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Word Formation
GamesActivities with Prefixes and Suffixes
+
Ken Lackman & AssociatesEducational Consultants
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Word Formation Games
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Contents
Introduction
Suggested Teaching Approach
Activities
Guess the Affixed Word
Papers on Walls
Categorizing Suffixes on the Board
Four Walls
Circle Brainstorm
FCE-style Gap Fill
Word formation Scavenger Hunt
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Word Formation Games
Introduction
Affixation is the process of adding suffixes and prefixes to a base to changethe meaning of the word and/or change it to another part of speech.Prefixes primarily affect the meaning of a word, the most common being theones which form opposites, like -un, -in, -im, -il, -ir , etc. However, in thisgroup are also those which add more specific meaning, like -de, which canindicate the removal of something (de-ice, destabilize, dehydrate, etc.) and-mis, which refers to things which are done wrongly or badly (miscalculate,
misquote, misuse, etc.). In addition, there are numerous prefixes withspecific connotation (-bi = two, -co = with, -pre = before, etc.)
Suffixes, on the other hand, primarily classify words. There are two types ofsuffixes, inflectional suffixes, which denote the word’s grammatical function,(-s indicates plural, -est, the superlative, -ed, -past tense and participles)and derivational suffixes, which classify the part of speech. For example,the suffix -al turns nouns into adjectives (accidental, regional, musical, etc.)and –ion changes verbs into nouns (action, creation, exhibition, etc.).However, in this group there are still some that impart some semanticnotion, like –er and –or which form nouns to refer to people (actor,drummer, etc.) and others like –ence, which form nouns which refer to theaction, state or process connected to the original verb (insistence,correspondence, preference). Then there are suffixes whose semanticcontribution is much more obvious, like -less, indicating the lack ofsomething (careless, endless, flawless) and –proof , which indicatesprotection against something (waterproof, foolproof, soundproof).
From the student’s perspective, affixation is a valuable aspect of English tounderstand and use. Attention to meaning, even if it’s merely recognizingthe part of speech of an affixed word, will lead to improved receptive skills,
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Word Formation Games
Suggested Teaching Approach
A systematic approach, especially in regards to the form and meaning ofaffixed words and their interrelationship, would aid students both receptivelyand productively. Although there are a limited number of rules for affixation,there are many patterns and raising student awareness of these patternswill help them understand affixed words when they come across them andalso help them create them by applying appropriate prefixes and suffixes toroot words.
Michael Lewis, in Implementing the Lexical Approach, said that “...it iseasier to remember patterns than random lists...we recognise wholes to bebroken down, not parts to be built up.”(1998:56) The application of thestrategy that the Lexical Approach takes to semi-fixed expression couldprovide a suitable system for teaching affixation. Consider the followingsample from Implementing the Lexical Approach:
Could you pass the ...., please?
The expression with the slot unfilled still carries clear meaning and filling theslot reveals similarity among the items. Once we fill it, we realize that theitems we have chosen are all likely to belong on a dining table (salt, butter,wine, etc.) Similarly, we could do the same sort of thing with affixation.
mis
inform pronounce
read quote hear
-mis + verb = to do wrongly or badly (verb)
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Word Formation Games
Gairns and Redman assert that “for lower level students...the best policy isto treat the derivatives as individual items and teach those which are most
important for their productive (or receptive) vocabulary.” (1996:49) However,affixation which occurs in high frequency words at their level should beexplicitly pointed out. Using the example mentioned above, it wouldn’t bedifficult to mention that the prefix -im creates the opposite of ‘possible and isstronger than “not possible’. Not only should this be corrected to avoidfossilization, but low level students should be encouraged to use simpleaffixes and discouraged from going around them, hence opening them up toacquiring more affixes. McCarthy points out that the suffixes –er and –or are
highly productive as they can be attached to a large number of words andlower level students can be made aware of the concept of affixation withsimple examples of this (write/writer, act/actor, read/reader, etc.)(1996:100) Generally, the exercise which appears in the HeadwayElementary workbook, where students are asked to form nouns with –ion from given verbs and vice-versa, is a good example of an easy low-levelactivity which will familiarize students the form and function of affixes.
For levels above elementary, affixation should be dealt with by highlighting
the affix and looking at groups of words which can be fit into the slot next toit/them. Keeping to Michael Lewis’s restriction of 5 frame fillers is a goodidea as it is a sufficiently low enough number to allow for selection of wordsof similar nature. Once this pattern has been established, it would be agood idea to let the students to pick out other words which fit the modelorthographically, phonologically or semantically. This could be donereceptively (listening or reading text) or they could be given lists of wordswhich they would have to sort according to their potential to fit into slots
provided by the teacher. For example, ‘recognize’ would be more likely to fitinto the un______ able slot than to the one next to over__________. Thepoint is that students recognize the patterns.
f
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Word Formation Games
Guess theAffixed Word
Activities
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
A simple activity would be to have the student - once they were introducedto an affixation pattern - think of a situation in which they could apply a wordfrom that pattern and then they would explain the situation, without theword, to a partner who would have to apply the word to it. For example, ifthe un_______able structure was being featured, a student might tellanother about seeing a friend in a costume and not realizing who it was.The intention would be that the partner would say the friend was'unrecognizable'. Students can quiz each other this way and they get apoint for each affixed word that is guessed correctly. The game could alsobe played in threes, where one student gives the clue and the other twocompete to see how can say it first. This concept is observable in the gamebelow, where each student would be give a strip with a gap fill and they
have to mingle and say their sentence with a gap to another student, whowould then have to figure out the affixed word that belongs in the gap.
Fill in the spaces with a negative adjective. The negative prefixes are dis, im, in, ir and un.
1. He never agrees with anyone. He is very _______________________able.
2. He and his brother are never separate. They are ______________________able.
3. I cannot use that old computer. It is ________________________able.
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Word Formation Games
The above activity could be made more challenging for students by notmentioning the root word in the clue and instead by using synonyms or
other words to get the same meaning across. For example:
1. He always argues with anyone. He is very _______________________able.
2. He and his brother are never apart. They are ______________________able.
And the above version of the activity could be simplified by only using thesame negative prefix. Consider the example below, which could be used bylearners at a lower level to elicit the words unhappy and unl ike .
1. He is very sad. He is very un _______________________.
2. He is not the same as his brother. He is un ______________________ his brother.
Card version Cards could be made for a game where the students could just turn over acard with a clue and the answer. They would give the clue to the otherstudent(s) they would be playing against who would have to guess theaffixed word on the card. Cards could be prepared by the teacher or bygroups of students for other groups of students to use. Words with prefixescan easily be located in a dictionary while words with the same suffix can
be found at http://onelook.com/. Type in an asterisk and then your suffix(e.g., *ment) and then hit SEARCH. Then hit COMMON WORDS only.
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Word Formation Games
Papers on
Walls
Alternate version
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This is a really useful activity to find out what students already know and toget them familiarized with common affixes and certain affixed words. It canIt can be a great warmer for any lesson featuring affixed words. To preparefor the activity, decide on which affixes you want to deal with (all prefixes,all suffixes, a mixture of both, negative prefixes, etc.). Write each affix ontop of a sheet of paper and spread the papers out on the walls of theclassroom. You should have at least 6 different affixes/papers. Divide the
students into pairs or small groups and give each team a different colouredmarker. Explain that when you say to start, they will write some examples ofwords on each sheet that feature the affix written on the top. The only rulesare they cannot write one that is on the sheet already and they can’t writetwo in a row in their colour (so that they don’t just stand at one sheet). Inthe end, whoever has contributed the most words, wins. Give teams aminute to discuss their strategy (I’ve seen students throwing the markeraround the room) then tell them to start. When they’ve finished , eliminate
the incorrect words, provide explanation of others, if necessary, and haveeach group total up their contributions to determine the winning team.
Have enough sheets with affixes on them for every team in the class. Postthem on the walls. Each team has a different coloured marker. Tell eachteam to start in front of a different sheet on the wall. When you say to start,they race to write an affixed word on each sheet in succession (in aclockwise direction) and the first team to finish all of the sheets wins. Youcan have teams play for second and third place also.
CategorizingSuffixes on the
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
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Word Formation Games
about the suffixes, e.g., “ness” is the most popular noun suffix, “ly” is reallythe only adverb suffix, “al” can be used for adjectives and nouns and there
are relatively few verb suffixes, other than “ed” and “ing”, which, of course,are used for adjectives also.
Four Walls Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This is a very simple game that can be used as a warmer and a review of
suffixes used for different parts of speech. To prepare, you need foursheets of paper labeled with the four main parts of speech and you need alist of words with suffixes. You can use words that the students have dealtwith already or, if you want to make it more challenging, you can use newwords. It’s possible to use words they are unfamiliar with as long as long asthey end in a suffix that would determine its part of speech. You could eventhrow in words that could be more than one part of speech like professional or acting. Just before you start the activity, you need to post each part-of-
speech sheet on a wall in the classroom. Then ask the students to stand upand when you say a word from the list, they have to move to the wallrepresenting the part of speech it is. Let them know if they are correct.Continue with other words.
Circle
Brainstorm
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This is a brainstorming game is useful because it encourages students toexperiment with adding suffixes and prefixes. Students are in small groups
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Word Formation Games
information
organization (suffix matched )
disorganized (root matched )
disapprove ( prefix matched )
approv al (root matched)
professional (suffix matched)
Alternately, you can allow them to match any part of the word. Examplebelow:
information education
organization
organiz er
player
re play
To make this game more challenging, disallow using –ed and –ing as
affixes. Make sure students that realize that in order to keep the gamegoing, if they can’t think of a word, they should make one up. This is a veryuseful activity because it encourages students to speculate by using theirbasic knowledge of affixation to create affixed words that they are unsureof.
FCE-styleGap Fill
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This activity is based on an a section of the Cambridge FCE and CAEexams where the students are given a gapped text and root words whichhave to be changed by adding suffixes or prefixes in order to properly fit in
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Word Formation Games
A great way to use this in class is to get students to write the gap-fillexercises themselves. This not only saves the teacher lots of work but it
gives the students writing practice and a chance to attach affixes to wordsand then work them into a context. Then, of course, once they’ve writtenthe exercises, they can switch with other students and get practice filling inthe gaps. A good way to prepare students for this is to put them in pairs andgive each pair list of 5 or 10 root words, depending on how long a text youwant them to create. You can use the list in the appendices for this (page20). Then students work in pairs and have to contextualize the root words – in different forms – in a text. They can write about anything they want aslong as they can fit the words in. They use dictionaries to help them changethe form of the word and they write the root word in the margin and numberthe gaps just like in the sample above. Students should write the exerciseson sheets of paper and when they are finished, they write their names on itand hand it to you. When all students are finished put their papers in a pileand start a race to see who can do the most gap fills correctly. Each paircomes up at takes a paper. They cannot write on the papers so they mustwrite their affixed words in their notebooks instead. When they they’vechosen an affixed word for each gap, they check with the team who wrote it
to see if they got them correct and they award themselves a point for eachcorrect affixed word. Then they take another paper and continue. When I dothis, I also write one which I contribute to the pile (with my name on it). Thisensures that there is always an extra exercise available for students to do.
WordFormation
ScavengerHunt
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This activity is unusual because it is a competitive game that involvesreceptive skills rather than productive ones. You can use this game withany text that is appropriate to the students’ level i e at their level or even
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Word Formation Games
CATEGORYPOINTVALUE WORD 1 WORD 2
LINETOTAL
a noun with a suffix 1
an verb with a suffix (not with –ed or –ing)
25
an adjective with a suffix 1
an adverb with a suffix 1
an adverb of opinion 5
a word with a negative prefix 2
a prefix that has a specificmeaning (not just to negate) 15
a word with a negative prefixwith a positive meaning 25
a noun formed from anadjective 10
a noun formed from a verb 10
a verb formed from anadjective 20
an adjective formed from anoun 10
an adjective formed from averb 10
an adverb formed from anadjective
2
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Word Formation Games
Jeopardy Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This game is fun and a great way to get students familiar with the meaningand/or use of affixes and the types of words that go with them. You cancreate your own games or you can use the ones included in the appendices.If you are creating a game for suffixes, you may want to usehttp://onelook.com/. Type in an asterisk and then your suffix (e.g., *ment)and then hit SEARCH. Then hit COMMON WORDS only (under SEARCH).But the best idea is to have your students create the game. Decide how
many categories (affixes) you are going to have and put students into smallgroups and give them each one category (or two, depending on the numberof groups you have relative to the number of categories). Then using thedictionary, they look up five (or three, if you want to create a quicker game)words with the same affix, write the clues and arrange them in order ofdifficulty. Once all students have done that, draw the game grid on the boardwith columns for each affix (write the affix on the top) and then rows belowwith the dollar amounts (100, 200, 300, etc.). Then one team starts and
picks any category other than their own. Then erase the dollar value for thatsquare. The team that wrote that category gives them the clue in the dollarrange they indicated. If they get it right, write the answer in the square andwrite their points on the board, beside the team name. Continue in this way.
Word BuildingCard Game
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This is a fun and challenging game that familiarizes students with the mostcommon affixes and common root words that go with them. It provides anexcellent opportunity for student to use their knowledge and make educatedguesses about the formation of words. This game is probably best suited to
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Word Formation Games
Game 2
play, he/she places a card face down in front of his/herself. Once all cardshave been played, each player counts the cards they placed face down in
front of them and that number is subtracted from 4 (total number of cardsthey started with) to give them the final score for that round. The scores foreach player are written on a score sheet. For the subsequent rounds, allcards are collected and shuffled and the judge and dealer roles move oneplayer to the left.
Note: any word which uses the root card and a suffix/prefix card is allowed.Thus, the “profess” card is combinable with “al” to form “professional” even
if the player does not have the “ion” card. The winner of the game is theone with the highest score at the end.
Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6 players. You will need more than onedeck for larger classes unless you want to have students play as a pair.One student is the judge and takes the set of cards with all the affixedwords on them. The judge places the cards with the affixed words in front ofhim/her. The player to the left of the judge is the dealer. The dealer deals 4cards to each player, puts the pile in the centre and then picks up the top
card from the pile and adds it to his/her hand. Dealer then chooses onecard from his/her hand and puts it in the centre. Play moves to the left asplayers must use the prefix/suffix on that card to form words with one of thetwo words on their cards. Each card is played on top of the first card so thatthe affix on the first card remains visible and is always the one that isplayed upon. If a player cannot combine a word from one of his/her cards,they place one of their cards upside down on the pile, still allowing theoriginal affix on the first card to show. Judge determines legitimacy of each
word and each player uses it in a sentence. The dealer plays last card. Thelast card played face-up takes the trick, meaning that all cards in played inthat round are given to the last player to successfully form an affixed word.The winner of each trick starts play again by picking a card from the pile
f
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Word Formation Games
WordFormation
Family Feud
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This activity is based on the popular game show where there are two teams(usually two families) who each take turns trying to guess all the items in acertain category (e.g., fruits that begin with ‘O’). In this versi on, there aretwo teams and the teams try to name all the common affixed forms of acertain root word. What the common forms actually are, is up to you. Whatyou need to do to prepare for this game is to choose a group of root words
– you can use the Judge’s cards from Word Building Card Game, if you’d
like. Usually a round of play with one word takes around 5 minutes so thatwill determine how many words you will need when you do it in class. Thenyou select your root words and choose a group of at least 4 affixed formsfor each that you feel your students should know or learn, e.g., excite,excitement, exciting, excited, excitedly, excitable, unexciting .
To play the game in class, divide the students into two teams. For largeclasses, you can go with three. Write the list of root words on the board.
One team decides to go first and they choose one of the root words toattempt. Then list on the board the part of speech of each affixed word forthe root word. Below is the example for excite (including ‘excite’ itself):
V N
Adj/V Adj/V Adv
Adj Adj
Then the team members guess one word each, in turn, that might go withf th t f h li t d th b d If th fi t b
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Word Formation Games
Guess theAffix
Sample with rootwords for ‘-ment’
Alternative version
Speaking Listening Reading Writing
Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker
This game provides students with a list of 10 root words which all take thesame affix. They have to guess what affix it is by listening to the words andthinking about which affix they could apply to all of them. An easy way toplay this game is to put the students in teams of two to four and give eachteam some strips of paper and a marker. Then you read out the list of 10root words and they have to think of what affix would go with all of them.You can choose to read less than 10, if you’d like to make it more
challenging. Give them a time limit to think of the affix and then a warningthat they have 10 seconds left. They have to write the affix on the strip ofpaper with the marker and when you say “Go”, they hold it up. Look at whateach group wrote and award teams with the correct affix a point. Play againwith another group of words.
…MENT
1. Govern
2. Develop 3. Depart 4. Treat 5. Manage 6. Move 7. Environ 8. Agree 9. Invest 10. Equip
In this more challenging version, teams can write whatever affix they think itis at any point while you are reading the root words. Read the list outl l ll i ti f t d t t it th ffi b f th t
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Word Formation Games
Finding root words The best way to find root words for this game is to go to a corpora websitelike http://www.americancorpus.org/ You will need to register to use it but it
is free and it’s a great tool for language learners and instructors. Simplytype in the affix with an asterisk in the WORD(S) box to get the words withthat affix. So, for example, if you type in *ment, and hit SEARCH, you willget the following list:
1. Government 2. Moment 3. Development
4. Department 5. Treatment 6. Management 7. Movement 8. Environment 9. Agreement 10. Investment 11. Equipment
Note that “moment” is not actually an affixed word, so you can eliminate itand replace it with ‘equipment’ to get 10 words. If you scroll down you willfind a lot more words. The words are in order according to how frequentlythey occur in the corpora databank. So, it would appear that the mostpopular word with the suffix “ment” is ‘Government’. You can write “ment”on the top of your list and just write the root words below, without “moment”,of course.
…MENT
1. Govern 2. Develop 3 Depart
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Word Formation Games
Corpora Website
http://www.americancorpus.org/
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Word Formation Games
AppendixWords for Categoriz ing Suff ixes on the Board
fame dependency famous excitable
action independent profession excited
active direct professor unexciting
actor direction professional exciting
variety director professorship excitedly
actively directness professionally useactivist directly professionalism useful
activism directional specify useless
activate personalize decision useable
compete personality undecided usefulness
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Word Formation Games
Jeopardy Games
Grid for Negative Prefixes (upper-intermediate - advanced level)
de dis il im in mis non ir un
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200
300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400
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Word Formation Games
Negative Prefixes Answer Sheet
de dis il im in mis non ir un
de-iceto removefrozen water
from
something,esp. airplane
dishonestadj. forsomeone who
doesn’t tell the
truth
illegalagainst the law
impolitesomeone whois rude
inaccuratesomethingwhich is not
100 % correct,
esp. statistics
mispronounceverb for sayingwords, esp. in
another lang-
uage with thewrong sound
non-alcoholicdrinks withoutanything which
makes you
drunk, e.g.some kinds ofbeer
irresponsibleadj. for onewho doesn’t
care about the
results of theiractions
unfairnot rightaccording to a
set of rules or
principles
devalueto decrease the
worth ofsomething,esp. currency
disableto take from
something thepower to workor function
illogicalsomething
which makesno sense
imperfectsomething that
isn’t 100% - ithas some smallflaws ormistakes
indirectnot straight,
roundabout
misfortunebad luck
non-fictionliterature which
is true stories
irresistibleadj. for some-
thing which youhave anuncontrollableattraction to
unusedsomething
(esp.manufacturedwhich is new
decentralise
to removepower fromone place anddistribute
equally, esp.gov.
displeasure,
dissatisfactiona noun forunhappinessabout
something
illiterate
adj. to describesomeone whocan’t read orwrite
immature
an adult whoacts like a child
indefinite
undecided oruncertain, nofixed limits, likethe article “a”
or “an”
misbehave
to act badly,esp. forchildren
non-profit
companieswhich aredesigned not tomake money
irregular
not straight, oraccording torules or in rateof occurrence
unwelcome
uninvitedadj. for gueststhat you don’twant
deodoriseto remove thesmell fromsomething
discomfortthe feeling of just a little bit ofpain or
physicalunpleasant-ness
illegibleadj. to describehandwritingwhich cannot
be read
immeasurablesomething verybig – cannot bemeasured
infinitenot having anend
misinformto tell someonesomethingwrong
non-violentsomeone whodoesn’t believein physical
force esp. toget civil rights
irrelevantsomething thatis notconnected to
what is beingtalked about
unbeatenadj. for a sportsteam which hasnot yet lost a
game
decomposebreak down or
disobeyto not do what
illegitimatecontrary to
improbablesomething
inflexiblerigid, not
misadventurean exciting
non-residentsomeone who
irreversibleadj. for some-
unbornword for a child
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Word Formation Games
Prefixes (intermediate - advanced)
inter over under pre re sub trans
internationalbetween or amongdifferent countries
overtimenoun for when youwork later than your
scheduled hours
undergroundadj. to describesomething which is
below the surface of
the earth
prefixnoun for somethingwhich is attached to
the beginning of a
word to change itsmeaning
rewriteto write somethingagain
subtitlestranslated wordsunder the screen in
foreign language
films
transcontinentalword to describesomething, (e.g.
train) which goes
across Europe, Africa, North America, etc.
interpersonaladj. to describe
relations betweenpeople
overweightadj. to describe
someone who isheavier than theyshould be
undergraduatenoun for someone
who has not yetcompleted university
prehistoricadj. used to describe
something thatexisted beforehistory was recorded
refillto pour some more
liquid to the top of asomething after ithas been emptied
subplotnot the main story in
a film or play, but alesser one that alsohappens
transformverb to describe a
change inappearance, shapeor character
interracial
adj. for between oramong differentraces of people
overcrowded
adj. to describesomewhere wherethere are too manypeople
underdeveloped
adj. used esp. todescribe agriculturalcountries withoutmuch industry
preview
to see something,esp. a film before itis released for thegeneral public
reappear
when somethinggoes away or youcan’t see it and thenyou can
subhuman
adj. to describe aperson who is morelike an animal than aperson
transplant
to move somethinggrowing in theground to some-where else. Also
used for organs
interplanetarybetween or amongplanets
overflowverb for when wateror other liquid runsout of something
because it is too full
underchargeverb for whensomeone asks youto pay less than you
should for something
prejudgeto form an opinionabout a personbefore you really
know them, esp.based on ethnicity
reconstructto rebuild something
sub-standardadj. to describesomething that isbelow the usual
acceptable level
transactiona business deal
intersectionplace where two
overestimateverb for guessing the
underestimateverb for guessing the
predateverb to say
reconsiderto think about
subdivideto separate
transcribeto write down notes
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Word Formation Games
Suffixes (intermediate – advanced)
...menta thing orsubstance, oftenrelated tosomething else
...lesswithoutsomething
...nessa state orcondition
…ship state, condition orquality an art orskill
…ize to make or create
…able having the ability
…ity name of a quality
…ism a belief orpractice
paymentmoney given to
someone usuallyfor a service
harmlesssomething that
won't hurt you
blindnessa condition where
a person cannotsee
friendshipthe state of being
in a relationshipwhich is not
family, romanticor sexual
apologizeto make a
statement sayingyou are sorry for
something
comfortablewhen something
makes you feelrelaxed, for
example a pieceof furniture
creativitythe quality of
making newthings or ideas
racisma belief that some
people are betterthan others
depending on thecolour of their
skin
basementpart of a buildingwhich is belowground level
fearlessnot at all afraid
weaknessthe condition ofhaving very littlestrength
dictatorshipthe state of livingin a countrywhere one person
has all the power
equalizeto make two ormore things thesame
affordablesomething youare able to buybecause you
have enoughmoney
infinitythe quality ofgoing on forever
journalismthe practice ofreporting news forthe media
judgementa decision orevaluation made
about someoneor something
worthlessdescribingsomething that
has no value
closenessthe state of twothings or people
being near eachother, physicallyor emotionally forpeople
ownershipThe state ofpossessing
something
magnetizeto make a pieceof metal so it
attracts anotherpiece of metal
unforgettablememorablea word to
describesomething youwill alwaysremember
maturitythe quality ofacting your age or
even older thanyou are
optimismthe belief thateverything will get
better
treatmenta substance usedto care for anillness or wound
speechlessdescribingsomeone whocannot or will not
talk, usually justfor the moment
likenessthe state ofresemblingsomething
companionshipthe state ofhaving someonewith you to keep
you from beinglonely
penalizeto punishsomeone fordoing something
wrong
disposableSomething youcan throw away
humiditythe quality the airhas when it isvery moist
anarchismthe belief in acountry withoutgovernment
fragmenti t
mindlessd ibi
dullnessth t t f b i
apprenticeshipth t t f b i
monopolizet t k l t
arguablet t t
mobilityth lit f
liberalismb li f i
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Word Formation Games
Common Root Words from FCE Exam Word Formation able accept accommodate accurate act active actual adequate admire advertise advise affect agent agree allow ambition appear
apply acquaint arrange arrive attract authority base beauty behave believe bore breath build
convince correct cost courage cure danger dark day decide defend deport depressed design desire detect develop difficult
direct discover distant drama early educate else employ engage enjoy entertain enthusiastic equal
friend fullgenerate grand harm heavy help hide high honest hope imagine important impress improve increase influence
inhabit injure intelligent intend invite
judge know legal like likely literate live logic
operate oppose organize origin paint patient perfect permit please polite politic popular possible praise predict prefer prepare
press pride probable produce profession pronounce protect publish qualify rain rare rational react
scarce science secure select sell sense settle shock short shy sign similar skill slip sociable solve south
speak special spell state steady strong stubborn success sufficient sure surprise suspect tact
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predict
famous
addict
equip
settle
patient
value
wonder
use
affect
e n c e / e n c y
i b l e
a / t / i o n
d i s
i n
certain
quality
effect
dictate
generate
compete
attract
perfect
understand
success
i v e
a c y
a l
a b l e
i n
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precise
legible
manage
recognize
expect
adequate
solve
invite
habit
sense
i v e
i t y
m e n t
n e s s
m e n t
allow
equal
verb
nature
accurate
tradition
modern
educate
explain
occasion
a / t / i o
n
i m
i v e
a l
o r
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accommodate
courage
develop
member
person
forget
resent
observe
popular
convenient
a n t
a c y
l e s s
a b l e
i v e
vary
friend
exist
organize
oppose
agree
detect
imagine
require
cure
o r
u n
i m
m i s
u n
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act
notice
probable
taste
honest
admire
select
depend
profess
correct
d i s
u n
l e s s
f u l
n e s s
advise
treat
help
react
scarce
repute
impress
relate
state
please
a / t / i o
n
i t y i n i n
f u l
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able
literate
fortunate
prepare
secure
improve
concentrate
arrange
judge
construct
n e s s
a b l e
f u l
e n c e / e n c
y
i t y
desire
mature
entertain
operate
produce
expense
care
politic
engage
move
i b l e
s h i p
d i s
a b l e
l e s s
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harm
pronounce
tact
train
defense
real
social
logic
acquaint
employ
m e n t
m i s
i l
a / t / i o n
i m
consider
perfect
similar
lonely
skill
possible
reason
like
present
place
m e n t
u n
n o n
a / t / i o
n
s h i p
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separate
prefer
luck
accept
important
contribute
legal
fair
edit
pure
u n
i n u n i l
l e s s
appear
direct
remark
excite
frequent
exhibit
enjoy
change
believe
polite
a n t
i t y
n e s s
n o n
f u l
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able: ability, disability, inability, unable, enable,accept: acceptable, unacceptable, acceptance,acceptabilityaccommodate: accommodation,accommodatingaccurate: accuracy, inaccurate, inaccuracy,accurately, inaccuratelyacquaint: acquaintance, acquainted,acquaintanceship, unacquainted, reacquaint act: action, active, inactive, inaction, actor,acting, actively, inactively, actionable, activist,
activism, acted, enact, enactmentaddict: addictive, addiction, non-additiveadequate: inadequate, (in)adequately, admire: admirable, admiration, admirer, admirably,admiredadvertise: advertisement, advertiser,advertised, advert, advertsadvise: advisable, inadvisable, advisor,advisedly, advisoryaffect: affective, unaffected, affection,affectation, disaffected, disaffection,affectionatelyagree: agreement, agreeable, disagreeable,disagreement, agreeably, agreed, agreeing allow: disallow, allowance, allowable,allowably, allowed, allowedly, allowing
appear: appearance, appearancesdisappear, disappearance, disappeared,apply: application, applicable, inapplicable,applied, applyingacquaint: acquaintance, unacquainted,acquainting, acquaintedarrange: arrangement, unarranged, arranging,arranged, arrangerattract: attractive, attraction, unattractive,attracted, attractingbelieve: believable, unbelievable, disbelief,
non-believer, believed, believer, believingcare: careful, careless, uncaring, caring,certain: uncertain, certaintychange: changeable, unchangeable,unchanged, changed, changing, unchangingcollect: collective, collection, collectible,collector, collecting, collectedcompete: competition, (un)competitive, non-competitive, competitor, competitiveness,competitively, competently, competency,competence, competingconcentrate: concentration, concentratedconsider: considerable, consideration,considerate, considerately, considerablyinconsiderate, considering, considered
construct: construction, reconstruction,reconstruct, reconstruction, constructive,deconstruct, deconstruction, constructor,unconstructedcontribute: contribution, contributorconvenient: convenience, inconvenient,conveniently, inconvenientlycorrect: corrective, correction, correctness,corrector, incorrect, correctly, correctitude,courage: discourage, discouragementcure: curable, incurable, cured, curing
defense: defensive, defensible, defensiveness,indefensible, defenseless depend: dependable, dependability,independence, independent, dependence,dependant, dependency, undependable,interdependent, independentlydesire: desirable, undesirable, desirous,desirability, desirablenessdetect: detectable, detective, detection,detector, undetecteddevelop: development, undeveloped,developer, developmental, non-developmentdecide: decision, undecided, indecision,decisive, decisiveness, indecisiveness,indecisive, decidedlydictate: dictator, dictatorship, dictation,
dictatorial
direct: direction, indirect, directive, director,misdirect, directness, directly, redirect,directional, directory, directorateedit: editor, edition, editorial, editorship, reediteducate: education, educator, uneducated,educational, educableeffect: effective, effectiveness, effectual,effectualness, ineffective, ineffectual ,effectively, effectuateemploy: employment, employable, unem-ployed, unemployment, employee, employer
engage: engagement, disengage, engaging,enjoy: enjoyable, enjoyment,entertain: entertainment, unentertaining,entertainer, entertainedequal: equality, inequality, unequal, equalling,equalize, equalization, equalizerequip: equipment, unequipped, equipped,equippingexhibit: exhibitor, exhibition, exhibiting,excite: excitement, excitable, unexcited,unexciting, exciting, excitinglyexist: existence, non-existence, non-existent,existent, existential, existentially, existentialism,existentialist expect: expectation, expectant, unexpected,expectantly, expecting, expectancy
expense: expensive, inexpensiveexplain: explanation, explained, explaining,explanatoryfair: unfair, fairness, fairing, fairlyfamous: infamous, famously, fame, famedforget: forgetful, forgetfulness, unforgettable,forgettable, forgot, forgotten, forgetting,forgetfullyfortunate: unfortunate, unfortunately,fortunatelyfrequent: frequency, frequencies, infrequent,
frequently, infrequently, frequenterfriend : friendship, friendliness, friendlygenerate: generator, generation, regenerate,degeneratehabit: habitable, habitation, inhabit, inhabitant,inhabitable, inhabited, uninhabited,uninhabitable, habitat, habitual, habituateharm: harmless, harmful, unharmed,help: helpless, helpful, unhelpful, helper,honest: dishonest, honestly, dishonestlyhope: hopeless, hopeful, hopedimagine: imagination, imaginative,unimaginative, imaginable, unimaginableimportant: importance, unimportant,importantly
impress: impression, impressive, impressed,unimpressive, unimpressionable,impressionable, impressivenessimprove: improvement, unimproved,improvable, improvedinvite: invitation, uninvited, invitational judge: judgment, judgmental, non-judgmental,misjudge, prejudgelike: likely, likeable, unlikely, liken, unlikeable,likeness, disliked, likelihood, likewiseliterate: illiterate, literal, literacy, literature,literally,logic: logical, illogical, logically, logicianlonely: loneliness, lonesome
luck: luckless, unlucky, luckily, luckier/estlegal: legality, illegal, legally, legalize, legalisticlegible: legibility, illegible, legibly, illegibly,illegibilitymanage: management, manageable,unmanageable, mismanage, mismanagement,managed, manager, managerialmature: maturation, maturity, immature,maturely, maturate, maturing, immaturelymember: membership, non-membermodern: modernity, modernization, modernize,modernist
move: moveable, immovable, movement,unmoved, movernature: (un)natural, (un)naturallynotice: noticeable, unnoticed d, noticeablyobserve: observation, unobserved, observant,observance, observable, observational,observatory, observantlyoccasion: occasional, occasionallyoperate: operator, operation, operable,inoperable, operative, operationaloppose: opposition, unopposed, opposable,organize: organization, unorganized,organizational, organizer, disorganizedpatient: impatient, (im)patiently, patience,
perfect: perfection, imperfect, perfectionist,(im)perfectly, perfectionism, imperfection,person: personality, personal, personable,impersonal, personification, impersonator,personae, persona, personage, personalize,personally, personate, personified, personifying,impersonation, personnel, personifyplace: placement, misplace, displace,displacement, placed, misplacedplease: pleasant, displease, pleasantry,pleasantly, pleasantness, pleased, pleasure,pleasurable, pleasurably polite: politeness, impolite, (im)politely,
politic: political, non-political, politicked,politicking, politician, politicization, politicizepopular : popularity, unpopular, popularized,popularly, popularizationprecise: precision, imprecise, imprecision,precisely, imprecisely,present: presentation, presentable, presence,presently, presenter,predict: prediction, predictable, unpredictable,predictor, predictably, predictabilityprefer : preference, preferable, preferential,non-preferred,prepare: preparation, unprepared,preparedness, prepared, preparing
probable: probability, improbable, probablyproduce: production, productive unproductive,productiveness, productivity, productively,producerprofess: profession, professor, professorship,(un)-professional, professionally, professorshipprofessionalism, professorial, professed,possible: possibility, impossible, impossibilitypronounce: pronunciation, unpronouncedpronounceable, pronouncement, pronounced,protect: protection, protective, protectiveness,protector, unprotected, protected, protecting,protectionism, protectorate,
pure: purity, pureness, impure, impurity,impurely, purely, puritan, purify qualify: qualification, unqualified, disqualifiedquality: qualitative, qualitatively react: reactive, reaction, reactant, reactor,reactionaryreal: reality, unreal, realistic, realistically,realism, reallyreason: reasonable, unreasonablerecognize: (un)recognizable, recognitionunrecognized, recognizancerelate: relation, relative, unrelated, relationship,relativityremark: (un)remarkable, remarkably
require: requirement, requisite, requisitionrepute: reputable, disrepute, disreputable,reputation, reputedlyresent: resentful, resentfulness, resentment,resentfullyscarce: scarcely, scarcity,secure: (in)security, insecure, securelyselect: selection, selective, selectiveness,selector, selectivelysense: sensitive, insensitive, sensitivity,insensitivity, sensation, nonsense, sensible,sensibility, senseless, sensual, sensuality,sensibly, sensuous
separate: separation, separable, separateness,inseparable, separator, separately, separatistsettle: settlement, unsettled, settlersimilar: similarity, dissimilarskill: skilful, unskilled, skilledsettle: settlement, unsettled social: sociable, socialization, unsociable solve: solution, unsolved, unsolvable, solvable,dissolve steady: steadiness, unsteady state: statement, statelesssuccess: successful, successor, succession,successive, unsuccessfultact: tactful, tactless, tactlessness
taste: tasteful, tasteless, distastefultrain: trainable, untrained, untrainabletradition: traditional, non-traditionaltreat: treatment, treatable, untreatable,mistreat, mistreatment understand: understandable, misunderstand,misunderstanding, understandablyuse: useful, useless, useable, misuse, disuse,usefulness, uselessness value: valuable, valueless, invaluablevary: variety, variation, variable, variant verb: verbal, non-verbalwonder : wonderful, wonderment, wondrous
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Game 2 Instructions (Card 1)
Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6
players. You’ll need more than one deckfor larger classes unless you want to havestudents play as a pair. One student is the
judge and takes the set of cards with allthe affixed words on them. The judge
places the cards with the affixed words in
front of him/her. The player to the left o fthe judge is the dealer. The dealer deals 4
cards to each player, puts the pile in thecentre and then picks up the top cardfrom the pile and adds it to his/her hand.Dealer then chooses one card from
his/her hand and puts it in the centre.Play moves to the left as players mustuse the prefix/suffix on that card to form
words with one of words on their cards.Each card is played on top of the firstcard so that the affix on the first card
remains visible and is always the one thatis played upon. If a player can’t combinea word from one of his/her cards, they
place one of their cards upside down onthe pile, still allowing the original affix
on the first card to show.
Game 2 Instructions (Card 2)
Judge determines legitimacy of each
word and each player uses it in asentence. The dealer plays last card. Thelast card played face-up takes the trick,
meaning that all cards in played in thatround are given to the last player tosuccessfully form an affixed word.
Winner of each trick starts the play by picking a card from the pile and choosing
a card to start with. Tricks taken aretotaled at the end of each round and each
player’s points are written down. Themaximum score will be 4. Then dealer
and judge roles move to the left. Trickswhere no cards are played face-up are notwon by anyone and are placed t o one
side. The object of this game is to take a smany tricks as you can while you aredealer and to “steal” as many from other
dealers when you are not
Another wrinkle you can add to this
game is to ask the judge to write downthe sentences used by the players. Thisway you can check them for accuracy
after the game and take up any errors.
Game 1 Instructions (Card 1)
Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6
players. You will need more than onedeck for larger classes unless you want tohave students play as a pair. One student
is the judge and takes the set of cardswith all the affixed words on them. The
judge places the cards with the affixed
words in front of him/her. The student tothe left of the judge is the dealer. The
dealer deals four cards to each player.Each player chooses their worst card and
passes it face down to the player on theright, who then picks it up and adds it to
their hand. The dealer then puts a carddown in the centre of the table. Next
player puts down another card on top of
it to form a word by combining either ofthe two words on the first card with asuffix /prefix on his/her card or vice
versa, meaning they combine the affix onthe card in the centre with either of thetwo words on their card.
Game 1 Instructions (Card 2)
The judge checks the word on the
Judge’s Cards and if the word islegitimate, the student uses that word in asentence. Play continues to the left in the
same way. If a player cannot play, he/she places a card face down in front ofhis/herself. Once all cards have been
played, each player counts the cards they placed face down in front of them and
that number is subtracted from 4 (totalnumber of cards they started with) togive them the final score for that r ound.The scores for each player are written on
a score sheet. For the subsequent rounds,all cards are collected and shu ffled andthe judge and dealer roles move one
player to the left.
Note: any word which uses the root cardand a suffix/prefix card is allowed. Thus,
the “profess” card is combinable with“al” to form “professional” even if the
player does not have the “ion” card. The
winner of the game is the one with thehighest score at the end.