Skip to content
Zorg Space Open the app

English grammar

Making one word into four

B2 · Upper intermediate Nouns and describing Questions 10

The rule

Most B2 vocabulary is not new roots but new forms of roots you already have. Decide gives decision, decisive, decisively, indecision, undecided. Knowing the common endings halves the work: -tion, -ment, -ance, -ity for nouns; -ise, -en, -ify for verbs; -able, -ful, -less, -ive, -al for adjectives; -ly for adverbs. The prefixes carry meaning too: un-, in-, im-, il-, ir- and dis- for the negative, mis- for wrongly, over- and under- for too much and too little, re- for again.

Pattern

noun: -tion / -ment / -ance / -ity · verb: -ise / -en / -ify · adjective: -able / -ful / -less / -ive / -al · negative: un- / in- / im- / il- / ir- / dis-

Examples

  1. Their indecision cost us the whole summer.

  2. The report was decisive and unusually readable.

  3. She misread the date and arrived a week early.

  4. The flat is unquestionably overpriced for the area.

Common mistakes

  • Wrong: The decide was taken in March.

    Right: The decision was taken in March.

    The noun of decide is decision.

  • Wrong: It is unpossible to read.

    Right: It is impossible to read.

    Before p, the negative prefix is im-.

  • Wrong: He read it wrongly and signed it.

    Right: He misread it and signed it.

    mis- carries wrongly in one word.

Practice questions

Try each one yourself first, then open “Show answer” for the solution and the reason.

  1. 1Choose the correct sentence.

    1. Their response was immediate and disshelpful.
    2. Their response was immediate and imhelpful.
    3. Their response was immediate and inhelpful.
    4. Their response was immediate and unhelpful.
    Show answer

    Answer: D Their response was immediate and unhelpful.

    The negative of helpful is unhelpful.

  2. 2Choose the correct sentence.

    1. The clause is inrelevant to this case.
    2. The clause is irrelevant to this case.
    3. The clause is disrelevant to this case.
    4. The clause is unrelevant to this case.
    Show answer

    Answer: B The clause is irrelevant to this case.

    Before r, the prefix is ir-.

  3. 3Choose the correct sentence.

    1. We need to clarifyation the second paragraph.
    2. We need to clarifing the second paragraph.
    3. We need to clarify the second paragraph.
    4. We need to clarification the second paragraph.
    Show answer

    Answer: C We need to clarify the second paragraph.

    clarify is the verb; clarification the noun.

  4. 4Fill in the gap.

    Her _____ to reply was taken as a refusal.

    1. failed
    2. fail
    3. failure
    4. failing to
    Show answer

    Answer: C Her failure to reply was taken as a refusal.

    The noun of fail is failure.

  5. 5Fill in the gap.

    The instructions were completely _____ .

    1. incomprehensible
    2. imcomprehensible
    3. uncomprehensible
    4. discomprehensible
    Show answer

    Answer: A The instructions were completely incomprehensible .

    The prefix here is in-.

  6. 6Fill in the gap.

    They _____ the risk and lost a week.

    1. underestimate of
    2. underestimated
    3. underestimation
    4. underestimating
    Show answer

    Answer: B They underestimated the risk and lost a week.

    under- plus the verb.

  7. 7Fill in the gap.

    The whole process needs to be _____ .

    1. simply
    2. simplification
    3. simplified
    4. simpleness
    Show answer

    Answer: C The whole process needs to be simplified .

    simplify is the verb, here passive.

  8. 8Fill in the gap.

    His account of it was completely _____ .

    1. inconsistent
    2. disconsistent
    3. imconsistent
    4. unconsistent
    Show answer

    Answer: A His account of it was completely inconsistent .

    The prefix is in- before c.

  9. 9This sentence is wrong. Choose the fix.

    Which sentence is wrong?

    1. The agency was completely unwilling to help.
    2. The agency showed a complete unwilling to help.
    3. The agency would not help at all.
    4. The agency showed a complete unwillingness to help.
    Show answer

    Answer: B The agency showed a complete unwilling to help.

    After a complete you need the noun unwillingness, not the adjective.

  10. 10This sentence is wrong. Choose the fix.

    Which sentence is wrong?

    1. It is unlegal to charge that fee.
    2. It is unlawful to charge that fee.
    3. It is illegal to charge that fee.
    4. That fee is not lawful.
    Show answer

    Answer: A It is unlegal to charge that fee.

    Before l, the prefix is il-.

Practise this lesson in Zorg Space

In the app every rule becomes interactive practice: instant correction, reviews at the moment you are about to forget, and progress you can see from level to level — free.

Start for free

More in «Nouns and describing»