Part 3: Word formation

Part 3: Word formation

Key task information

• The task consists of a short, gapped text. Candidates have to change the form of the word in capitals, e.g. COMMON to COMMONLY, to best fit the gap on the same line. • The answer is always one word. Note that contractions (I’ll, didn’t, etc.) count as two words. • Incorrect punctuation is ignored, but spelling must be correct. • Each word in capitals only applies to the gap on the same line. • The focus is on vocabulary and grammar.

• Activities focused on word families, e.g., compete, competition/s, competitor/s, competitive, competitively are useful. For example, teams could race to brainstorm the most words from a given root word or categorise words from the same family by part of speech, e.g., noun, adjective, adverb. • Familiarise students with general rules related to prefixes and suffixes. For example, il, un, dis, mis suggest negative meaning. • Sometimes the missing word is plural or internal changes are needed (e.g., long to length), so it is a good idea to provide particular practice of such transformations. • The Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary includes information about the related forms of a word.

Encourage students to research and record them in their vocabulary notebooks or on vocabulary cards.