Chapter 8. Vocabulary and Word Formation

Word formation processes [12]:

Affixation: adding prefixes and suffixes (un-happy, happi-ness).

Compounding: joining words (notebook, mother-in-law).

Conversion: changing part of speech without changing form (a text / to text).

Blending and clipping: brunch, smog; phone from telephone.

Acronyms and initialisms: NASA, BBC.

Common prefixes: un- (not), re- (again), pre- (before), dis- (opposite), mis- (wrongly), inter- (between), sub- (under).

Common suffixes: -er/-or (one who), -ness (state), -able (capable of), -ful (full of), -less (without), -tion (action or result), -ly (adverb).

Roots. Many academic words come from Latin and Greek roots: spect (look), port (carry), scrib/script (write), bio (life), graph (write), tele (far).

Context clues. Work out unknown words from definitions, examples, contrast and the surrounding sentence.

Synonyms, antonyms and connotation. Words with similar meanings (thin, slim, skinny) may carry different attitudes. Use a dictionary and a thesaurus together [20].

Idioms and collocations. Idioms have meanings beyond their words (break the ice). Collocations are words that commonly go together (make a decision, heavy rain) [7].

Building vocabulary. Read widely, keep a vocabulary notebook with the word, meaning, example and related forms, and review regularly. Learn the word families (decide, decision, decisive).

Review: Break down unforgettable into prefix, root and suffix. (Answer: un- + forget + -able.)