Salva Bañuls
Javi Martínez
Introduction
 Word families are groups of words that are sufficiently
closely related to each other to form a 'family'.
 Words can be grouped into families in two main ways:
 they are similar in form;
 their meanings are related.
 Here are two examples of form-based word families:
 word - wordy - word (verb) - wording - word-list … (but not:
worth, worry)
 family - familiar - unfamiliar - familiarity - familiarise …
(but not: famine, famous)
Introduction
 Each of these families is bonded by a common root
word, although the resultant connections of meaning
are also an important bonding feature.
 Two examples of meaning-based word families:
 big - little - size
 dog - puppy - kennel
Word Families
 Word Forms
 Word families tests how well you know the various
types of words that can be made from one word. A
word can go from noun to verb to adjective to adverb
by changing the ending of the word.
Word Families
 Remember the common word endings used to make the
different kinds of words:
 Noun: -ance, -ancy, -ence, -ation, -ian, -ism, -ment,
, -ship, -or, -er
 Verb: -en, -ify, -ize, -ish
 Adjective: -able, -ible, -al, -ful, -ive, -ous
 Adverb: -ly, -ward, -wise
-ness
Word Families
 Example:
 Finale (noun, thing) -> finalist (noun, person) -> finalize
(verb) -> final (adjective) -> finally (adverb)
 achieve (verb) = achievement (noun)
happy (adjective) = happiness (noun)
beautiful (adjective) = beautifully (adverb)
eat (verb) = edible (adjective)
NOUN
VERB
Example:
deceive
deception
1. dedicate
dedication
dedicate
2.demonstrate demonstration demonstrate
3. dominate
4. imagine
5. improve
6. inform
dominance
imagination
ADJECTIVE
deceive
dedicated
demonstrable
dominate
dominant
imagine
imaginative
improvement
improve
improved
information
inform
informative
7. organize
organization
8. produce
production
produce
productive
9. signify
significance
signify
significant
10. behave
behavior
behave
behavioral
organize
organized
deceived
END