Word-formation families Exercises

The gap is a verb slot: use a base-form verb, then check which action the context requires. The deciding cue is “evidence to work out which cause”: it identifies the meaning “reach a conclusion from evidence”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “infer” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “We can infer the likely cause.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “conclusion drawn from evidence”: it identifies the meaning “conclusion drawn from evidence”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “inference” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “That inference goes beyond the available data.”.

The gap is a verb slot: use a base-form verb, then check which action the context requires. The deciding cue is “sufficient reason to accept the risk”: it identifies the meaning “give sufficient reasons for a claim or action”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “justify” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The savings do not justify the risk.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “offers no”: it identifies the meaning “sufficient reason supporting an action or claim”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “justification” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The report offers no justification for secrecy.”.

The gap is a verb slot: use a base-form verb, then check which action the context requires. The deciding cue is “programme can continue”: it identifies the meaning “keep something continuing over time”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “sustain” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The grant will sustain the programme.”.

The gap describes a property, either before a noun or after the linking verb, so it needs an adjective rather than an action or a named result. The deciding cue is “funding model”: it identifies the meaning “able to continue without exhausting resources”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “sustainable” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “We need a sustainable funding model.”.

The gap is a verb slot: use a base-form verb, then check which action the context requires. The deciding cue is “pattern of damage”: it identifies the meaning “reach a conclusion from evidence”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “infer” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “From the pattern of damage, investigators can infer the direction of impact.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “conclusion was not directly stated”: it identifies the meaning “conclusion drawn from evidence”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “inference” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The conclusion was not directly stated; it was an inference based on the evidence.”.

The gap is a verb slot: use a base-form verb, then check which action the context requires. The deciding cue is “by showing clear benefits”: it identifies the meaning “give sufficient reasons for a claim or action”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “justify” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The board must justify the expense by showing clear benefits.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “a clear”: it identifies the meaning “sufficient reason supporting an action or claim”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “justification” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The committee asked for a clear justification for the exceptional payment.”.

The gap is a verb slot: use a base-form verb, then check which action the context requires. The deciding cue is “service indefinitely”: it identifies the meaning “keep something continuing over time”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “sustain” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “Without regular funding, we cannot sustain the service indefinitely.”.

The gap describes a property, either before a noun or after the linking verb, so it needs an adjective rather than an action or a named result. The deciding cue is “without depleting resources”: it identifies the meaning “able to continue without exhausting resources”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “sustainable” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The plan can continue for decades without depleting resources; it is sustainable.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “Adding a ramp”: it identifies the meaning “change made to suit new conditions”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “adaptation” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “Adding a ramp was an adaptation of the building to meet wheelchair users' needs.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “ability to adjust”: it identifies the meaning “ability to adjust to new conditions”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “adaptability” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “Her ability to adjust to new working environments is called adaptability; this is different from using fewer resources.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “of our speaking skills”: it identifies the meaning “process of judging quality or ability”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “assessment” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The teacher's assessment of our speaking skills involved a short individual interview.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “independent”: it identifies the meaning “person who makes an official evaluation”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “assessor” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “An independent assessor visited the college to judge the quality of its training.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “same output with less energy”: it identifies the meaning “use of few resources to achieve a result”. Check resources used to obtain a result versus whether the intended result is actually achieved; “efficiency” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The machine achieves the same output with less energy. The term for this economical use of resources, rather than whether the goal was achieved, is efficiency.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “achieves its intended goal”: it identifies the meaning “degree to which an intended result is achieved”. Check resources used to obtain a result versus whether the intended result is actually achieved; “effectiveness” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “We judge the campaign's effectiveness by whether it achieves its intended goal of increasing vaccination.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “specific change to its design”: it identifies the meaning “change made to suit new conditions”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “adaptation” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The device required an adaptation, a specific change to its design, before it could work underwater.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “ability to adjust”: it identifies the meaning “ability to adjust to new conditions”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “adaptability” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The employer values adaptability: the ability to adjust when technology and working methods change.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “examined the building's condition”: it identifies the meaning “process of judging quality or ability”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “assessment” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The safety assessment examined the building's condition and judged whether it could be used.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “person responsible”: it identifies the meaning “person who makes an official evaluation”. Check both the grammatical slot and whether the sentence names an action, person, result, ability or quality; “assessor” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The assessor is the person responsible for evaluating the damage and producing a report.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “fewer staff hours”: it identifies the meaning “use of few resources to achieve a result”. Check resources used to obtain a result versus whether the intended result is actually achieved; “efficiency” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “Completing the same work with fewer staff hours is a gain in efficiency.”.

This slot names a thing, result, process, quality or person, so it needs a noun; the context decides which kind. The deciding cue is “regardless of the resources used”: it identifies the meaning “degree to which an intended result is achieved”. Check resources used to obtain a result versus whether the intended result is actually achieved; “effectiveness” expresses that specific meaning here. Completed wording: “The degree to which a treatment produces its intended health benefit is its effectiveness, regardless of the resources used.”.