FORMATION AND TRANSFORMATION OF WORDS

   by PROF MUNAWAR ALI MALIK

            English language is immensely rich in vocabulary. And it is growing richer everyday by absorbing words from other languages and coinage ( formation of new words) by speakers and writers of English all over the world.

            Formation and Transformation of words lends beauty, variety and effectiveness to expression. We can say the same thing in many different ways by using a word as a Verb, Noun and Adjective.

                        I was able to pass the test by hard work

                                    ( able = Adjective)

                        Hard work gave me the ability to pass the test.
                                    ( ability = Noun)

                        Hard work enabled me to pass the test.

                                    ( enabled = Verb)

            Transformation of words means converting a word into various Parts of Speech like changing a Noun into Verb, Adjective or Adverb etc. e.g

Noun                               Verb                              Adjective                            Adverb

beauty                         beautify                           beautiful                              beautifully

Sometimes a word is transformed into an Antonym ( word of opposite meaning) e.g

                                                understand-----misunderstand

                                                possible--------impossible

            In most  cases of Transformation, a Prefix or Suffix is added to the original word to make a new word.

            A Prefix means a letter or a group of letters added at the start of a word, e.g

                                                like----------alike

                                                able----------unable

                                                possible------impossible

                                                lead----------mislead

            A Suffix means a letter or a group of letters added at the end of a word e.g.

                                                kind---------kindness

                                                state---------statement

                                                real---------reality

                                                man---------manhood/mankind

            Sometimes the e at the end of a word is dropped before adding a Suffix. e.g

                                                write-------writing

                                                take--------taking

                                                approve----approval

            When a Verb ends in a Consonant, and there is a single Vowel before the Consonant, the Consonant is doubled before adding the Suffix ed or ing e.g

                        stop                             stopping                      stopped

                        run                               running

                        sit                                sitting

            This rule does not apply to some Verbs that end in en

open                            opening                       opened

                        happen                        happening                   happened       

When full is used as a Suffix, the last l  is dropped, e.g

                        help                             helpful

                        respect                        respectful

When a word ends in y , the y  is replaced with i before adding ful e.g

                        beauty                         beautiful

                        plenty                          plentiful

Use of Important Prefixes and Suffixes

A)                Prefixes               

1. a ------------alike, alive, abate
2. ab-----------abnormal, aboriginal
3. ac-----------acclaim, acquit
4. ad-----------adjoin, adjudge
5. anti---------antisocial, anticlimax
6. be-----------belittle, befriend
7. bi------------bicycle, biannual
8. by-----------bypass, by-product
9. counter----counterpart, counter-attack
10. de-----------decode, defrost, defend
11. dis----------disbelieve, discharge, displease
12. en-----------enlarge, endanger, enlist
13. em----------empower, employ
14. ex-----------ex-principal, ex-president
15. extra-------extraordinary, extra-careful
16. im---------- impossible, immovable, impassable
17. in----------- inactive, insecure
18. inter------- internet, intercom
19. ir----------- irresponsible, irrelevant
20. non---------nonsense, non-existent
21. post---------post-paid, post-colonial, post-graduate
22. pre----------pre-budget, pre-paid, pre-natal
23. pro----------pro-people, pro-Islam
24. sub----------substandard, submerge
25. un-----------unpleasant, unfavourable, unconscious 

B)                Suffixes

1. ----able                        respectable, comfortable, serviceable
2. ----age                         postage, mileage, breakage
3. ----al                            verbal, survival, postal
4. ----ence                       confidence, absence, presence
5. ----ance                       compliance, assistance
6. ----ary              budgetary, supplementary
7. ----ate                          doctorate, electorate
8. ----ative                       creative, initiative
9. ----ator                        creator, dictator, calculator
10. ----ee                           employee, selectee, refugee
11. ----en                           golden, wooden
12. ----er                            teacher, leader, reader
13. ----ful                           respectful, beautiful, awful
14. ----hood                       boyhood, childhood, manhood
15. ----ing                          reading, playing, walking
16. ----ion                          confession, discussion, suppression
17. ----ish                          childish, girlish, boyish
18. ----ism                         criticism, socialism, feminism
19. ----ist                           socialist, imperialist
20. ----ty/ity                       cruelty, reality, security
21. ----less                         careless, shameless, hopeless
22. ----ment                       settlement, statement,
23. ----ship                        dictatorship, scholarship
24. ----some                      quarrelsome, awesome
25. ----wise                        clockwise, otherwise, lengthwise

Prefixes and Suffixes play a very important role in word formation. They are used in interchange of Parts of Speech like changing Nouns into Verbs, Adjectives or Adverbs and vice versa. They are also used in making Antonyms e.g

                        able                             unable

                        careful                         careless

                        correct                        incorrect

Suffixes are also used to change the Nouns of male gender into female e.g

                        lion                              lioness

                        hero                             heroine

Suffixes are added to make Plural Nouns from Singular e.g

                        book                            books

                        box                              boxes

                        leaf                              leaves

                        story                            stories

Compound Nouns are often used in modern English. They are formed by combining two Nouns to give a single meaning e.g

                        teacup

                        schoolmaster

                        headmaster

                        bank manager

                        civil judge

                        water cooler

     

       Besides the use of the methods of word formation given above, new words are always pouring in through adoption of words from other languages and coinage by writers.