Word Formation: Verb Derivation

Starter

Read these two sentences. Transform the base word in brackets into a more appropriate word class by adding a suffix.

1. Her assistant isn't doing a good job since he's so (forget).
2. We're going down to the river. Is the water (drink)?

What word class did you start with and what did it change into? 

In both these examples a verb has been turned into an adjective by using a suffix. 

1. Her assistant isn't doing a good job since he's so forgetful.
2. We're going down to the river. Is the water drinkable?

Activity 1

Match the base verb with the suffix to form an adjective. 

Drag the cards together to connect and double click to break apart. 

Write a sentence using each adjective and be careful of spelling changes! 

Activity 2

We've just seen how we can change verbs into adjectives. But we can also turn adjectives and nouns into verbs. 

Read these six sentences. In each sentence, a base noun or adjective is in brackets. Add the correct suffix to each example for form a verb. You may also need to add the appropriate tense ending. 

1. When we enter the next zone, you must all (active) your shields.
2. As the liquid is forced through the filter, it is (atom).
3. The council have invested a lot of money to (beauty) this rundown area.
4. One tip for revision is to always (simple) your notes.
5. Bees are important in the ecosystem since they (pollen) the flowers.
6. Some of the school buildings are so old! It's really time that we (modern) the campus.

Check you have the correct answer, including the correct suffix and any other spelling changes. 

1. When we enter the next zone, you must all activate your shields.
2. As the liquid is forced through the filter, it is atomised.
3. The council have invested a lot of money to beautify this rundown area.
4. One tip for revision is to always simplify your notes.
5. Bees are important in the ecosystem since they pollinate the flowers. (Notice the change in spelling!)
6. Some of the school buildings are so old! It's really time that we modernise the campus.

Activity 3

Read these two sentences. In each one, transform the bas word in brackets into a verb.

1. The coat was too long so I had to (short) it.
2. It's Spring, so the days are starting to (length).

What suffix must you use? What do you notice is different about each sentence? 

In both sentences, we use the suffix -en.

1. The coat was too long so I had to shorten it.
2. It's Spring, so the days are starting to lengthen.

Sentence 1 uses shorten as transitive verb. This means that someone made something else shorter i.e. 'the coat'. Sentence 2 uses shorten as an intransitive verb: 'the' days become shorter by themselves. 

Read this list of adjectives. Use a suffix to convert each one into a verb, and see if you can write a transitive and intransitive sentence for each one. 

1. bright
2. sharp
3. weak
4. worse

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