Vocabulary building

• -tion/-sion = Action (demonstration, expansion, admission, exploration, authorization)
• -ment = action or its result (punishment, argument, development, enlargement, unemployment)
• -al = Action or its result (denial, refusal, trial, renewal, proposal)
• -ance/-ence = Action or result (dependence, attendance, acceptance, interference)

Suffixes

Noun Suffixes

• -ship = State or condition (friendship, citizenship, leadership, authorship, membership)
• -cy = state or condition (bankruptcy, constancy, decency, accuracy, normalcy)
• -ry/-ery = Action, condition, occupation (slavery, foolery, dentistry, cookery, chemistry)
• -ility/-ity/-ty = state or condition (ability, simplicity, cruelty, readability, visibility, stability)
• - er = profession, purposeful device, origin of persons (banker, bookseller, container, locker, Londoner)
• -ee = sb affected by s th/sb (employee, chatee, interviewee, evaqcuee)
• -ant/-ent = sb who carries out (servant, inhabitant, informant, solvent)
• -ing = result (building, clothing, painting)
• -ify = to make, to cause (simplify, prettify, classify, exemplify, justify)
• -ize/-ise = to make, to treat in the way of (civilize, organize, Americanize, legalize, nationalize, popularize)
• -en = to make, to make become (shorten, blacken, darken, harden, weaken, widen, sadden, deafen, deepen)
• -ate = to add or provide with (urinate, ventilate, dehydrate, duplicate, differentiate)

Verb Suffixes

• -able/-ible = sth that is/can be (drinkable , available, breakable, portable, reliable, responsible, audible)
• -al = of the nature/origin of (natural, tridal, accidental, musical, criminal, educational, editorial, continental)
• -en = materials (wooden, woolen, golden/gold)
• -ese/-an/-ian/-ish = origin (Japanese, Portuguese, British, Turkish, German, Russian)

Adjective Suffixes [1]

• -ful = full of, of the nature of (doubtful, powerful, careful, useful, helpful, spoonful, handful, tactful)
• -ic = of the nature of (comic, domestic, aristocratic, dramatic, phonetic, systematic, energetic)
• -ical = of the nature of (economical, biological, comical, historical)
• -ing = sth experienced like (amazing, amusing, shocking)

Adjective Suffixes [2]

• -less = devoid of (homeless, endless, careless, spotless, thoughtless, jobless, nameless)
• -ly = periodic occurrence (daily, monthly, yearly, quarterly)
• -like = behaving like (childlike, gentlemanlike, godlike)
• -ward = in the direction of (homeward, eastward, onward, backward, forward)
• -y = of the nature of (funny, rusty, bony, nervy, catchy, sticky, headachy, classy)

Adjective Suffixes [3]

• a- = not, lacking in, not affected by (amoral, atheist, asymmetry, asexual, apolitical)
• dis- = not, absolute opposite (disloyal, distrust, disabled, dislike, disagree, disadvantage)
• non- = lacking in (non – fiction, non-political, non-neutral)

Prefixes

Negative prefixes [1]

• un- = opposite (unhappy, unfair, unreal, unexpected, unproductive) Before words of French origin:

• in – (insane, injustice, intolerance, inconvenient)
• il - = before I – (illegal, illogical)
• im - = before P – (imperfect, impatient, improbable, immture)
• ir - = before r - (irregular, irresponsible, irreplaceable, irrelevant)

Negative prefixes [2]

• Economic – deal with economy
• Economical – less wasteful
• Economically is the adverb form of both words
• Historical – took place in history, it is from the past
• Historic – has significance in the history (event, person)
• Historically is the adverb form of both words

Beware the differences

• Alternate = /ɔ : 1 ‘ t3 : (r) nət/ adj. following by turns, one after the other, a substitute or second, every other in a series
• Alernately is the adverb form
• Alternate / ‘ɔːltə (r) neɪt/ = verb related to the adjective = to go back and forth
• Alternative = adj. /ɔ : 1 ‘t3 : (r) nətIV/, noun /ɔ : 1 ‘t3 : (r) nətIV/, refers to be able to be used instead of sth, the other choice
• Alternatively is the adverb form
• Bad = adjectives, describes nouns or pronouns, often used with verbs like look, feel, sound, or to be.
  Example:
  Incorrect: She felt badly about missing the date.
  Correct: She felt bad about missing the date.
• Badly = adverb, describes verbs and should be used with all verbs other than linking verbs. It usually answers the question “How?”
  Example:
  Incorrect: Mudville played bad last night.
  Correct: Mudville played badly last night.
• Continual = repeated again and again
• Continuous = uninterrupted
• It was continually interrupted by the telephone.
• It rained continuously for forty-eight hours.
• Different from X Different than?
• Different from is standard English – proper use
• Different than is nonstandard – improper use
• Special = adj. = particular, designed for a particular purpose
• Specially = adv. = particularly, for a particular purpose
• Especial = adj. = exceptional, noteworthy, particular
• Especially = adv. = exceptionally, in a noteworthy manner, or particularly
  Example:
  In the sense of particular or particularly – synonyms
  Stressing the exceptional quality = especial/especially
  Stressing the distinctive purpose of something = special/specially
  This program has specially designed macros for word processors. X He did especially well in All-Star Game
• Farther = length or distance = comparative form of far when referring to distance
• Further = to a greater degree, additional, additionally. It refers to time or amount = comparative form of far when meaning much
  Example:
  London is farther north than Juneau. (distance)
  This plan requires further study. (additional study, refers to amount)
  According to my timetable, we should be further along. (time)
• Good = adj. = describes nouns or pronouns, used also with verbs like look, feel, sound, taste, or be to describe the subject
  Example:
  Incorrect: The coffee tasted well this morning.
  Correct: The coffee tasted good this morning.
  Correct: The pitcher is looking good today.
• Well = adv. = describes verbs (sometimes adjectives), used with most other verbs
• Well as an adj. means healthy
  Example:
  Correct: He pitches well.
  Incorrect: I do not feel very good.
  Correct: I do not feel very well. (healthy)
• Number of Amount?
• Use the word amount with quantities that cannot be counted and number with quantities that could be counted one-by-one.
• He had a small amount of ammunition left.
• He had a small number of bullets left.
• Perspective = noun = point of view, especially the ability to see the whole of something (in art- the ability to draw three dimensional objects using two dimensional ones)
  The prefix per-means completely
• Prospective = adj. = future or potential
  The prefix pro – means forward
• Prospect = noun form
  The Latin root of both words, -spect-, means to see. So perspective literally means seeing completely and prospective means seeing ahead.
• Quote = verb = to repeat the words of a writer or speaker
• Quotation = noun = words quoted, the act of quoting
• Quotation marks = punctuation marks used to highlight a written quotation
  Example:
  Correct: He quoted Shakespeare frequently.
  Incorrect: We listened to a long quote from the government report.
  Correct: We listened to a long quotation from the government report.
  Incorrect: You need to put this part in quotes.
  Correct: You need to put this part in quotation marks.
• Raise = to make higher, to build, to nurture and cause to grow. It is normally transitive, that is, the action is done to something or someone else. It is a regular verb.
• Rise = to get up, become elevated. It is never transitive. The past tense is rose; the past participle, risen.
  Example:
  They raised the barn in two days.
  He was raised by his grandparents.
  The sun rises and sets every day.
• Real = adjective, modifies only nouns or pronouns
• Really = adverb, modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs
• Correct: He stayed at hotels with real class.
  (Class is a noun. The adjective modifies it.)
• Incorrect: He stayed at a real classy hotel.
  (Classy is an adjective. It should be modified by an adverb.)
• Correct: He stayed at a really classy hotel.
  (The adjective classy is modified by the adverb.)
• Sure = adjective, modifies nouns or pronouns
• Surely = adverb, modifies verbs, adjectives, or adverbs
• Correct: It is a sure thing.
  (Thing is a noun. An adjective modifies it.)
• Incorrect: It is sure hot outside.
  (Hot is an adjective. It should be modified by an adverb.)
• Correct: It is surely hot outside.
  (Hot is an adjective. An adverb modifies it.)
• Borrow = from someone
• Lend = to someone
  Example:
  Can I borrow your bike, please?
  I can lend you my bike if you want.

• Bring = to carry to a nearer place from a more distant one
• Take = to carry to a more distant place from a nearer one
  Example:
  Bring that file over here.
  Take this package to the post office.
• Learn = to educate oneself
• Teach = to educate others
  Example:
  I am a student and I am learning about adjectives.
  She is teaching us how to use adjectives.
• Try And or Try To?
• Try and followed by a verb is nonstandard = improper use
• Always use try to
  Example:
  Incorrect: Try and do it again.
  Correct: Try to do it again.