English Vocabulary in Use Advanced » Unit 88: Word-building and word-blending

Word List
  • auto-
  • bio-
  • breathalyser
  • brunch
  • cyber-
  • de-
  • docudrama
  • -graph-
  • -gress-
  • guesstimate
  • heliport
  • -ics
  • mono-
  • motel
  • -ology
  • -phon-
  • post-
  • pre-
  • retro-
  • smog
  • techno-
  • tele-
  • webinar
Exercises

88.1 ‣ Using information from the table in A, explain the basic meanings of these words.

  1. biography =
  2. monologue = _____
  3. telephone = _____
  4. autobiography = _____
  5. phonology = _____
  6. to retrogress = _____
  7. graphology = _____
  8. to destabilise = _____
  9. autograph = _____

88.2 ‣ Look at the following word parts. Use a dictionary to find two new words beginning with these and write them in your vocabulary notebook. Choose only words that use the meanings studied in this unit. Postman, for example, clearly has not been formed using the prefix post- meaning ‘after’.

  1. mono _____
  2. techno _____
  3. retro _____
  4. tele _____
  5. auto _____
  6. pre _____
  7. post _____
  8. bio _____

88.3 ‣ Rewrite these sentences, replacing the underlined words with a word that includes the word part given. Use a dictionary if necessary.

  1. I had to put off my trip to Japan. (post)
  2. She asked the singer for his signature on the back of her table napkin. (graph)
    _____
  3. She took a degree in the science of crime at Stockholm University. (ology)
    _____
  4. The novel is largely based on the writer’s own life. (bio)
    _____
  5. It’s an exhibition looking back at the painter’s life and work. (retro)
    _____
  6. He believes in the idea that you can cure yourself by suggesting to yourself that you are cured. (auto)
    _____
  7. Working at home and keeping in contact with the office by phone, text-messaging and email is now quite common. (tele)
    _____
  8. Some English philosophers in the 19th century believed in the abolition of industry. (de)
    _____
  9. Crime committed through the internet is a huge cause for concern. (cyber)
    _____

88.4 ‣ Rewrite these sentences, replacing the underlined word with an explanatory phrase.

  1. Most of the time, planes fly on autopilot.
  2. The firm makes job applicants do a graphology test.
    _____
  3. The school always takes very seriously any case of cyberbullying.
    _____
  4. Matt’s a bit of a technophobe.
    _____
  5. He’s giving a paper at a pre-conference event in Spain.
    _____
  6. She did a course in informatics.
    _____

88.5 ‣ What words have been combined to make these blends? What do you think they mean?

  1. infomercial _____
  2. podcast _____
  3. camcorder _____
  4. veggieburger _____
  5. swimathon _____
  6. freeware _____
Answer Key
A ‣ Common well-established word parts

Many literary or academic words in English are formed using Latin and ancient Greek prefixes and roots. Many English speakers are not aware of the meanings of the word parts listed here, but knowing them can help you to understand and remember new words.

word partmeaningexample
auto-selfan autonomous region [self-ruling]
bio-life, living thingsbiodegradable packaging [able to decay naturally]
cyber-relating to computers and robotsa cybercafé [café where customers can use computers and the internet]
de-opposite actiondemotivate [make someone feel less interested and enthusiastic about something]
mono-single, onemonocycle [cycle with just one wheel]
-graph-writinga monograph [long article or short book on a single subject that the writer has studied for a long time]
-gress-step, walk, goa congress [a conference, i.e. a meeting where people come together]
-icsan area of study or knowledgeobstetrics [the study of pregnancy and childbirth]
-phon-soundphonetics [the study of human speech sounds]
-ologystudycriminology [the study of crime and criminals]
pre- (opp. = post-)beforeprepaid tickets [tickets paid for in advance]
retro-back, backwardsretroactive law [taking effect from a date in the past]
techno-relating to advanced machinestechnophobia [fear of using technology such as computers]
tele-over a distancetelepathic experience [feeling something from a distance]

Language help

Although the word parts above will help you to understand words, you cannot use them as freely to form new words as the prefixes and suffixes in Units 86 and 87.

B ‣ Blends

An interesting, if much less common, way of forming words is by combining two well-established words, e.g. brunch = a meal that is a combination of breakfast and lunch.

heliport: a place where helicopters can land and take off (helicopter + airport)

smog: polluted fog (smoke + fog)

motel: a roadside hotel for people travelling by car (motor + hotel)

webinar: a seminar delivered over the internet via a designated website (web + seminar)

guesstimate: an approximate calculation (guess + estimate; verb = to guesstimate)

docudrama: TV programme that dramatises real historical events (documentary + drama)

breathalyser: a device to find out how much alcohol a person has drunk (breath + analyse)

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