TIPS & TRICKSWord Formation

  • 8 gaps
  • One stem word per gap
  • Exact spelling needed
  • 1 mark each
  • About 8 minutes

This is Part 3 of Reading and Use of English: a text with 8 gaps, each paired with a stem word in capitals. You change the stem so that it fits the gap in both grammar and meaning, for example turning 'SUCCEED' into 'unsuccessful'.

The part tests your knowledge of word families: prefixes, suffixes, negative forms, plurals, compound words and spelling changes inside a word. The first gap, (0), is a worked example.

Find the word class first

The words around the gap tell you what you need: after 'the' or an adjective, usually a noun; before a noun, an adjective; after a verb, often an adverb. Knowing the class narrows the family down to one or two forms.

Expect more than one change

Many answers need several changes at once. 'SUCCEED' can become 'unsuccessfully', which takes a noun form, two suffixes and a negative prefix. Once you have the right family member, ask whether it still needs a prefix, a plural or a different ending.

Hunt for negative meanings

A text often hides a word that needs a negative prefix: 'un-', 'in-', 'im-', 'ir-', 'il-', 'dis-' or 'mis-'. Only the meaning tells you, so read the whole sentence: is the writer describing a problem, a failure or the opposite of what's expected?

Which noun, and how many?

When the answer is a noun, check whether it should be singular or plural; a missing 's' loses the mark. Also choose between the person and the thing: 'science' or 'scientist', 'employer', 'employee' or 'employment'.

Spelling must be perfect

A correct word with a spelling mistake scores nothing. Watch the changes inside the stem: 'explain' becomes 'explanation', 'pronounce' becomes 'pronunciation', 'long' becomes 'length', and a final 'e' or 'y' often changes before a suffix, as in 'argument' and 'happiness'.

Learn whole word families

Whenever you meet a useful word, note its whole family: 'able', 'ability', 'unable', 'disabled', 'enable'. Notice which endings make nouns ('-ment', '-ness', '-ity', '-ance'), adjectives ('-ful', '-ous', '-ive', '-able') and verbs ('-ise', '-en', '-ify').

Strategy

  1. 1Read the title and passage right through before you start, since some answers depend on the writer's argument.
  2. 2For each gap, decide the word class from the words before and after it.
  3. 3Decide whether the meaning is positive or negative, and whether a noun should be singular or plural.
  4. 4Build the word from the stem, adding prefixes and suffixes and making any changes inside it.
  5. 5Check the spelling letter by letter, because a misspelled word earns no mark.
  6. 6If you're unsure, still write your best attempt, since an empty gap can never score.
  7. 7Reread the whole passage to confirm each new word fits both the grammar and the meaning.
Practise Word Formation91 exams to practise. The first one is free.