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Word Families — basic

FCE Part 3 · Nouns, adjectives, verbs · Common suffixes.

Nouns · Adjectives · Verbs · Adverbs
B1 Vocabulary

What are word families?

FCE Use of English Part 3 tests word formation. You must change a base word into the correct form for the gap.
Noun
happiness → a thing or concept
Adjective
happy → describes a noun
Verb
achieve → an action
Adverb
happily → modifies a verb or adjective

Key word families

decide
decision (n) · decisive (adj) · decisively (adv)
happy
happiness (n) · happy (adj) · happily (adv)
create
creation (n) · creative (adj) · creatively (adv) · creator (n person)
compete
competition (n) · competitive (adj) · competitor (n person)
achieve
achievement (n) · achievable (adj)

More word families

vary
variety (n) · various (adj) · varied (adj) · variation (n)
develop
development (n) · developed (adj) · developing (adj)
pollute
pollution (n) · polluted (adj) · pollutant (n)
succeed
success (n) · successful (adj) · successfully (adv)
employ
employment (n) · employer (n) · employee (n)

Common suffixes

-tion / -sion
decide → decision · compete → competition
-ness
happy → happiness · sad → sadness
-ive
create → creative · compete → competitive
-ly
happy → happily · creative → creatively
-ment
develop → development · achieve → achievement

Summary

Strategy
Identify the base word, decide what form is needed (n/adj/v/adv), apply the suffix
Common suffixes
-tion · -ness · -ive · -ly · -ment · -er/-or · -able
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