FCE Word Formation

Hello, My name's Peter Travis from Flo-Joe and this is the latest in our series of videos looking at the updated Cambridge English First or FCE exam which launches in 2015. In this video we're looking at Part 3 of the Reading and Use of English Paper - Word Formation.

Here's an example Word Formation task which appears in the FCE handbook - which you can download from the Cambridge English website. The task consists of a short text with 8 gaps - with an additional gap as the example at the beginning. The candidate has to complete each gap with the correct form of the stem word that appears in CAPITALS at the end of the line. In the example, the stem word is 'common' and the correct form is shown as 'commonly'.

Language Skills
So, part 3 tests your knowledge of the way words are formed in English, including the use of prefixes and suffixes, and spelling rules associated with these changes. Let's try some examples.

Verbs to nouns
The stem - given- word could be a verb and the required word to fill the gap might be a noun. Nouns are often formed with a suffix such as 'ment', 'ion', 'ness', 'ence' ect. What are the noun forms of these verbs. The answers will appear in a few seconds.

enjoy/promote/depend/weaken

Adjectives from nouns
The required word will often be an adjective and you'll need to identify the correct suffix, for example, 'like', 'ous', 'ful'. What are the adjective forms of these nouns?

romance/wonder/child/poison

Forming opposites
We often use prefixes to create the opposite form of adjectives. Some common prefixes include 'im', 'in', 'un' , 'dis'. What are the opposites of these adjectives?

possible/sensitive/necessary/honest

Exam Tips
Read the complete text first to get a global understanding of the content.

Examine the sentence structure to identify the part of speech required, such as a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

Use your understanding of the context to decide if the missing word is positive or negative.

That's the end of this video. If you'd like further practice in the new FCE exam visit the Flo-Joe website at www.flo-joe.co.uk.