Formation of English Words

Formation of words is the process by which new words are created in a language. There are various ways in which words can be formed, including:

Prefixes in English

1. Un-: not or opposite of (unhappy, unsure, unable)
2. Dis-: opposite of, not or reversing an action (dislike, disconnect, disappear)
3. Re-: again or back (restart, replay, return)
4. Pre-: before (preheat, preview, prepay)
5. Post-: after (postpone, postwar, postgraduate)
6. In-: not, inside, or into (invisible, invade, inject)
7. Im-: not, inside, or into (impossible, immature, implant)
8. De-: opposite of, down or remove (deactivate, decrease, degrade)
9. Mis-: wrong or bad (misunderstand, misbehave, misfortune)
10. Over-: too much or too many (overcook, overload, overachiever)
11. Sub-: under, less than or below (submarine, substandard, subzero)
12. Super-: above or beyond (supernatural, superhero, supervisor)
13. Inter-: between or among (interact, international, intercity)
14. Semi-: half or partly (semicircle, semicolon, semisweet)
15. Ex-: former or out of (ex-boyfriend, ex-president)
16. Multi-: many or much (multifunctional, multitasking, multilingual)
17. Auto-: self or automatic (autonomous, autobiography, autopilot)
18. Bi-: two or twice (bilingual, bicycle, biannual)
19. Tri-: three or three times (tricycle, triangle, triple)
20. Anti-: against or opposing (antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-social)

Sifixexs In English

1. -able: capable of or having the ability to (portable, enjoyable, comfortable)
2. -al: relating to or characterized by (personal, historical, cultural)
3. -ed: past tense or completed action (walked, played, jumped)
4. -en: to cause to become or to be (strengthen, sweeten, flatten)
5. -er: one who does or performs (teacher, writer, baker)
6. -ful: full of or having a lot of (beautiful, helpful, playful)
7. -ic: relating to or characterized by (historic, poetic, scientific)
8. -ing: present participle or ongoing action (running, singing, dancing)
9. -ish: somewhat or resembling (greenish, reddish, childish)
10. -ive: having the nature of or tending to (active, attractive, informative)
11. -less: without or lacking (homeless, hopeless, meaningless)
12. -ly: in a manner or characteristic of (happily, friendly, quickly)
13. -ment: action or process of (development, movement, management)
14. -ness: state or quality of (happiness, kindness, darkness)
15. -ous: full of or having the qualities of (famous, dangerous, adventurous)
16. -s/-es: plural or possession (dogs, cats, books)
17. -tion/-sion: state or quality of, action or process of (education, discussion, decision)
18. -y: characterized by or tending to (rainy, stormy, funny)
19. -ize/-ise: to make or cause to become (organize, realize, analyze)

Compound Words in English

In English, a compound word is a word that is composed of two or more separate words that are joined together to create a new word. These words can be joined together in different ways and can have different meanings and uses.

Compound words can be formed in several ways:

1. Noun-Noun Compounds: These are formed by combining two nouns to create a new word. For example, “bookshelf,” “toothbrush,” and “notebook.”
2. Adjective-Noun Compounds: These are formed by combining an adjective and a noun to create a new word. For example, “blackboard,” “redhead,” and “softball.”
3. Verb-Noun Compounds: These are formed by combining a verb and a noun to create a new word. For example, “swimming pool,” “washing machine,” and “frying pan.”
4. Noun-Verb Compounds: These are formed by combining a noun and a verb to create a new word. For example, “sunburn,” “rainfall,” and “shoelace.”
5. Adjective-Adjective Compounds: These are formed by combining two adjectives to create a new word. For example, “black-and-white,” “strong-willed,” and “blue-green.”
6. Adverb-Adjective Compounds: These are formed by combining an adverb and an adjective to create a new word. For example, “well-known,” “far-reaching,” and “high-pitched.”
7. Adverb-Verb Compounds: These are formed by combining an adverb and a verb to create a new word. For example, “overeat,” “understand,” and “outsmart.”

Compound words can be written with a hyphen, as one word, or as separate words. It’s important to remember that the spelling of compound words can vary depending on the context and the style guide being followed.

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Conversion in English

Conversion, also known as zero derivation or functional shift, is a process in English where a word changes its grammatical category without adding any inflectional affixes. In other words, a word is used in a different grammatical category than its original form without any changes in its form. This often happens when a word changes from one part of speech to another, such as a noun to a verb, or a verb to an adjective. Here are some examples:

Noun to Verb

access: to gain access to something
bottle: to bottle wine
chair: to chair a meeting
email: to email someone
friend: to friend someone on social media
hammer: to hammer a nail
house: to house someone
milk: to milk a cow
nose: to nose around
park: to park a car

Verb to Noun

dance: a dance
drink: a drink
drive: a drive
email: an email
jump: a jump
read: a read
swim: a swim
walk: a walk
work: a work

Adjective to Noun

black: the black of night
cool: the cool of autumn
green: the green of the trees
old: the old of the hills
quick: the quick of the hand
sweet: the sweet of the fruit
white: the white of the snow

Noun to Adjective

dog: a dog treat
gold: a gold watch
ice: an ice cream cone
paper: a paper bag
rock: a rock concert
silver: a silver spoon
sun: a sun hat

Adjective to Verb

dry: to dry dishes
empty: to empty a trash can
free: to free a prisoner
slow: to slow down
sweet: to sweeten tea
wet: to wet a towel

Verb to Adjective

boil: boiled eggs
clean: clean clothes
cook: cooked vegetables
cut: cut flowers
drive: driven snow
jump: jumping beans
open: open book

Conversion is a common process in English and can be used to create new words and expressions, as well as to add variety and nuance to language use. It’s important to note that not all words can be converted to another grammatical category, and not all conversions are accepted or widely used.

Backformation

Back-formation is a process in English where a new word is formed by removing a part of an existing word, usually a suffix or an affix, to create a simpler word with a different meaning. Here are 50 words in English that are formed by back-formation

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Blending

Blending is a process in English where two or more words are combined to create a new word with a new meaning. Here are 80 words in English that are formed by blending-

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Acronym

1. NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
2. NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
3. UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
4. AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
5. ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
6. CEO – Chief Executive Officer
7. FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation
8. CIA – Central Intelligence Agency
9. NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
10. ATM – Automated Teller Machine
11. ASAP – As Soon As Possible
12. AWOL – Absent Without Leave
13. ETC – Et cetera
14. FYI – For Your Information
15. IQ – Intelligence Quotient
16. RSVP – Répondez s’il vous plaît (Please respond)
17. PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
18. SWAT – Special Weapons and Tactics
19. UNICEF – United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
20. VIP – Very Important Person

Neologism

Neologism is a process of creating new words or phrases that are not part of the existing lexicon or vocabulary of a language. Here is a list of some commonly used neologisms in English

1. Blogosphere – The online community of blogs and bloggers
2. Bromance – A close platonic friendship between two men
3. Chillax – A combination of “chill” and “relax,” meaning to calm down or take it easy
4. Cyberbullying – The use of technology to harass or bully someone
5. Earworm – A song or melody that gets stuck in your head
6. Frenemy – A person who is both a friend and an enemy
7. Hangry – A combination of “hungry” and “angry,” describing the feeling of irritability that can arise when you are hungry
8. Infotainment – A blend of “information” and “entertainment,” used to describe media that combines educational or informative content with entertainment value
9. Meme – An image, video, or piece of text that is circulated rapidly on the internet and often shared or imitated by many people
10. Nomophobia – The fear of being without one’s mobile phone or being unable to use it
11. Selfie – A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam, and shared on social media
12. Sexting – The act of sending sexually explicit messages or images via mobile phone or other digital devices
13. Staycation – A vacation spent at home or in the local area, rather than traveling to a distant location
14. Tweetstorm – A series of tweets on a particular topic, often written in rapid succession by a single user
15. Unfriend – To remove someone from one’s list of online friends, typically on social media

These neologisms are often created to reflect changing social or technological trends, and they can have a significant impact on the way we communicate and express ourselves.