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.
0 Comments