Grammar-Quizzes › Noun Phrases › Nouns–Suffixes › Word Forms
Word Forms
Recognize meanings of noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms
| MULTIPLE WORD FORMS, SHARED MEANING | |
|---|---|
Imagination is an example of a noun with verb, adjective and adverb word forms. All share the meaning "the forming of images in the mind that are not actually present". Additional word definitions vary slightly and keep close to the central meaning. |
|
| CONTEXT | WORD FORM |
| NOUN | |
The singer had |
imagination. |
| VERB | |
He |
imagined. (past) |
| ADJECTIVE | |
His writing was |
imaginative. |
| ADVERB | |
He used words |
imaginatively. |
| LIMITED WORD FORMS, VARYING IN MEANING | |
|---|---|
Revolution is an example of a word that has some but not all four word forms. Notice that the adjective and adverb forms have meanings that depart from "rebellion to authority" and take on a meaning closer to "rebellion of mind or feeling". |
|
| CONTEXT | WORD FORM |
| NOUN | |
The singer sang about social |
revolution. (rebellion) |
| VERB | |
He |
revolted. revolt (V) "rebelled" |
| ADJECTIVE | |
His songs were |
revolutionary. (innovative, rebellious) revolting¹. (disgusting or rebellious) |
| ADVERB | |
He used words |
—none— "in a revolutionary manner" revoltingly¹. (disgustingly) |
imagination (N) — the natural ability of imagining, or of forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses; the word can be both a count noun (He had quite an imagination!) when speaking specifically and a noncount noun (He had imagination.) when speaking in general.
rebel (N) — go against or take action against a social convention (the usual way of doing things) or a government or institution
revolt (V) — (1) rebel or break away from authority; (2) turn away in mental rebellion, disgust; (3) rebel in feeling; (4) feel horror. (at) He revolted at seeing their brutality.
¹ revolting (Adj) — (1) disgusting, repulsive, distasteful, awful; (2) rebellious They are revolting. (unclear meaning)
revolution (N) — (1) an overthrow of a government, a rebellion; (2) a radical change in society and the social structure; (3) a sudden, complete or marked change in something; (4) completion of a circular movement, one turn.
revolutionary (Adj) — (1) a sudden complete change; (2) radically new or innovative; outside or beyond established procedure, principles; (3) related to a country's revolution (period); (3) revolving, turning around like a record
Also see Adjective Suffixes | Noun Suffixes | Adverb Suffixes.
"John Lennon" by Charles LeBlanc licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0 (size changed and "poster" filter applied)
Word Form Entry into English
Source of word and the addition of other forms
Word Forms
Historically, a word entered the English language, or was borrowed, primarily as one form—a noun, a verb or an adjective. In time, additional forms were added to the original word so that it could function in other ways. The table below includes words and their approximate entry dates as well as additional word forms and their appearance dates.
There is no exact way to know which suffix to add when changing a word from noun to verb to adjective to adverb. However, patterns exist. Spellings often depend on whether the origin of the word is Middle English, Latin, French, Greek, German, etc. A dictionary is useful for checking spelling and for selecting a particular meaning. Compare uninterested, disinterested and not interested.
A word may not have all four word forms. For example, the noun fun is widely used along with its two adjective forms fun (1675-85) and funny (1750-60). But usage of fun as a verb is rare and as an adverb is non-existent.
A word may have two similar forms that co-exist. For example, a word may enter English or be borrowed more than once. The noun chief (leader) entered into usage in Middle English 1240-1300, and then re-entered as the noun chef (head cook) from French in 1835-45.
A word may be newly coined (made up) and not yet have other forms. For example, the word selfie is widely used as a noun, but no verb, adjective or adverb forms exist. The verb twerk can be used as a verb, but can one say a twerk (noun), twerky (adjective) or twerkily (adverb)?
Word origins and approximate dates are included on Dictionary.com for most word entries. (The sources for Dictionary.com include American Heritage and Harper Collins.)
| NOUN | VERB | ADJECTIVE | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|---|
activity (1520-30) |
activate |
active (1300-50< Lat.) |
actively |
beauty (1225-75 < M.E.) |
beautify |
beautiful (~1450) |
beautifully |
bravery (1540-1550 < Ital) |
brave |
brave (1475-85 < M.Fr.) |
bravely |
curiosity (1350-1400 < M.E.) |
—— (engage someone's interest) |
curious (1275-1325 < Lat.) |
curiously |
friend (before 900 < M.E. or O.E) |
friend (recent) / befriend (1550-1560) |
friendly (before 900 < M.E.) |
— |
history (1350-1400 < M.E.) |
—— (make or write history) |
historical (1375-1425) related to history historic (1605-15) important |
historically |
impossibility (1350-1400 < M.E.) |
—— (make not unattainable) |
impossible (1250-1300 < M.E.) |
impossibly |
perfection (1175-1225 < Lat.) |
perfect [per-FECT] |
perfect (1250-1300 < Lat.) [PER-fect] |
perfectly |
style (1250-1300 < M.E.) kind |
style design |
stylish (1775-1785) fashion |
stylishly fashion |
Old English (O.E.), Middle English (M.E.), Latin (Lat.) Italian (Ital.), Middle French (M.Fr.)
Most dictionaries include a word origin and history section for each entry (word); for example, see dictionary.com.
| NOUN | VERB | ADJECTIVE | ADVERB |
|---|---|---|---|
approval (1680-1690) |
approve (1300-1350 < M.E.) |
approving / approved |
approvingly |
decision (1425-1475 < M.E.) |
decide (1350-1400 < M.E.) |
decisive (1605-1615 < M. Latin) |
decisively |
difference (1300-50 < M.E.) |
differ (1325-75 < M.E.) |
different (1350-1400 < M.E.) |
differently |
education (1525-1535 <Lat.) |
educate (1580-1590 Lat.) |
educational (1645-165) |
educationally |
exactness |
exact demand or force (1400-1450) |
exact (1400-50 < M.E.) |
exactly (1525-1535) |
failure (1635-1645 < M.E.) |
fail (1175-1225 < M.E.) |
failing / failed |
failingly |
friend (before 900 < M.E. or O.E) |
friend (recent) / befriend (1550-1560) |
friendly (before 900 < M.E.) |
–none– "in a friendly manner" |
Old English (O.E.), Middle English (M.E.), Latin (Lat.) Italian (Ital.), Middle French (M.Fr.)
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
Rick supposably went to the library, but no one saw him there. suppose (V) – to consider something as a possibility (supposedly+possibly?) |
Eileen's feelings are easily hurt because she is very sensible. sense (V) – use any of one's faculties such as sight, hearing, smell, taste or touch |
This is an exception example. |
He was one of the most imaginably progressive CEOs of the decade. imagine (V) – form a mental image of something |
Jake was a very good smelly dog who could find worms in the ground. smell (V) – to perceive or take in the odor or scent of something by using one's nose smell (N) – scent (odor, fragrance, aroma ) |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
Rick supposedly went to the library, but no one saw him there. (according to what was accepted or believed to be true) Rick could have supposably gone to a different library. (conceivably, perhaps) |
Eileen's feelings are easily hurt because she is very sensitive. (1) having perception through the senses; (2) easily offended Eileen doesn't spend time in chat rooms because she is sensible. (1) reasonable, having good sense or judgment; (2) intelligent, keenly aware |
This example is an exception. (does not follow the usual rules) This is an exceptional example. (superior, excellent) |
He was one of the most imaginatively progressive CEOs of the decade. (using his imagination or creativity to be progressive) It could imaginably be said that he was a very progressive CEO. (possibly, able to be imagined) Imaginably, he was one of the most progressive CEOs. (perhaps, possibly) |
Jake was a dog with a very good sense of smell. He could find worms in the ground. Jake was a smelly dog. (The dog had an unpleasant scent.) Jake was a good-smelling dog. (The dog had a pleasant scent.) Jake preferred dog food with a meaty aroma. (a food scent) |
- "What Makes Bloodhounds Good Detectives?" Wonderopolis, 2015. wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-makes-bloodhounds-good-detectives. Accessed on 28 Aug 2018.
Practice 1
Lennon and McCartney
Read the Context with Errors (for use in Practice 1 and Practice 2.)
John Lennon was a -famous- musician. He rose to worldwide -important- as a co-founder of the band The Beatles in the early 1960s. With co-writer Paul McCartney, he formed the -celebrated- songwriting partnership known as Lennon and McCartney. McCartney's -suggest- of George Harrison led to the third member of the band. In 1962, the formation of the group was -completely- with Ringo Starr.
Brian Epstein, the manager of The Beatles, had a strong -influence- on how the band dressed and looked. At first, Lennon refused to wear the suit and haircut, but later -concession- when he realized the pay was good. A look that was more -professionally- would make them stand out and appear unique. He also realized that more -attention- from the media would get them more gigs. It certainly did. The team of Lennon and McCartney collaborated -succeed- for seven years before breaking up in 1969.
GLOSSARY
attend (V) –(1) be present at an event; (2) go with; (3) take care of; (4) assist; (5) watch over; (6) listen to
celebrate (V) – (1) observe a day with festivities; (2) make publicly known; (3) praise widely (in media); (4) perform a ceremony, solemnize
celebrated (Adj) — (1) well known; (V-past) — (2) observed a day or commemorated an event with ceremonies or festivities.
collaborate (V) – work together on a project or series of projects (song-writing)
concession (N) – giving in on a point, yield; admitting defeat
fame (V) not used any longer; defame (V) – attack a person's reputation
gig (N) – paid public performance
import (V) – (1) bring goods into a country (commerce); (2) carry or convey meaning
influence (V & N) – (V) the ability to affect others (cause change in); (N) – something or someone causing the change
partnership (N) – team; collaborators; association
stand out (VP) – be seen more easily
succeed (V) – do well
suggest (V) – mention, offer an idea; propose a person for a position (job)
suggestive (Adj) – (1) like, brings to mind (His writing is suggestive of Hemingway's.) ; (2) something that brings to mind sexual thoughts. (She danced suggestively. He gave me suggestive looks.)
unique (Adj) – unlike others, singular in existence
Identify the word forms for the following words.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" button(s).
influenced vs. influential — See Participles as Modifiers 1: -ed vs. -ing. ( experiencing vs. causing action)
Practice 2
Lennon and McCartney (cont.)
Select the word form that best completes the sentence.
- Select a response from the list.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" button.
Practice 3
Noun, Verb, Adjective or Adverb?
Read the Context (for use in Practice 3.)
Some (description) Lennon as a genius. "He was (difference)," they said. Others (agreement) and say that he was well (preparation) for his musical career.
He (residence) with his aunt and uncle after the (separation) of his parents. They made sure he received a good (education), but they (discouragement) him from trying to make a living by playing the guitar. A few neighbors (prohibition) their children from being friends with him. His (behavior) was not (convention) and was somewhat (rebel).
He did his best to (disruption) and (ridicule) the home-life of his friends. In fact, he was (envy) of what he saw as their (perfection) families. After the death of his mother, he (failure) his exams but kept his musical (aspiration).
Undoubtedly, the (inspiration) for his song-writing came from both the advantages and the disadvantages of his early-childhood.
GLOSSARY
advantages (N) – good things that help a person advance or are favorable to his or her success
aspiration (N) – having strong desires, goals, purpose, aim
behavior (N) – manner of how one acts or behaves; behaviour (Br-Eng)
convention (N) – following social ways or acceptable standards
disruption (N) – the state of disorder or temporary stopping of normal life
encouragement (N) – urging; give confidence or courage to do something
discouragement (N) – urge someone not to do something
envy (N) – feeling discontent with the advantage, success or wealth of others
failure (N) – being unsuccessful or falling short of expectation
friendship (N) – the state of being a friend
influence (N) – the power of people or things to compel (force) others to think or behave in a particular way
inspiration (N) – feelings, thoughts or influences that drive a person to do something
neighbor (N) – a person who lives nearby in the same community
perfection (N) – the state of excellence or completion
prohibition (N) – the act of not allowing something to occur
rebel (N) – a person who rises against authority
rebellion (N) – the act of rising against authority
residence (N) – place where on lives
resident (N) – person who lives in a place
ridicule (N) – the act of making fun of something or someone
undoubtedly (Adv) – in a manner without doubt, a manner of certainty
Edit and correct the word forms.
- Enter your correction into the response text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the"Check" button.