Unit 71: Suffixes: forming nouns

English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 71: Suffixes: forming nouns

Word List

Exercises

71.1 ‣ Write down the names of the people who do these things as a job.

sing opera music
act in films _____
important managers in a company _____
change words from one language into another _____
play football _____
dance in ballets _____
paint pictures _____
work in science _____

71.2 ‣ Complete the text using words from the box with the correct suffix and spelling. One word also needs a prefix.

~~weak~~
improve
govern
economics
able
manage
discuss

“ In his speech last night, the prime minister said that the present ¹ of the economy was caused by the bad ²_____ of the last ³_____ and their ⁴_____ to give the right kind of help for industry. He said he was now involved in detailed ⁵_____ with ministers, bankers and ⁶_____ about a range of different financial measures, and he hoped the people would be able to see a big ⁷_____ in the economy by the end of the year. ”

71.3 ‣ Complete the dialogues.

A: He hasn’t been well at all, has he?
B: No, it’s quite a serious .
A: Are they almost the same?
B: Yes, the _____ is amazing.
A: Has anyone made anything like this before?
B: No, it’s a brand-new _____.
A: Is her new novel going to be published in other languages?
B: Yes, someone is working on a _____ right now.
A: Does your daughter enjoy drawing too?
B: Yes, she’s a very good _____.
A: Javier gets tired after he’s been playing for about ten minutes.
B: I know. If he wants to be in the team, he’ll have to improve his _____.
A: Do you think the organisation can still grow?
B: Yes, I think there is an opportunity for further _____.

Answer Key

A ‣ Verb + noun suffix

A ‣ Verb + noun suffix

Suffixes are used at the ends of words; they often tell you if a word is a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb. Two suffixes which form nouns from verbs are -ion and -ment.

verb	noun
invent [produce or design something completely new]	invention
discuss [talk about something seriously]	discussion
translate [change from one language to another]	translation
relax [rest, and feel calm and comfortable]	relaxation
improve [get better]	improvement
govern [control the affairs of a city or country]	government
manage [direct or control a business]	management
develop [grow or change and become more advanced]	development

His latest invention is a new board game.

The management has to change.

Relaxation will help you to sleep better.

I need money for more development.

We had a discussion about politics.

We need an improvement in the weather.

B ‣ Adjective + noun suffix

B ‣ Adjective + noun suffix

The suffixes -ness and -ity often form nouns from adjectives.

adjective	noun
weak (opp strong)	weakness
happy	happiness
ill [sick, not well]	illness
fit [in good condition, usually because of exercise]	fitness
stupid (opp intelligent, clever)	stupidity
popular [liked by a lot of people]	popularity
similar [almost the same; opp different]	similarity
able	ability (opp inability)

What is his main weakness as a manager?

Fortunately it wasn’t a serious illness.

Snowboarding is growing in popularity.

There is a similarity between them.

I’m frustrated by my inability to use computers.

Her happiness is all that matters to me.

C ‣ -er,-or and -ist C ‣ -er,-or and -ist

C ‣ -er,-or and -ist

These suffixes can be added to nouns or verbs. They often describe people and jobs.

-er	-or	-ist
ballet dancer	company director	artist, e.g. Picasso
pop singer	translator	economist
professional footballer	film actor	scientist

Language help

Adding a suffix to a verb, adjective or noun may change the position of the main stress, e.g. re'lax – relax'ation, 'stupid – stu'pidity, eco'nomics – e'conomist.
(The ' symbol is before the syllable with the main stress.)

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