There are four main kinds of word formation: prefixes, suffixes, conversion and compounds.
Prefixes
We add prefixes before the base or stem of a word.
examples
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prefixes
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monorail, monolingual
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mono- means ‘one’
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multipurpose, multicultural
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multi- means ‘many’
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post-war, postgraduate
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post- means ‘after’
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unusual, undemocratic
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un- means ‘not’ or ‘opposite to’
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Suffixes
We add suffixes after the base or stem of a word. The main purpose of a suffix is to show what class of word it is (e.g. noun or adjective).
examples
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suffixes
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terrorism, sexism
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-ism and -dom are used to form nouns
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employer, actor
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-er and -or are used to form nouns to describe people who do things
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widen, simplify
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-en and -ify are used to form verbs
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reasonable, unprofitable
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-able is used to form adjectives
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unhappily, naturally
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-ly is a common suffix used to form adverbs
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