or principles

devalue to decrease the

worth of something, esp. currency

disable to take from

something the power to work or function

illogical something

which makes no sense

imperfect something that

isn’t 100% - it has some small flaws or mistakes

indirect not straight,

roundabout

misfortune bad luck

non-fiction literature which

is true stories

irresistible adj. for some-

thing which you have an uncontrollable attraction to

unused something

(esp. manufactured which is new

decentralise

to remove power from one place and distribute

equally, esp. gov.

displeasure,

dissatisfaction a noun for unhappiness about

something

illiterate

adj. to describe someone who can’t read or write

immature

an adult who acts like a child

indefinite

undecided or uncertain, no fixed limits, like the article “a”

or “an”

misbehave

to act badly, esp. for children

non-profit

companies which are designed not to make money

irregular

not straight, or according to rules or in rate of occurrence

unwelcome

uninvited adj. for guests that you don’t want

deodorise to remove the smell from something

discomfort the feeling of just a little bit of pain or

physical unpleasant-ness

illegible adj. to describe handwriting which cannot

be read

immeasurable something very big – cannot be measured

infinite not having an end

misinform to tell someone something wrong

non-violent someone who doesn’t believe in physical

force esp. to get civil rights

irrelevant something that is not connected to

what is being talked about

unbeaten adj. for a sports team which has not yet lost a

game

decompose break down or separate into

small parts, esp. after death

disobey to not do what someone

orders you to do

illegitimate contrary to laws or rule,

esp. children of unmarried parents

improbable something which is not

likely to happen

inflexible rigid, not moveable, esp.

for people’s opinions

misadventure an exciting experience

which turns out badly

non-resident someone who lives

somewhere but without a permit

irreversible adj. for some-thing which

cannot be changed back to what it was

unborn word for a child that a pregnant

woman is carrying


21

Prefixes (intermediate - advanced)

inter over under pre re sub trans

international between or among different countries

overtime noun for when you work later than your

scheduled hours

underground adj. to describe something which is

below the surface of the earth

prefix noun for something which is attached to

the beginning of a word to change its meaning

rewrite to write something again

subtitles translated words under the screen in

foreign language films

transcontinental word to describe something, (e.g.

train) which goes across Europe, Africa, North America, etc.

interpersonal adj. to describe

relations between people

overweight adj. to describe

someone who is heavier than they should be

undergraduate noun for someone

who has not yet completed university

prehistoric adj. used to describe

something that existed before history was recorded

refill to pour some more

liquid to the top of a something after it has been emptied

subplot not the main story in

a film or play, but a lesser one that also happens

transform verb to describe a

change in appearance, shape or character

interracial

adj. for between or among different races of people

overcrowded

adj. to describe somewhere where there are too many people

underdeveloped

adj. used esp. to describe agricultural countries without much industry

preview

to see something, esp. a film before it is released for the general public

reappear

when something goes away or you can’t see it and then you can

subhuman

adj. to describe a person who is more like an animal than a person

transplant

to move something growing in the ground to some-where else. Also

used for organs

interplanetary between or among planets

overflow verb for when water or other liquid runs out of something

because it is too full

undercharge verb for when someone asks you to pay less than you

should for something

prejudge to form an opinion about a person before you really

know them, esp. based on ethnicity

reconstruct to rebuild something

sub-standard adj. to describe something that is below the usual

acceptable level

transaction a business deal

intersection place where two lines or roads meet

overestimate verb for guessing the price something will

be or the time it will take and you guess too much

underestimate verb for guessing the price something will

be or the time it will take and you guess too little

predate verb to say something existed

before a certain time in history.

reconsider to think about something again,

esp. a decision

subdivide to separate something into equal

parts a second time

transcribe to write down notes into complete

sentences, or from spoken language


22

Suffixes (intermediate – advanced)

...ment

a thing or substance, often related to something else

...less

without something

...ness

a state or condition

…ship

state, condition or quality an art or skill

…ize

to make or create

…able

having the ability

…ity

name of a quality

…ism

a belief or practice

payment money given to

someone usually for a service

harmless something that

won't hurt you

blindness a condition where

a person cannot see

friendship the state of being

in a relationship which is not family, romantic or sexual

apologize to make a

statement saying you are sorry for something

comfortable when something

makes you feel relaxed, for example a piece of furniture

creativity the quality of

making new things or ideas

racism a belief that some

people are better than others depending on the colour of their

skin

basement part of a building which is below ground level

fearless not at all afraid

weakness the condition of having very little strength

dictatorship the state of living in a country where one person

has all the power

equalize to make two or more things the same

affordable something you are able to buy because you

have enough money

infinity the quality of going on forever

journalism the practice of reporting news for the media

judgement a decision or evaluation made

about someone or something

worthless describing something that

has no value

closeness the state of two things or people

being near each other, physically or emotionally for people

ownership The state of possessing

something

magnetize to make a piece of metal so it

attracts another piece of metal

unforgettable memorable a word to

describe something you will always remember

maturity the quality of acting your age or

even older than you are

optimism the belief that everything will get

better

treatment

a substance used to care for an illness or wound

speechless

describing someone who cannot or will not talk, usually just

for the moment

likeness

the state of resembling something

companionship

the state of having someone with you to keep you from being

lonely

penalize

to punish someone for doing something wrong

disposable

Something you can throw away

humidity

the quality the air has when it is very moist

anarchism

the belief in a country without government

fragment a piece or part broken off of something

mindless describing something not requiring or

displaying any intelligence

dullness the state of being boring, stupid or, for objects, not

sharp

apprenticeship the state of being an assistant while learning a job or

profession

monopolize to take complete possession or control of

something, esp. a conversation

arguable a statement or position you are able to disagree

with

mobility the quality of being able to move

liberalism a belief in progress and reform, especially

in politics


23

Common Root Words from FCE Exam Word Formation able accept accommodate accurate act active actual adequate admire advertise advise affect agent agree allow ambition appear apply acquaint arrange arrive attract authority base beauty behave believe bore breath build care centre certain champion change child choose collect commerce common compete concentrate confident consider construct contribute convenient

convince correct cost courage cure danger dark day decide defend deport depressed design desire detect develop difficult direct discover distant drama early educate else employ engage enjoy entertain enthusiastic equal excite exhibit exist expect expense explain extend fail fair famous fault finance fit fortunate fortune free frequent

friend full generate grand harm heavy help hide high honest hope imagine important impress improve increase influence inhabit injure intelligent intend invite judge know legal like likely literate live logic lonely long luck manage marry mature medicine member memory migrate miss modern move nature necessary notice occasion

operate oppose organize origin paint patient perfect permit please polite politic popular possible praise predict prefer prepare press pride probable produce profession pronounce protect publish qualify rain rare rational react real reason recognize relate relation religion remark remove require repute research responsible ripe risk round sad safe

scarce science secure select sell sense settle shock short shy sign similar skill slip sociable solve south speak special spell state steady strong stubborn success sufficient sure surprise suspect tact through tradition train treat true upset use usual value various warn wide will win wise wonder worth

predict

famous

addict

equip

settle

patient

value

wonder

use

affect e

nc

e /

en

cy

ible

a /

t /

ion

dis

in

certain

quality

effect

dictate

generate

compete

attract

perfect

understand

success

ive

ac

y

al

ab

le

in

precise

legible

manage

recognize

expect

adequate

solve

invite

habit

sense iv

e

ity

me

nt

ne

ss

me

nt

allow

equal

verb

nature

accurate

tradition

modern

educate

explain

occasion

a /

t /

ion

im

ive

al

or

accommodate

courage

develop

member

person

forget

resent

observe

popular

convenient a

nt

ac

y

les

s

ab

le

ive

vary

friend

exist

organize

oppose

agree

detect

imagine

require

cure

or

un

im

mis

un

act

notice

probable

taste

honest

admire

select

depend

profess

correct d

is

un

les

s

ful

ne

ss

advise

treat

help

react

scarce

repute

impress

relate

state

please

a /

t /

ion

ity

in

in

ful

able

literate

fortunate

prepare

secure

improve

concentrate

arrange

judge

construct n

es

s

ab

le

ful

en

ce

/ e

nc

y

ity

desire

mature

entertain

operate

produce

expense

care

politic

engage

move

ible

sh

ip

dis

ab

le

les

s

harm

pronounce

tact

train

defense

real

social

logic

acquaint

employ m

en

t

mis

il

a /

t /

ion

im

consider

perfect

similar

lonely

skill

possible

reason

like

present

place

me

nt

un

no

n

a /

t /

ion

sh

ip

separate

prefer

luck

accept

important

contribute

legal

fair

edit

pure u

n

in

un

il

les

s

appear

direct

remark

excite

frequent

exhibit

enjoy

change

believe

polite

an

t

ity

ne

ss

no

n

ful

able: ability, disability, inability, unable, enable, accept: acceptable, unacceptable, acceptance, acceptability accommodate: accommodation, accommodating accurate: accuracy, inaccurate, inaccuracy, accurately, inaccurately acquaint: acquaintance, acquainted, acquaintanceship, unacquainted, reacquaint act: action, active, inactive, inaction, actor, acting, actively, inactively, actionable, activist, activism, acted, enact, enactment addict: addictive, addiction, non-additive adequate: inadequate, (in)adequately, admire: admirable, admiration, admirer, admirably, admired advertise: advertisement, advertiser, advertised, advert, adverts advise: advisable, inadvisable, advisor, advisedly, advisory affect: affective, unaffected, affection, affectation, disaffected, disaffection, affectionately agree: agreement, agreeable, disagreeable, disagreement, agreeably, agreed, agreeing allow: disallow, allowance, allowable, allowably, allowed, allowedly, allowing

appear: appearance, appearances disappear, disappearance, disappeared, apply: application, applicable, inapplicable, applied, applying acquaint: acquaintance, unacquainted, acquainting, acquainted arrange: arrangement, unarranged, arranging, arranged, arranger attract: attractive, attraction, unattractive, attracted, attracting believe: believable, unbelievable, disbelief, non-believer, believed, believer, believing care: careful, careless, uncaring, caring, certain: uncertain, certainty change: changeable, unchangeable, unchanged, changed, changing, unchanging collect: collective, collection, collectible, collector, collecting, collected compete: competition, (un)competitive, non-competitive, competitor, competitiveness, competitively, competently, competency, competence, competing concentrate: concentration, concentrated consider: considerable, consideration, considerate, considerately, considerably inconsiderate, considering, considered

construct: construction, reconstruction, reconstruct, reconstruction, constructive, deconstruct, deconstruction, constructor, unconstructed contribute: contribution, contributor convenient: convenience, inconvenient, conveniently, inconveniently correct: corrective, correction, correctness, corrector, incorrect, correctly, correctitude, courage: discourage, discouragement cure: curable, incurable, cured, curing defense: defensive, defensible, defensiveness, indefensible, defenseless depend: dependable, dependability, independence, independent, dependence, dependant, dependency, undependable, interdependent, independently desire: desirable, undesirable, desirous, desirability, desirableness detect: detectable, detective, detection, detector, undetected develop: development, undeveloped, developer, developmental, non-development decide: decision, undecided, indecision, decisive, decisiveness, indecisiveness, indecisive, decidedly dictate: dictator, dictatorship, dictation, dictatorial

direct: direction, indirect, directive, director, misdirect, directness, directly, redirect, directional, directory, directorate edit: editor, edition, editorial, editorship, reedit educate: education, educator, uneducated, educational, educable effect: effective, effectiveness, effectual, effectualness, ineffective, ineffectual , effectively, effectuate employ: employment, employable, unem-ployed, unemployment, employee, employer engage: engagement, disengage, engaging, enjoy: enjoyable, enjoyment, entertain: entertainment, unentertaining, entertainer, entertained equal: equality, inequality, unequal, equalling, equalize, equalization, equalizer equip: equipment, unequipped, equipped, equipping exhibit: exhibitor, exhibition, exhibiting, excite: excitement, excitable, unexcited, unexciting, exciting, excitingly exist: existence, non-existence, non-existent, existent, existential, existentially, existentialism, existentialist expect: expectation, expectant, unexpected, expectantly, expecting, expectancy

expense: expensive, inexpensive explain: explanation, explained, explaining, explanatory fair: unfair, fairness, fairing, fairly famous: infamous, famously, fame, famed forget: forgetful, forgetfulness, unforgettable, forgettable, forgot, forgotten, forgetting, forgetfully fortunate: unfortunate, unfortunately, fortunately frequent: frequency, frequencies, infrequent, frequently, infrequently, frequenter friend : friendship, friendliness, friendly generate: generator, generation, regenerate, degenerate habit: habitable, habitation, inhabit, inhabitant, inhabitable, inhabited, uninhabited, uninhabitable, habitat, habitual, habituate harm: harmless, harmful, unharmed, help: helpless, helpful, unhelpful, helper, honest: dishonest, honestly, dishonestly hope: hopeless, hopeful, hoped imagine: imagination, imaginative, unimaginative, imaginable, unimaginable important: importance, unimportant, importantly

impress: impression, impressive, impressed, unimpressive, unimpressionable, impressionable, impressiveness improve: improvement, unimproved, improvable, improved invite: invitation, uninvited, invitational judge: judgment, judgmental, non-judgmental, misjudge, prejudge like: likely, likeable, unlikely, liken, unlikeable, likeness, disliked, likelihood, likewise literate: illiterate, literal, literacy, literature, literally, logic: logical, illogical, logically, logician lonely: loneliness, lonesome luck: luckless, unlucky, luckily, luckier/est legal: legality, illegal, legally, legalize, legalistic legible: legibility, illegible, legibly, illegibly, illegibility manage: management, manageable, unmanageable, mismanage, mismanagement, managed, manager, managerial mature: maturation, maturity, immature, maturely, maturate, maturing, immaturely member: membership, non-member modern: modernity, modernization, modernize, modernist

move: moveable, immovable, movement, unmoved, mover nature: (un)natural, (un)naturally notice: noticeable, unnoticed d, noticeably observe: observation, unobserved, observant, observance, observable, observational, observatory, observantly occasion: occasional, occasionally operate: operator, operation, operable, inoperable, operative, operational oppose: opposition, unopposed, opposable, organize: organization, unorganized, organizational, organizer, disorganized patient: impatient, (im)patiently, patience, perfect: perfection, imperfect, perfectionist, (im)perfectly, perfectionism, imperfection, person: personality, personal, personable, impersonal, personification, impersonator, personae, persona, personage, personalize, personally, personate, personified, personifying, impersonation, personnel, personify place: placement, misplace, displace, displacement, placed, misplaced please: pleasant, displease, pleasantry, pleasantly, pleasantness, pleased, pleasure, pleasurable, pleasurably polite: politeness, impolite, (im)politely,

politic: political, non-political, politicked, politicking, politician, politicization, politicize popular: popularity, unpopular, popularized, popularly, popularization precise: precision, imprecise, imprecision, precisely, imprecisely, present: presentation, presentable, presence, presently, presenter, predict: prediction, predictable, unpredictable, predictor, predictably, predictability prefer: preference, preferable, preferential, non-preferred, prepare: preparation, unprepared, preparedness, prepared, preparing probable: probability, improbable, probably produce: production, productive unproductive, productiveness, productivity, productively, producer profess: profession, professor, professorship, (un)-professional, professionally, professorship professionalism, professorial, professed, possible: possibility, impossible, impossibility pronounce: pronunciation, unpronounced pronounceable, pronouncement, pronounced, protect: protection, protective, protectiveness, protector, unprotected, protected, protecting, protectionism, protectorate,

pure: purity, pureness, impure, impurity, impurely, purely, puritan, purify qualify: qualification, unqualified, disqualified quality: qualitative, qualitatively react: reactive, reaction, reactant, reactor, reactionary real: reality, unreal, realistic, realistically, realism, really reason: reasonable, unreasonable recognize: (un)recognizable, recognition unrecognized, recognizance relate: relation, relative, unrelated, relationship, relativity remark: (un)remarkable, remarkably require: requirement, requisite, requisition repute: reputable, disrepute, disreputable, reputation, reputedly resent: resentful, resentfulness, resentment, resentfully scarce: scarcely, scarcity, secure: (in)security, insecure, securely select: selection, selective, selectiveness, selector, selectively sense: sensitive, insensitive, sensitivity, insensitivity, sensation, nonsense, sensible, sensibility, senseless, sensual, sensuality, sensibly, sensuous

separate: separation, separable, separateness, inseparable, separator, separately, separatist settle: settlement, unsettled, settler similar: similarity, dissimilar skill: skilful, unskilled, skilled settle: settlement, unsettled social: sociable, socialization, unsociable solve: solution, unsolved, unsolvable, solvable, dissolve steady: steadiness, unsteady state: statement, stateless success: successful, successor, succession, successive, unsuccessful tact: tactful, tactless, tactlessness taste: tasteful, tasteless, distasteful train: trainable, untrained, untrainable tradition: traditional, non-traditional treat: treatment, treatable, untreatable, mistreat, mistreatment understand: understandable, misunderstand, misunderstanding, understandably use: useful, useless, useable, misuse, disuse, usefulness, uselessness value: valuable, valueless, invaluable vary: variety, variation, variable, variant verb: verbal, non-verbal wonder: wonderful, wonderment, wondrous

Game 2 Instructions (Card 1)

Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6

players. You’ll need more than one deck

for larger classes unless you want to have

students play as a pair. One student is the

judge and takes the set of cards with all

the affixed words on them. The judge

places the cards with the affixed words in

front of him/her. The player to the left of

the judge is the dealer. The dealer deals 4

cards to each player, puts the pile in the

centre and then picks up the top card

from the pile and adds it to his/her hand.

Dealer then chooses one card from

his/her hand and puts it in the centre.

Play moves to the left as players must

use the prefix/suffix on that card to form

words with one of words on their cards.

Each card is played on top of the first

card so that the affix on the first card

remains visible and is always the one that

is played upon. If a player can’t combine

a word from one of his/her cards, they

place one of their cards upside down on

the pile, still allowing the original affix

on the first card to show.


Judge determines legitimacy of each

word and each player uses it in a

sentence. The dealer plays last card. The

last card played face-up takes the trick,

meaning that all cards in played in that

round are given to the last player to

successfully form an affixed word.

Winner of each trick starts the play by

picking a card from the pile and choosing

a card to start with. Tricks taken are

totaled at the end of each round and each

player’s points are written down. The

maximum score will be 4. Then dealer

and judge roles move to the left. Tricks

where no cards are played face-up are not

won by anyone and are placed to one

side. The object of this game is to take as

many tricks as you can while you are

dealer and to “steal” as many from other

dealers when you are not

Another wrinkle you can add to this

game is to ask the judge to write down

the sentences used by the players. This

way you can check them for accuracy

after the game and take up any errors.


Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6

players. You will need more than one

deck for larger classes unless you want to

have students play as a pair. One student

is the judge and takes the set of cards

with all the affixed words on them. The

judge places the cards with the affixed

words in front of him/her. The student to

the left of the judge is the dealer. The

dealer deals four cards to each player.

Each player chooses their worst card and

passes it face down to the player on the

right, who then picks it up and adds it to

their hand. The dealer then puts a card

down in the centre of the table. Next

player puts down another card on top of

it to form a word by combining either of

the two words on the first card with a

suffix /prefix on his/her card or vice

versa, meaning they combine the affix on

the card in the centre with either of the

two words on their card.


The judge checks the word on the

Judge’s Cards and if the word is

legitimate, the student uses that word in a

sentence. Play continues to the left in the

same way. If a player cannot play, he/she

places a card face down in front of

his/herself. Once all cards have been

played, each player counts the cards they

placed face down in front of them and

that number is subtracted from 4 (total

number of cards they started with) to

give them the final score for that round.

The scores for each player are written on

a score sheet. For the subsequent rounds,

all cards are collected and shuffled and

the judge and dealer roles move one

player to the left.

Note: any word which uses the root card

and a suffix/prefix card is allowed. Thus,

the “profess” card is combinable with

“al” to form “professional” even if the

player does not have the “ion” card. The

winner of the game is the one with the

highest score at the end.

Documents

Teaching Writing - ESL EFL activity books and workshops ... · PDF fileGames Preap work for Teaching Writing ... FCE-style Gap Fill ... Word Formation Games 5 Guess the Affixed Word