Formation of words
refers to the process of creating new words in a language by combining
different parts of words or adding prefixes and suffixes to existing words. New
words are created in response to the changing needs of society and culture, and
also to fill gaps in the language to express new ideas or concepts. The
formation of words allows the language to evolve and adapt to new circumstances
and situations.
For example, the word
"selfie" is a recent addition to the English language, which was
created by combining "self" and "photo" to describe a
self-portrait photograph taken with a smartphone or camera. Similarly, the word
"unfriend" was created by adding the prefix "un-" to the
word "friend" to describe the act of removing someone from your list
of friends on social media.
The formation of words
in a language follows certain rules. Here are some common rules that govern the
formation of words:
Prefixes and
Suffixes: Many words can be formed by adding prefixes or
suffixes to base words. For example, the prefix "un-" can be added to
the base word "happy" to form the word "unhappy," while the
suffix "-ly" can be added to the base word "quick" to form
the word "quickly."
Following is a list of some common prefixes and suffixes:
Prefixes:
1. un-
(e.g., unhappy, untidy)
2. dis-
(e.g., disagree, disobey)
3. pre-
(e.g., preview, preheat)
4. post-
(e.g., postgraduate, postwar)
5. re-
(e.g., reheat, review)
6. mis-
(e.g., misunderstand, mislead)
7. bi-
(e.g., bicycle, bisexual)
8. tri-
(e.g., triangle, tricycle)
9. anti-
(e.g., antibiotic, anti-inflammatory)
10.
micro- (e.g., microscope, microbiology)
11.
mega- (e.g., megabyte, megaphone)
12.
ultra- (e.g., ultraviolet, ultrasonic)
13.
semi- (e.g., semicircle, semi-final)
14.
multi- (e.g., multimedia, multinational)
15.
ex- (e.g., ex-boyfriend, ex-president)
16.
in- (e.g., incomplete, incorrect)
17.
inter- (e.g., international, interact)
18.
over- (e.g., overlook, overreact)
19.
out- (e.g., outgoing, outperform)
20.
under- (e.g., underestimate, underpaid)
21.
up- (e.g., upgrade, uplift)
22.
co- (e.g., cooperate, co-author)
23.
de- (e.g., decompose, deactivate)
24.
en- (e.g., enable, enrich)
25.
fore- (e.g., forecast, forehead)
26.
mid- (e.g., midnight, midway)
27.
sub- (e.g., submarine, subpar)
28.
super- (e.g., superhero, superstar)
Suffixes:
1. -able/-ible
(e.g., comfortable, incredible)
2. -ful
(e.g., beautiful, grateful)
3. -less
(e.g., helpless, endless)
4. -ly
(e.g., quickly, slowly)
5. -ment
(e.g., improvement, development)
6. -ness
(e.g., kindness, happiness)
7. -ous/-eous
(e.g., dangerous, courageous)
8. -er/-or
(e.g., teacher, actor)
9. -ist
(e.g., artist, scientist)
10.
-tion/-sion (e.g., invention, decision)
11.
-ity/-ty (e.g., integrity, beauty)
12.
-ive/-ative/-itive (e.g., creative,
innovative, positive)
13.
-ize/-ise (e.g., organize, advertise)
14.
-able/-ible (e.g., comfortable,
incredible)
15.
-ful (e.g., beautiful, grateful)
16.
-less (e.g., helpless, endless)
17.
-ly (e.g., quickly, slowly)
18.
-ment (e.g., improvement, development)
19.
-ness (e.g., kindness, happiness)
20.
-ous/-eous (e.g., dangerous, courageous)
21.
-er/-or (e.g., teacher, actor)
22.
-ist (e.g., artist, scientist)
23.
-tion/-sion (e.g., invention, decision)
24.
-ity/-ty (e.g., integrity, beauty)
25.
-ive/-ative/-itive (e.g., creative,
innovative, positive)
26.
-ize/-ise (e.g., organize, advertise)