English exercises with word formation

FCE (First Certificate)     Word Formation: Verbs

Write the correct form of the word in brackets to complete these sentences. Be very careful — these are verbs. So, for example, if the word is DEEP, the verb could be deepen, deepens, deepening or deepened.

1. I find it difficult to  my work. (PRIORITY)
2. I’m studying medicine. I want to  in genetics. (SPECIAL)
3. This photograph is too small. Can you  it for me? (LARGE)
4. I didn’t understand what you just said. Could you  it? (CLEAR)
5. My electronic dictionary  me to listen to the pronunciation of new words. (ABLE)
6. He loves insects. He can  over 50 different types of beetle.(IDENTITY)
7. There are a lot of accidents on this road — the council should  it. (WIDTH)
8. The time we spent apart only  my love for him. (STRONG)
9. You didn’t  what flavour you wanted, so I got you chocolate. (SPECIFIC)
10. His speech was too long. He should have  it. (SHORT)
11. He always thinks he’s right. He never  for his mistakes. (APOLOGY)
12. I think the government should  alcohol. (CRIMINAL)
13. Thank you for the flowers you sent last month. They really  up my room. (BRIGHT)
14. The burglar  that no one was in the house before he broke in. (SURE)
15. The film «The Ring»  me. I couldn’t sleep for days. (TERROR)
16. The government’s plans for the hospitals will  thousands of lives. (DANGER)

Word Formation: Nouns with -ion

Write the correct form of the word in brackets to complete these sentences. Some of the answers are irregular (from the table above), but there are other regular nouns included here. Don’t forget to use an -s if necessary.

1. Please send a photograph with your CV and  form. (APPLY)
2. You need to make a  today. (DECIDE)
3. Her  of the grammar was very unclear. (EXPLAIN)
4. We had a long  about our problems. (DISCUSS)
5. Students must have their parent’s  to come on the trip. (PERMIT)
6. He is still in hospital, recovering from his . (OPERATE)
7. I entered a bowling . (COMPETE)
8. My children never show  for anything I do! (APPRECIATE)
9. I can’t come up with a  to this problem. (SOLVE)
10. The  of junk food has increased over the last 20 years. (CONSUME)
11. You need a lot of  for this job. (QUALIFY)
12. When I lived abroad, I found the  from my family very difficult. (SEPARATE)
13. The  of the new flats is nearly finished. (CONSTRUCT)
14. We don’t want a  of the violence at last year’s football match. (REPEAT)
15. The police are conducting an  into the murder. (INVESTIGATE)
16. I gave the police a  of the thief. (DESCRIBE)
17. It wasn’t my  to offend you. (INTEND)
18. We are making  for the wedding. (PREPARE)
19. I’ve just had a very interesting  with your sister. (CONVERSE)
20. You can try our product for free, with no  to buy it. (OBLIGE)

Verb + ment / adjective + ness

Many verbs can form nouns with the suffix -ment. And many adjectives can form their nouns with the suffix -ness.

Write the correct form of the word in brackets to complete these sentences. There are lots more examples here than in the list above, so remember that often verbs use ‘ment’ to make nouns, and often adjectives use ‘ness’. And remember that sometimes the nouns will be plural!

1. «Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make an  . (ANNOUNCE)
2.  is a problem everywhere, not just in big cities. (HOMELESS)
3. His  made me very angry. (RUDE)
4. What  does your doctor recommend for the ‘flu? (TREAT)
5. We had a big  about whose turn it was to wash up. (ARGUE)
6. I woke up at 2am. The house was in complete  . (DARK)
7. We need some special  if we want to go mountain climbing. (EQUIP)
8. If you drink too much alcohol, it will impair your  . (JUDGE)
9. The interviewer asked me about my strengths and  . (WEAK)
10. My friends gave me a lot of  when I was worried about my driving test. (ENCOURAGE)
11. To my , I was offered £10,000 for my old car! (AMAZE)
12. The company has made lots of  to their internet services. (IMPROVE)
13. I used to find his  funny, but now it really annoys me. (FORGETFUL)
14. Winning the race was an amazing  for my daughter. (ACHIEVE)
15. This book is very unrealistic, but that didn’t spoil my of it. (ENJOY)
16. We are still making  for the wedding next month. (ARRANGE)
17. Drivers should stop to rest during long car journeys, because  can cause accidents. (TIRED)
18. People can experience  at many times during their lives, and for many reasons. (LONELY)

Word Formation: Nouns with -ence and -ance

Two common noun endings are -ance and -ence. Usually, their adjectives are made with -ant and -ent. Here are some common examples which might help you in the FCE exam.

1. Unfortunately, accidents are a common  along this road. (OCCUR)
2. It’s difficult to believe in the  of aliens. (EXIST)
3. The police are looking for  of the attack. (EVIDENT)
4. She thinks everyone hates her and needs  from her friends all the time. (REASSURE)
5. Scientist believe that the mysterious  of millions of bees is due to disease. (APPEAR)
6. What’s the best punishment for a  teenager? (OBEY)
7. What he said was true, but it was completely . (RELEVANCE)
8. 100%  is necessary to pass this course. (ATTEND)
9. I’m the only person who believes in his . Even the police think he’s guilty. (INNOCENT)
10. There are three shop  over there — you should ask one of them for help. (ASSIST)
11. Some people think that if you enjoy your job, the salary is , but I love money! (IMPORTANCE)
12. I’m excited because I’ve just got a letter of  from Cambridge University! (ACCEPT)
13. Cats are extremely  animals. They don’t really need people. (DEPEND)
14. You need a lot of  if you want to work with children. (PATIENT)

Word Formation: Adjectives with -ful/-less

Most adjectives which end in -ful make the negative with -less. But, not all. Note also that we can make adverbs from these adjectives with -fully or -lessly. For example, carefully and carelessly. This is a list of key words which might appear in the FCE exam.

Write the correct adjective or adverb for each of these questions. You will need to use -ful/-less or -fully/-lessly. Some answers will also need un-.

1. 
   What a lovely present! That was very  of you. (THINK)
2. He drives really  — one day he’s going to have an accident. (CARE)
3. He’s told me  times about how good he is at football. (COUNT)
4. Because of his bad interview, he was  in his job application. (SUCCEED)
5. «I didn’t eat your chocolate,» she said  , hiding the empty wrapper. (TRUE)
6. It’s  . England will never win the World Cup football again. (HOPE)
7. My best friend is a rich,  lawyer. (POWER)
8. You must remember to recharge your phone. Without its batteries, it’s . (USE)
9. Cigarettes are  to your health. (HARM)
10. The sales assistant was really  and rude. (HELP)
11. A newborn baby is completely  . (HELP)
12. «Don’t worry — this injection will be completely  . (PAIN)
13. Thieves broke into the museum and stole a  painting by Van Gogh. (PRICE)
14. She’s really rich, but her clothes are always very  and elegant. (TASTE)
15. I bought some shares in the company 5 years ago, but unfortunately now they are  . (WORTH)
16. His speech went on . I thought he’d never stop talking. (END)

Word Formation: Negatives

1. Negative prefixes can be used with nouns, verbs, adjective and adverbs. For example disapproval, disapprove, disapproving, disapprovingly.
2. Usually im + p (impatient) but not always (unpleasant).
3. Often il + l (illegal) but not always (unlikely).
4. Often ir + r (irregular) but not always (unresponsive).
5. Usually -ful changes to -less (harmful/less) but not always (endless).

1. The politician was accused of being  (HONEST)
2. His story was so  I thought he was crazy. (BELIEVE)
3. She looked at him in  when he told her the shocking news. (BELIEVE)
4. Many people are  of the dangers of mobile phones. (AWARE)
5. He’s invited me to his party. It would be  to say no. (POLITE)
6. Too many children nowadays are growing up  . (LITERATE)
7. That’s not what I said! You’ve  me. (UNDERSTAND)
8. My dog is completely . I promise he won’t bite. (HARM)
9. The medicine was  — he didn’t recover. (EFFECT)
10. His answers were very  so he failed the Maths exam. (ACCURATE)
11. It’s  that people will ever live on the moon. (LIKELY)
12. He waited  for the train. (PATIENT)
13. It’s  to smoke in public places nowadays. (LEGAL)
14. I would never teach children. They always . (BEHAVE)
15. The shirt he’s wearing is completely  for a job interview. (APPROPRIATE)
16. His speech was . I thought he’d never stop talking. (END)

Word Formation: Irregular Nouns

1. 
   The flowers are  poisonous — don’t eat them! (DIE)
2. You have no  — you must do it. (CHOOSE)
3. Their  was a very happy one. (MARRY)
4. You need to do some more  of this grammar. (PRACTISE)
5. We don’t have any  that he committed the crime. (PROVE)
6. She’s really  about her new haircut.(DEFEND)
7. The company made a  on their new product. (LOSE)
8. I stared at him in  . (BELIEVE)
9. Your parents really care about your . (SAVE)
10. The politician’s  really made me think about the issues. (SPEAK)
11. We tried to keep up the  that everything was OK. (PRETEND)
12. I need to get a  for my parents’ wedding anniverary. (GIVE)
13. I’m really sorry. You were  in your job application. (SUCCEED)
14. He lost his  in the accident (SEE)
15. He’s really selfish and  . (THINK)

Word Formation: height, width …

The word formation part of the FCE use of English exam often tests adjectives such as ‘short’, ‘wide’, ‘dark’ and their nouns and verbs. Here is a list of some of the more common adjectives and their forms.

1. 
   Normally I prefer tall men, but my husband’s  isn’t a problem. (SHORT)
2. The news report covered the economic crisis in  . (DEEP)
3. A healthy diet will  your life expectancy. (LONG)
4. If they  this road, there would be fewer accidents. (WIDE)
5. I think I’ll  this photograph. (LARGE)
6. The airport has  security at passport control. (TIGHT)
7. I do yoga to  my back. (STRONG)
8. There is a water  nearly every summer in the south of England. (SHORT)
9. The moment I left work I  my tie and started to relax. (LOOSE)
10. When I  myself, I found out I’d lost 10kg! (WEIGHT)
11. The  of my computer screen gives me a headache. (BRIGHT)
12. I’m afraid of  so I couldn’t live on the 10th floor. (HIGH)
13. The lights went out and the room was plunged into  . (DARK)
14. I’m afraid of the  so I sleep with the lights on. (DARKEN)
15. The government are going to  the legal drinking age to 18. (LOW)
16. His long illness has  him. (WEAK)

In word formation exercises the learner is given the most basic form of a word, known as “the root” form. You need to change the prefix or suffix to adapt the word into the correct form and make it fit in the 8 gaps in the text so that it makes perfect sense.

The best way to do this exercise is to focus on the word class (type of word: noun, verb, adjective, adverb), grammar (singular or plural, verb tenses, +/-) and spelling. The words must be spelled correctly and if a capital letter is needed, it must be used.

You ought to think of this as a 3 step process:

What type of word do I want? Noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

What grammar is needed? Singular or plural noun, the tense of the verb

Is it affirmative or negative? Which prefix or suffix do I need?

To aid the candidate’s understanding of this part of the exam. we have included a prefix and suffix list, high frequency root words list and also example sentences with answers in the extra resource section.

Key materials in PDF:

Study word formation on our site to improve your understanding of word classes. See the Root Word HERE and our Prefix and Suffix list HERE. We also have example exercises in alphabetical order HERE