Upload
adrianciupeelt
View
223
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Â
Citation preview
ENGLISH SKILLS TUTORIAL
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
WORD BUILDING
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Finally, they decided to go into PARTNER and start their own business.
1BUILDING NEW WORDS STARTING FROM A PROMPT WORD
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Finally, they decided to go into PARTNER > PARTNERSHIP and start their own business.
1BUILDING NEW WORDS STARTING FROM A PROMPT WORD
With a suffix...
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Job interviewers should ideally be PARTIAL > IMPARTIAL to all candidates.
1BUILDING NEW WORDS STARTING FROM A PROMPT WORD
With a prefix...
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Job interviewers should ideally demonstrate PARTIAL > IMPARTIALITY towards all candidates.
1BUILDING NEW WORDS STARTING FROM A PROMPT WORD
With both a prefix and a suffix...
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
The closure of the factory caused a public CRY > OUTCRY.
1BUILDING NEW WORDS STARTING FROM A PROMPT WORD
With an adverbial particle as a prefix...
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Keep the device on STAND > STANDBY if you want to be able to use it immediately.
1BUILDING NEW WORDS STARTING FROM A PROMPT WORD
With an adverbial particle as a suffix.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Without any other option, they decided to file for BANKRUPT > BANKRUPTCY.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 1: Based on the context, find out what part of speech you need. Is it a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb?
In the example above, you need a noun.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
We will have to MODERN > MODERNISE our approaches to clients.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 1: Based on the context, find out what part of speech you need. Is it a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb?
In the example above, you need a verb.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
All SATISFY > DISSATISFIED customers can call our helpline free of charge.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 1: Based on the context, find out what part of speech you need. Is it a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb?
In the example above, you need an adjective.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
We will deal with these matters as PROFESSION > PROFESSIONALLY as we can.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 1: Based on the context, find out what part of speech you need. Is it a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb?
In the example above, you need an adverb.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Many business PARTNER > PARTNERSHIPS end in disaster.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s a noun, is it singular or plural?
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Could you give me more INFORM > INFORMATION about the project?
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s a noun, also remember that uncountable nouns are always singular in form.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
If she UNDERSTAND > MISUNDERSTANDS the information sent, she’ll have problems.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s a verb, do you need the –s at the end, for the simple present (3rd person singular)?
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
•
They have MODERN > MODERNISED their facilities.
We are in the process of MODERN > MODERNISING our facilities. 2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s a verb, do you need the –ing or the –ed form?
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Unfortunately, you have UNDERSTAND > MISUNDERSTOOD
the whole procedure.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s a verb, is it an irregular verb and consequently, you must remember its past or past participle form?
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
She’s much HAPPY > HAPPIER now that she knows she’ll be promoted soon.
Having been recently promoted,
she’s now the HAPPY > HAPPIEST employee in our department.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s an adjective, do you need the comparative or superlative form?
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
As a market leader, we offer the GOOD > BEST products available.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s an adjective, are its comparative and superlative forms irregular?
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
She performed the GOOD > BEST of all candidates.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 2: The second step is to decide in which of its grammatical forms you must use the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
The context will help you again.
If it’s an adverb, just like in the case of adjectives, are its comparative and superlative forms irregular?
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 3: Find out if the meaning is positive or negative (this only concerns prefixes). Again, you will find clues in the context.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Our profits show an increase, so we’ll be quite SUCCESS > SUCCESSFUL entering a new market.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 3: Find out if the meaning is positive or negative (this only concerns prefixes). Again, you will find clues in the context.
If the overall context is positive, you will need a positive word!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Due to the recession we have been SUCCESS > UNSUCCESSFUL in launching new products lately.
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 3: Find out if the meaning is positive or negative (this only concerns prefixes). Again, you will find clues in the context.
If the overall context is negative, you will need a negative word!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
2FOUR ESSENTIAL STEPS IN WORD BUILDING
STEP 4: Now you are almost ready...
However, before making your final decision, you must remember some more rules and exceptions!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
3HOW ADJECTIVES ARE USED
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
This is quite an INFORM > INFORMATIVE report.
I found the report quite INFORM > INFORMATIVE.
The report is well researched and it is quite INFORM > INFORMATIVE as well.
3HOW ADJECTIVES ARE USED
Most adjectives can be used in front of a noun or after a noun or a pronoun.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
4IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
GOOD > BETTER > (the) BEST
BAD > WORSE > (the) WORST
etc. 4IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES
Some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
A good dictionary will tell you this. There are very few such cases.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
5HOW ADVERBS ARE USED
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Please do this job as PROFESSION > PROFESSIONALLY as you can.
That was a PROFESSION > PROFESSIONALLY done piece of work.
Doing such things PROFESSION > PROFESSIONALLY would require lots of skills.
5HOW ADVERBS ARE USED
An adverb must be used with all verb forms referring to actions.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
She became more PROFESSION > PROFESSIONAL based on her extensive experience in the field.
5HOW ADVERBS ARE USED
An adverb must be used with all verb forms referring to actions.
If the verb form describes a state or a quality, you must use an adjective instead!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Our boss is HIGH > HIGHLY suspicious of immodest employees.
5HOW ADVERBS ARE USED
An adverb must be used when you want to intensify the quality of an adjective.
Using another adjective in this case would be incorrect!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
She accomplished her task PERFECT > PERFECTLY well.
5HOW ADVERBS ARE USED
An adverb must be used when you want to intensify the quality of another adverb.
Using an adjective in this case would be incorrect!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
FRANK > FRANKLY, you have disappointed me.
5HOW ADVERBS ARE USED
An adverb must be used when you make a personal comment on the facts stated in a whole sentence. The adverb is separated from the rest of the
sentence by a comma (`,`).
Using an adjective in this case would be incorrect!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
ECONOMY > ECONOMICALLY, Romania is improving.
5HOW ADVERBS ARE USED
An adverb must be used when you announce or summarise the topic of a whole sentence. The adverb is separated from the rest of the sentence by a
comma (`,`).
Using an adjective in this case would be incorrect!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
6IRREGULAR ADVERBS
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
WELL > BETTER > (the) BEST,
BADLY > WORSE > (the) WORST
etc. 6IRREGULAR ADVERBS
Some adverbs (not many), like in the case of adjectives, have irregular comparative and superlative forms.
A good dictionary will tell you this. There are very few such cases.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
7CONFUSING –LY WORDS
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
He has dealt with the matter quite PROFESSIONAL > PROFESSIONALLY.
7 CONFUSING –LY WORDS
Usually, -ly words are adverbs.
Such adverbs are formed by adding –ly to an adjective.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
As a boss, he’s quite FRIEND > FRIENDLY.
Their products are good quality but a bit COST > COSTLY.
What a LOVE > LOVELY day! 7 CONFUSING –LY WORDS
Sometimes, -ly words are adjectives.
Such adjectives are formed by adding –ly to a noun.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
This procedure is performed on a DAY > DAILY (= adjective) basis.
This procedure is performed DAY > DAILY (= adverb).
7 CONFUSING –LY WORDS
Sometimes, -ly words can be either adjectives or adverbs.
Such words are formed by adding –ly to a noun and they usually refer to periods of time.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
HOUR > HOURLY, DAY > DAILY,
WEEK > WEEKLY, MONTH > MONTHLY, YEAR > YEARLY
7 CONFUSING –LY WORDS
Sometimes, -ly words can be either adjectives or adverbs.
Such words are formed by adding –ly to a noun and they usually refer to periods of time.
Here are some more such examples.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
This newspaper is a DAY > DAILY.
What DAY > DAILIES do you read?
7 CONFUSING –LY WORDS
In very few cases, -ly words can be nouns .
Such words are formed by adding –ly to a noun and
they are used as short forms of adjective + noun expressions.
This is the only such exception you need to remember!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
8CONFUSING ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-IC AND –ICAL
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
8CONFUSING ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-IC AND –ICAL
Some adjectives can end either in –ic or in –ical.
In such cases, there is usually a difference in meaning.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Romania’s ECONOMY > ECONOMIC situation is not very good now.
She’s a very ECONOMY > ECONOMICAL person.
She likes her car because it’s very ECONOMIC > ECONOMICAL.
8CONFUSING ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-IC AND –ICAL
Economic refers to the economy.
Economical means `not wasting something` (money, fuel, resources etc.).
Confusing these two adjectives is a serious usage mistake!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
The Moon landing was a HISTORY > HISTORIC achievement for
humanity.
Today we are witnessing a HISTORY > HISTORIC moment for our company: the merger with CDRTVV2 Recordings Ltd.
While on holiday she saw quite a lot of
places of HISTORY > HISTORICAL interest.
8CONFUSING ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-IC AND –ICAL
Historic refers to something `very important` (so that some day it will be recorded as part of history).
Historical means `related to the past` or `connected to the study of history`.
Confusing these two adjectives is a serious usage mistake!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
GEOGRAPHY > GEOGRAPHIC / GEOGRAPHICAL
SCIENCE > SCIENTIFIC / SCIENTIFICAL
METHOD > METHODIC / METHODICAL
8CONFUSING ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-IC AND –ICAL
Some adjectives can end only in –ic, only in –ical or in both (– ic or –ical, without any difference in meaning).
Whenever you’re not sure, check a good dictionary!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
Romania still has some ECONOMY > ECONOMIC problems. ECONOMY > ECONOMICALLY, Romania still has problems.
She’s a very ECONOMY > ECONOMICAL spender.
She spends her money very ECONOMY > ECONOMICALLY. 9CONFUSING ADVERB SUFFIXES:
-ICALLY AND –ICLY
In most cases, the adverbs formed from –ic or –ical adjectives
will all end in –ically.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
The employees wanted to protest PUBLIC > PUBLICLY.
9CONFUSING ADVERB SUFFIXES:
-ICALLY AND –ICLY
In extremely few cases, the adverbs formed from –ic or –ical adjectives
will end in –icly.
The example above is the only exception you need to remember!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
10CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ER AND -EE
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
An EMPLOY > EMPLOYER employs EMPLOY > EMPLOYEES.
A TRAIN > TRAINER trains TRAIN > TRAINEES.
10CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ER AND -EE
As a rule, –er nouns refer to the `doer` of an action, whereas –ee nouns describe things or people suffering an action.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
11CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ER AND -OR
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
She works as a software DEVELOP > DEVELOPER.
We finally found a CONTRACT > CONTRACTOR who agreed to repair our roof.
11CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ER AND -OR
As a rule, –er nouns are more common than –or nouns.
Whenever you’re not sure, check a good dictionary!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
12CONFUSING NOUN / ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-ENT / -ANT, -ENCE (-ENCY) / -ANCE (-ANCY)
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
affluent, ambient, benevolent, coherent, competent, complacent, confident, consequent, consistent, convenient, dependent, different, equivalent, evident,
excellent, existent, impatient, incompetent, independent, obedient, patient, permanent, persistent, recurrent, resident etc.
12CONFUSING NOUN / ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-ENT / -ANT, -ENCE (-ENCY) / -ANCE (-ANCY)
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –ent words will have –ence (or –ency) corresponding
nouns; –ant words will have –ance (or –ancy) corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –ent words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
abundant, arrogant, assistant, brilliant, compliant, defiant, distant, dominant, hesitant, important, instant, intolerant, irrelevant, resistant, significant, tolerant,
unimportant etc.
12CONFUSING NOUN / ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES:
-ENT / -ANT, -ENCE (-ENCY)/ -ANCE (-ANCY)
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –ent words will have –ence (or –ency) corresponding
nouns; –ant words will have –ance (or –ancy) corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –ant words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
13CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ENCE (-ENCY)/ -ANCE (-ANCY)
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
absence, coincidence, competence, confidence, conscience, convenience, correspondence, dependence, difference, disobedience, evidence, existence, inconvenience, independence, indifference, innocence, intelligence, lenience,
patience, permanence, persistence, presence, residence, violence etc.
13CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ENCE (-ENCY)/ -ANCE (-ANCY)
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –ent words will have –ence (or –ency) corresponding
nouns; –ant words will have –ance (or –ancy) corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –ence nouns.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
agency, consistency, deficiency, efficiency, frequency, inefficiency, presidency, proficiency etc.
13CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ENCE (-ENCY)/ -ANCE (-ANCY)
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –ent words will have –ence (or –ency) corresponding
nouns; –ant words will have –ance (or –ancy) corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –ency nouns.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
abundance, acceptance, acquaintance, arrogance, assistance, attendance, compliance, defiance, distance, dominance, entrance, extravagance,
importance, relevance etc.
13CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ENCE (-ENCY)/ -ANCE (-ANCY)
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –ent words will have –ence (or –ency) corresponding
nouns; –ant words will have –ance (or –ancy) corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –ance nouns.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
accountancy, expectancy, infancy, irrelevancy, redundancy, vacancy etc.
13CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ENCE (-ENCY)/ -ANCE (-ANCY)
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –ent words will have –ence (or –ency) corresponding
nouns; –ant words will have –ance (or –ancy) corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –ancy nouns.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
14CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ABLE / -IBLE, -ABILITY / -IBILITY
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
acceptable, accountable, achievable, adaptable, adorable, affordable,
applicable, available, avoidable, believable, breakable, changeable, comfortable, deniable, dependable, downloadable, employable, excusable, impassable,
impracticable, impressionable, improbable, indisputable, inevitable, intolerable, knowledgeable, manageable, negotiable, noticeable, portable, predictable,
preferable, probable, profitable, questionable, reasonable, respectable, suitable, unacceptable, unavoidable, uncomfortable, unmistakable,
unpredictable, unreliable, vulnerable etc.
14CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ABLE / -IBLE, -ABILITY / -IBILITY
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –able adjectives will have –ability corresponding nouns;
–ible adjectives will have –ibility corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –able adjectives.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
accessible, admissible, audible, combustible, compatible, comprehensible,
corruptible, credible, deductible, divisible, illegible, imperceptible, impossible, inaccessible, inaudible, incompatible, indestructible, indivisible, ineligible,
intangible, invisible, irresistible, negligible, perceptible, permissible, possible, responsible, sensible, visible etc.
14CONFUSING NOUN SUFFIXES:
-ABLE / -IBLE, -ABILITY / -IBILITY
There are no rules as to which suffix should be used and why. The only logic you can rely on is that –able adjectives will have –ability corresponding nouns;
–ible adjectives will have –ibility corresponding nouns.
Above, see some common –ible adjectives.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
unacceptable, unaccustomed, unafraid, unattractive, unaware, unbalanced, unbearable, uncertain, unconscious, unimportant etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common un – negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
inaccurate, inaction, inadequate, inadvisable, inappropriate, inarticulate, inattention, inattentive, incapable, incomparable, inconclusive, inconvenient,
indescribable, indestructible, indeterminate, indifference, indifferent, inessential etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common in– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
immaterial, immeasurable, immoral, immortal, immovable, impatient, imperfect, imperfection, implausible, impolite, imprecise, imprecision,
improbable, impure etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common im– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
illegal, illegality, illegitimacy, illegitimate, illiberal, illiteracy, illiterate, illogical etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common il– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
irrational, irrefutable, irregular, irrelevant, irresistible, irresolute, irresponsible, irretrievable, irreverent, irreversible etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common ir– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
decentred, deregulation, defrost, decompress, deface etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common de– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
disability, disadvantage, disadvantageous, disapproving, disbelief, discharge, discomfort, discontent, discontented, discourteous, discourtesy, disfavour,
disgrace, dishonest, disloyal, disloyalty, disrespect, disrespectful, dissatisfied, disservice etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common dis– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
dysfunction, dysfunctional, dystopia etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common dys– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
misadventure, misapply, misbehave, misconceive, misdeed, misdirect,
mishandle, misinform, misinterpret, mismanage, misplace, mispronounce, misspell, mistrust, misunderstand etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common mis– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
nonconformist, nonentity, nonexistent , nonsense, nonsensical, nonverbal etc.
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why.
Above, see some common non– negative words.
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
15CONFUSING NEGATIVE PREFIXES:
UN-, IN-, IM-, IL-, IR-, DE-, DIS-, DYS-, MIS-, NON
There are no rules as to which negative prefix should be used and why. Because many dictionaries do not list opposites (= negative derivatives) together with the headword (= the base word that you look up), you may have to
check for correctness under the corresponding dictionary letter:
`D` (de-, dis-, dys-), `I` (il-, im-, in-, ir-), `M` (mis-), `N` (non-), `U` (un-).
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
16SPELLING IRREGULAR DERIVATIVES
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
STRONG (a) > STRENGTH (n) > (to) STRENGTHEN (v)
LONG (a) > LENGTH (n) > (to) LENGTHEN (v)
BROAD (a) > BREADTH (n) > (to) BROADEN (v)
WIDE (a) > WIDTH (n) > (to) WIDEN (v)
HIGH (a) > HEIGHT (n) > (to) HEIGHTEN (v)
(to) WEIGH (v) > WEIGHT (n)
16SPELLING IRREGULAR DERIVATIVES
The nouns and verb forms of a few very common adjectives have an irregular spelling.
Confusing these spellings is a very serious mistake! Remember the ones above!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
17WORDS NOT USED IN ENGLISH
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
muscular (NOT musculous)
nervousness (NOT nervosity) professional (NOT professionist) – both noun and adjective
seriousness (NOT seriosity) spectacular (NOT spectaculous)
representative (NOT representant) – both noun and adjective
17WORDS NOT USED IN ENGLISH
You have already learnt that word building in English is not entirely logical. We use CURIOUS > CURIOSITY, but not NERVOUS > NERVOSITY! Or SERIOUS >
SERIOSITY! Above, see the most common learner mistakes.
When in doubt, check a dictionary!
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT
NOW YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT WORD BUILDING
© Adrian.Ciupe.ELT