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25 May 2007: Word Building

It is a bank holiday again this week end so everyone is hoping that the weather will be good so they can get into the garden, plant out the flowers and have a barbeque. Mathew, David and Martin are all very upset about Liverpool not winning the match on Wednesday, but all the rest of us are fine.

I thought we might look at word building this week because when you know one word in English it is often easy to make several new words from that one root word. For example, if you take the word KIND, which is an adjective; (she's such a kind person), you can also make the noun kindness, the adverb kindly,, the opposite unkind, unkindly etc.

Exercise 1
Look at the sentences below. There is a gap in each sentence. Try to make a word to fit into the gap using the word in capitals at the end of the sentence. You may need the opposite, or an adjective, or adverb, so read each sentence carefully.
John's tooth was very    so he has to go to the dentist. PAIN
I like that shop assistant. She's very   . HELP
I had to handle the machine carefully, as it was very   . BREAK
Jen was eating a very    apple and obviously enjoying it. CRUNCH
Don't forget to    your shoelaces before taking them off. TIE
I wasn't very happy with the hotel we were staying in. In fact I was very   . SATISFY
I asked Martin to    my pencil for me. SHARP
He gave us a great deal of    before the exam. ENCOURAGE
That is a terrible song. It is completely   . TUNE
What a    shirt! Green, yellow and purple! COLOUR
Exercise 2
The next ones are a little more difficult.
I'm afraid that your behaviour is just not   . ACCEPT
There's a mistake on the bill. I think they have    us for the wine. It can't have cost £40! CHARGE
It's most    to try and cook a whole chicken on the barbeque. PRACTICAL
Have you seen that old film "The    of the Long-distance Runner"? LONELY
He had    following the thread of the argument and so lost all interest in what was going on. DIFFICULT
Your place at the university is    on your getting a band 7 in your IELTS. CONDITION
Many young people today have a much higher    income than their parents had. DISPOSE
Although it wasn't all his fault, I do think he is    to blame. PART
This latest energy report highlights the total    of our oil reserves. ADEQUATE
There was a    about the timing of the lecture and a number of students failed to turn up at the right time. UNDERSTAND

I think you have enough new words this week so we'll have a saying instead. It is summer so this one is quite suitable:

"Make hay while the sun shines."

It means enjoy life when the opportunity is there.

Have a good week end and if you have exams coming up, good luck.
Best wishes from everyone at English in Chester.


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A Student's View Video