Building english words

BUILDING ENGLISH WORDS

PREFIXESThey modify the meaning of the word

e.g.: usual - unusual

SUFFIXES

They modify the grammar structure

E.g. music - musical

DOING THINGS A painter is a person who paints. A teacher is a person

who teaches. They both do things

The suffix ER

• Occupation• Habits or hobbies• Behaviour• Things

Verb suffix person

1)Paint

Teach

Write

2) Smoke

gamble

Run

3) Talk

grumble

4) Boil

Dust

transmit

er

1) Painter

Teacher

Writer

2)Smoker

gambler

Runner

3) Talker

Grumbler

4) Boiler

Duster

transmitter

THE SUFFIX ORwith many verbs of Latin origin

• People • Collect collector• Direct director• Invent inventor• Act actor• Invest investor

• Things• Incubate incubator• Generate generator• Radiate radiator

DOING THINGSCOMPOUND FORMS by inverting the verb and the direct object

• He owns landHe is a land owner

people

He grows fruit he is a fruit grower

He makes glass he is a glass maker

They export cotton they are cotton exporter

They produce wine they are wine producer

They build ships they are ship builder

He sells books he is a book seller

People and things with er

1. Occupation:

school teacher, university teacher, factory worker

2. Habits or hobbies:

pipe-smoker, football player,rice-eater birdwatcher, coffee-drinker, music-lover

3. Things:

bottle opener, hairdrier, potato-peeler,

People and things with -or1. Occupation:

newspaper-editor, film director, book distributor, ship inspector

2. Habits or hobbies:

stamp-collector,

2. Things:

smoke-extractor, coffee-percolator, egg-incubator

DESCRIBING AND NAMING THINGS-ING

• adjective• It is water which is boiling

• It is boiling water• E.g. burning house, missing

children

• Noun• The machine washes clothes

• It is a washing machine• E.g. training course, sewing

machine

Verb Suffix 1adjective

2 noun

Teach

Paint

Write

run

ing

Teaching

Painting

Writing

Running

Other compound forms• An adverb can be added: hard working man, fast -

moving vehicle, low-flying aircraft

• The company makes glass

• It is a glass-making company• It is a family which grows fruit• It is a fruit- growing family• It is a country which produces sugar• It is a sugar-producing country

DESCRIBING AND NAMING THINGS -ED

• The suffix –ed is added to regular verbs and also to nouns

• Verb suffix adjective boil boiled

plan planned

ed

• Noun skill skilled

beard bearded

It shows that something has happened or has been done earlier and the result is a special condition later.

• The food has been cooked• The food is now cooked• It is cooked food

other examples: grilled steak, sugared coffee, signed letter.

4. Adverbs can be added:

well trained men, badly injured soldier

The –ed adjective is passiveit indicates that something has happened or has been done

• The mountain is covered with snow• The mountain is snow covered• It is a snow-covered mountain• Other examples:

government-owned company, state-supplied goods, London-based company, Harvard-educated student

Reflexive compound adjectives: they use the element self

He has educated himself, they have trained themselves

He is self-educated, self-trained,

IRREGULAR VERBS USE THEIR OWN SPECIAL PAST FORM• THE ENGINE IS DRIVEN BY STEAM• THE ENGINE IS STEAM DRIVEN• IT IS A STEAM-DRIVEN ENGINE• OTHER EXAMPLES: STAR-LIT NIGHT, GOVERNMENT-RUN

BUSINESS,

-ED ADJECTIVES FORMED FROM NOUNS

• He has a beard = he is bearded

• The man had boots = he was booted

• A skilled worker, a cultured man, an experienced trainer.

• The adjective is used with things possessed (clothes, parts of the body, qualities or which relate to other things),

• Blue-eyed, red-haired,

• Brown-roofed house, green-eyed girl

THE SUFFIX -ISH

• Adjective suffix New adjective green greenish white whitish -ish• Noun fool foolish clown clownish-ish added to an adjective makes the meaning less exact,

added to anoun means that a comparison is made, something is like something else

He is like a woman = womanishHe is like a devil = devilishAlso used to indicate nationality: scottish, irish, british

THE SUFFIX -Y

• It forms adjectives from simple nouns. The nouns are things. –y can mean

1. Like = comparison

2. A connection of some kind (covered with)

examples: the material is like rubber

the material is rubbery

it is rubbery material

1. sandy soil, watery soup

2. Grassy field, dusty room, salty meat

3. Weather condition: windy, foggy, sunny

THE SUFFIX -LY

• It forms adjectives from nouns which are:1. Members of the family2. Certain important members of society3. A small number of special places and

eventsExamples: she behaves like a queenShe is queenly1. Fatherly, brotherly2. Princely, kingly3. Heavenly, lonely, lovely, earthly, deathly

Using –Able and other elements

• Able has the same meaning as the adjective “able” or the verb “can”

• Verb Able Adjective• Break Breakable• Eat Eatable• Define Definable• Adjectives taken from Latin• Crime (culp) culpable• Remember(memor) memorable• Last(dur) durable

IBLE• Some english words of Latin origin

combine with the spelling –ible.

• Digest digestible

• Convert convertible

• Corrupt corruptible

• Academic meanings

• Eat eatable edible

• Believe believable credible

• Reach reachable accessible

WORTHY• It is used as the second part of a

compound, the 1° part is a noun.

• He is worth of blame blameworthy

• Praise praiseworthy

• Trust trustworthy

PROOF

• The whole compound is an adjective that means able to resist.

• This cloth is able to resist rain = rainproof

• Wind windproof

• Rust rustproof

• Sound soundproof

THE ELEMENTS –FUL AND -LESS

In many cases they can be added to the same noun.

Use useful useless

Meaning meaningful meaningless

Colour colourful colourless

Power powerful powerless

-EN –IFY - IZE• These suffixes form verbs and usually mean

“become” or “make things happen”.• Black blacken• Hard harden• White whiten• Class classify• Code codify• Pure purify• Atom atomize• Summary summarize• Popular popularize

• From these verbs iit is possible to make nouns relating to people and things

• Hard harden hardener

• Class classify classifier

• Pure purify purifier

• Fertile fertilize fertilizer

• Sterile sterilize sterilizer

USING NEGATIVE PREFIXES-UN –IN –NON –DIS -MIS

• Kind unkind• Friendly unfriendly• Equal unequal• Breakable unbreakable• Economic uneconomic• Natural unnatural• Usual unusual• Cooked uncooked• Sugared unsugared

• For many adjectives of latin origin –in is used

• Secure insecure• Formal informal• Complete incomplete• -in may alter in this ways: in+l=ill(illogical), in+m=imm(immodest),

in+p=imp(impossible), in+r=irr(irregular).

Un+able, in+ible• Words in –able usually take –un, while

words in –ible take –in.

• Unbreakable

• Unreadable

• Indigistible

• intolerable

-DIS• It is usually added to verbs. It means

opposite feelings or opposite action.

• Agree disagree

• Approve disapprove

• Please displease

• Some adjectives and nouns take –dis when forming their opposites

• Corteous discorteous

• Loyal disloyal

• Honest dishonest

-mis• This prefix is added to verbs of skill, with

the meaning “badly”, “wrongly” or “incorrectly”.

• Judge misjudge

• Pronounce mispronounce

• Interpret misinterpret

• Use misuse

USING POSITIVE PREFIXES• The prefix –re which means “again” or “for

a second time”. It means also “in a different way”. Usually written with a hyphen when added to verbs.

• Test re-test

• Checked re-checked

• Elect re-elect

• It often suggests an improvement

• Invest re-invest

• Design re-design

PRE AND POST

• They mean “before” and “after” and usually form adjectives.

• Pre-war post-war

• Pre-roman post-roman

• The prefix pre alone, used with verbs means “in advance” before the usual time

• Pre-packed food

• Pre-arranged meeting

THE PREFIXES PRO AND ANTI• They mean “for” and “against”, generally

form adjectives.

• Pro-war, anti-war

• Pro-government anti-government

The prefixes UNDER and OVER• They mean too little and too much.

• Use underuse overuse

• Tax undertax overtax

• Feed underfeed overfeed