Word formation games

Guess the Affixed Word Papers on Walls Categorizing Suffixes on the Board Four Walls Circle Brainstorm FCE-style Gap Fill Word formation Scavenger Hunt Jeopardy Word Building Card Game

Word Formation

Games Preapwork f or Teaching Writing

Activities with Prefixes and Suffixes

Ken Lackman

Guess the Affixed Word Papers on Walls

Categorizing Suffixes on the Board Four Walls

Circle Brainstorm FCE-style Gap Fill Word formation Scavenger Hunt Jeopardy

Word Building Card Game Word Formation Family Feud Guess the Affix

Bibliography Appendix

Copyright Ken Lackman 2010 This work is the intellectual property of the author Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author

Introduction

Affixation is the process of adding suffixes and prefixes to a base to change the meaning of the word and/or change it to another part of speech

Prefixes primarily affect the meaning of a word, the most common being the

ones which form opposites, like -un, -in, -im, -il, -ir, etc However, in this group are also those which add more specific meaning, like -de, which can

indicate the removal of something (de-ice, destabilize, dehydrate, etc.) and

-mis, which refers to things which are done wrongly or badly (miscalculate,

misquote, misuse, etc.) In addition, there are numerous prefixes with

specific connotation (-bi = two, -co = with, -pre = before, etc.)

Suffixes, on the other hand, primarily classify words There are two types of suffixes, inflectional suffixes, which denote the word’s grammatical function,

(-s indicates plural, -est, the superlative, -ed, -past tense and participles)

and derivational suffixes, which classify the part of speech For example,

the suffix -al turns nouns into adjectives (accidental, regional, musical, etc.)

and –ion changes verbs into nouns (action, creation, exhibition, etc.)

However, in this group there are still some that impart some semantic

action, state or process connected to the original verb (insistence, correspondence, preference) Then there are suffixes whose semantic

contribution is much more obvious, like -less, indicating the lack of

protection against something (waterproof, foolproof, soundproof)

From the student’s perspective, affixation is a valuable aspect of English to understand and use Attention to meaning, even if it’s merely recognizing the part of speech of an affixed word, will lead to improved receptive skills, while understanding structural patterns would enhance production Most, if not all, students would agree that expanding their lexicon is a priority Affixation provides a relatively easy way of achieving that The following example, taken from an upper-intermediate class, shows the lengths that a student had to go to because he lacked a relatively simple affixed word to express a concept he was trying to describe Had he known the affixed word, “outnumbered”, he could have expressed himself a lot more clearly and efficiently

The Polish Army had only 4,000 soldiers The Swedes were 10,000 There were too many of the Swedes But the Polish Army won the battle

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Suggested Teaching Approach

A systematic approach, especially in regards to the form and meaning of affixed words and their interrelationship, would aid students both receptively and productively Although there are a limited number of rules for affixation, there are many patterns and raising student awareness of these patterns will help them understand affixed words when they come across them and also help them create them by applying appropriate prefixes and suffixes to root words

Michael Lewis, in Implementing the Lexical Approach, said that “ it is

easier to remember patterns than random lists we recognise wholes to be broken down, not parts to be built up.”(1998:56) The application of the strategy that the Lexical Approach takes to semi-fixed expression could provide a suitable system for teaching affixation Consider the following

sample from Implementing the Lexical Approach:

Could you pass the , please?

The expression with the slot unfilled still carries clear meaning and filling the slot reveals similarity among the items Once we fill it, we realize that the items we have chosen are all likely to belong on a dining table (salt, butter, wine, etc.) Similarly, we could do the same sort of thing with affixation

mis

inform pronounce read quote hear

-mis + verb = to do wrongly or badly (verb)

un

believe predict fathom imagine think

able

-un + verb + able = you can’t do it (adjective)

In both the above cases the item(s) that are fixed carry some meaning and the slot fillers are words that are similar This is not to say that all words that

could fill the slots would bear similarity (consider misadventure, misgiving)

but that certain patterns can be established Also, it is not necessary, although perhaps preferable, that the fixed elements always carry meaning Although McCarthy suggests the teaching value of “ isolating a small group of highly productive prefixes or suffixes”, he also refers to research that maintains that “the general shape of the incoming word is important, not every minute contour of its make-up.” He points out that awareness of

the im _ly structure aids speakers in producing words like the following:

immediately, impossibly, impatiently, imperviously (1996:5,35)

Gairns and Redman assert that “for lower level students the best policy is

to treat the derivatives as individual items and teach those which are most important for their productive (or receptive) vocabulary.” (1996:49) However, affixation which occurs in high frequency words at their level should be explicitly pointed out Using the example mentioned above, it wouldn’t be

difficult to mention that the prefix -im creates the opposite of ‘possible and is

stronger than “not possible’ Not only should this be corrected to avoid fossilization, but low level students should be encouraged to use simple affixes and discouraged from going around them, hence opening them up to

highly productive as they can be attached to a large number of words and lower level students can be made aware of the concept of affixation with simple examples of this (write/writer, act/actor, read/reader, etc.)

(1996:100) Generally, the exercise which appears in the Headway

Elementary workbook, where students are asked to form nouns with –ion

from given verbs and vice-versa, is a good example of an easy low-level activity which will familiarize students the form and function of affixes

For levels above elementary, affixation should be dealt with by highlighting the affix and looking at groups of words which can be fit into the slot next to it/them Keeping to Michael Lewis’s restriction of 5 frame fillers is a good idea as it is a sufficiently low enough number to allow for selection of words

of similar nature Once this pattern has been established, it would be a good idea to let the students to pick out other words which fit the model orthographically, phonologically or semantically This could be done receptively (listening or reading text) or they could be given lists of words which they would have to sort according to their potential to fit into slots provided by the teacher For example, ‘recognize’ would be more likely to fit

into the un able slot than to the one next to over The

point is that students recognize the patterns

A useful production activity could be to have the students use selected groups of affixed words in context in a piece of writing A collaborative effort would be more likely to produce discussion about the correct use of the particular items For more communicative speaking practice, a pair of students could try to use affixed words from a list in a conversation, with production being monitored by another student

A simple activity would be to have the student - once they were introduced

to an affixation pattern - think of a situation in which they could apply a word from that pattern and then they would explain the situation, without the word, to a partner who would have to apply the word to it For example, if

the un _able structure was being featured, a student might tell

another about seeing a friend in a costume and not realizing who it was The intention would be that the partner would say the friend was

'unrecognizable' Students can quiz each other this way and they get a point for each affixed word that is guessed correctly The game could also

be played in threes, where one student gives the clue and the other two compete to see how can say it first This concept is observable in the game below, where each student would be give a strip with a gap fill and they have to mingle and say their sentence with a gap to another student, who would then have to figure out the affixed word that belongs in the gap

Fill in the spaces with a negative adjective The negative prefixes are dis, im, in, ir and un

1 He never agrees with anyone He is very _able

2 He and his brother are never separate They are able

3 I cannot use that old computer It is able

4 I wouldn’t advise you go there Going there is _able

5 They are so different you can’t compare them They are able

6 You cannot escape the truth The truth is _able

7 Nobody loves him He is able

8 Her company never makes a profit The company is _able

9 You cannot move that heavy object It is _able

10 You cannot break that glass It is _able

Samples from guessing game with neg prefix able First Choice B2, Cornelsen, 2009

The above activity could be made more challenging for students by not mentioning the root word in the clue and instead by using synonyms or other words to get the same meaning across For example:

1 He always argues with anyone He is very _able

2 He and his brother are never apart They are able

And the above version of the activity could be simplified by only using the same negative prefix Consider the example below, which could be used by

learners at a lower level to elicit the words unhappy and unlike.

1 He is very sad He is very un _

2 He is not the same as his brother He is un his brother

Card version

Cards could be made for a game where the students could just turn over a card with a clue and the answer They would give the clue to the other student(s) they would be playing against who would have to guess the affixed word on the card Cards could be prepared by the teacher or by groups of students for other groups of students to use Words with prefixes can easily be located in a dictionary while words with the same suffix can

(e.g., *ment) and then hit SEARCH Then hit COMMON WORDS only

This word is used to describe the caps that drug manufacturers put

made not to break

into small little pieces on impact.

Shatterproof

This word is used for material that has been treated so it will not

so liquids will not go

through it.

leakproof

Sample cards for guessing game from First Choice A2, Cornelsen, 2009

Have enough sheets with affixes on them for every team in the class Post them on the walls Each team has a different coloured marker Tell each team to start in front of a different sheet on the wall When you say to start, they race to write an affixed word on each sheet in succession (in a

clockwise direction) and the first team to finish all of the sheets wins You can have teams play for second and third place also

In the next phase of this activity, students should work in their pairs/threes and make a list in their notebooks of the suffixes in each part-of-speech category Then they should make some conclusions, with your guidance,

about the suffixes, e.g., “ness” is the most popular noun suffix, “ly” is really the only adverb suffix, “al” can be used for adjectives and nouns and there are relatively few verb suffixes, other than “ed” and “ing”, which, of course, are used for adjectives also.

Four Walls Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker

This is a very simple game that can be used as a warmer and a review of suffixes used for different parts of speech To prepare, you need four sheets of paper labeled with the four main parts of speech and you need a list of words with suffixes You can use words that the students have dealt with already or, if you want to make it more challenging, you can use new words It’s possible to use words they are unfamiliar with as long as long as they end in a suffix that would determine its part of speech You could even

throw in words that could be more than one part of speech like professional

or acting Just before you start the activity, you need to post each

part-of-speech sheet on a wall in the classroom Then ask the students to stand up and when you say a word from the list, they have to move to the wall

representing the part of speech it is Let them know if they are correct Continue with other words

Circle Brainstorm

Speaking Listening Reading Writing Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker

This is a brainstorming game is useful because it encourages students to experiment with adding suffixes and prefixes Students are in small groups and sit in circles The object is to go around the circle with each person saying an affixed word which connects to the one before it Every time a word is added it should be written on the paper so it can be checked later

by the teacher The group will be awarded a point for each correct word

The game can be played in different ways determined by the way each word connects to the one before it The simplest way is to have the students brainstorm all the words they know with the same affix The list below provides an example of words ending with –ness:

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 disapprove (prefix matched)

 approval (root matched)

Alternately, you can allow them to match any part of the word Example below:

For many people punctuality is a big issue Parents are often keen to impress upon their children the (1) of being IMPORTANT punctual because they see it as an aspect of (2) and POLITE consideration for others It is also a quality that (3) EMPLOY regard as very positive, and those who are _(4) unpunctual USUAL may end up being (5) in their careers as a result SUCCESS

Sample with first 5 gaps from an FCE test

A great way to use this in class is to get students to write the gap-fill exercises themselves This not only saves the teacher lots of work but it gives the students writing practice and a chance to attach affixes to words and then work them into a context Then, of course, once they’ve written the exercises, they can switch with other students and get practice filling in the gaps A good way to prepare students for this is to put them in pairs and give each pair list of 5 or 10 root words, depending on how long a text you want them to create You can use the list in the appendices for this (page 20) Then students work in pairs and have to contextualize the root words –

in different forms – in a text They can write about anything they want as long as they can fit the words in They use dictionaries to help them change the form of the word and they write the root word in the margin and number the gaps just like in the sample above Students should write the exercises

on sheets of paper and when they are finished, they write their names on it and hand it to you When all students are finished put their papers in a pile and start a race to see who can do the most gap fills correctly Each pair comes up at takes a paper They cannot write on the papers so they must write their affixed words in their notebooks instead When they they’ve chosen an affixed word for each gap, they check with the team who wrote it

to see if they got them correct and they award themselves a point for each correct affixed word Then they take another paper and continue When I do this, I also write one which I contribute to the pile (with my name on it) This ensures that there is always an extra exercise available for students to do

Word Formation

challenging for students An example of a scavenger hunt list is below

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an verb with a suffix (not with

a prefix that has a specific

a word with a negative prefix

a noun formed from an

a verb formed from an

Jeopardy Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Vocabulary Grammar Pronunciation Warmer/Icebreaker

This game is fun and a great way to get students familiar with the meaning and/or use of affixes and the types of words that go with them You can create your own games or you can use the ones included in the appendices

If you are creating a game for suffixes, you may want to use

http://onelook.com/ Type in an asterisk and then your suffix (e.g., *ment) and then hit SEARCH Then hit COMMON WORDS only (under SEARCH) But the best idea is to have your students create the game Decide how many categories (affixes) you are going to have and put students into small groups and give them each one category (or two, depending on the number

of groups you have relative to the number of categories) Then using the dictionary, they look up five (or three, if you want to create a quicker game) words with the same affix, write the clues and arrange them in order of difficulty Once all students have done that, draw the game grid on the board with columns for each affix (write the affix on the top) and then rows below with the dollar amounts (100, 200, 300, etc.) Then one team starts and picks any category other than their own Then erase the dollar value for that square The team that wrote that category gives them the clue in the dollar range they indicated If they get it right, write the answer in the square and write their points on the board, beside the team name Continue in this way

a bit more complicated but a lot more challenging and fun The cards are on photocopiable sheets in the appendices

Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6 players You will need more than one deck for larger classes unless you want to have students play as a pair One student is the judge and takes the set of cards with all the affixed words on them The judge places the cards with the affixed words in front of him/her The student to the left of the judge is the dealer The dealer deals four cards to each player Each player chooses their worst card and passes

it face down to the player on the right, who then picks it up and adds it to their hand The dealer then puts a card down in the centre of the table Next player puts down another card on top of it to form a word by combining either of the two words on the first card with a suffix /prefix on his/her card

or vice versa, meaning they combine the affix on the card in the centre with either of the two words on their card The judge checks the word on the Judge’s Cards and if the word is legitimate, the student uses that word in a sentence Play continues to the left in the same way If a player cannot

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Game 2

play, he/she places a card face down in front of his/herself Once all cards have been played, each player counts the cards they placed face down in front of them and that number is subtracted from 4 (total number of cards they started with) to give them the final score for that round The scores for each player are written on a score sheet For the subsequent rounds, all cards are collected and shuffled and the judge and dealer roles move one player to the left

Note: any word which uses the root card and a suffix/prefix card is allowed Thus, the “profess” card is combinable with “al” to form “professional” even

if the player does not have the “ion” card The winner of the game is the one with the highest score at the end

Arrange students in groups of 3 to 6 players You will need more than one deck for larger classes unless you want to have students play as a pair One student is the judge and takes the set of cards with all the affixed words on them The judge places the cards with the affixed words in front of him/her The player to the left of the judge is the dealer The dealer deals 4 cards to each player, puts the pile in the centre and then picks up the top card from the pile and adds it to his/her hand Dealer then chooses one card from his/her hand and puts it in the centre Play moves to the left as players must use the prefix/suffix on that card to form words with one of the two words on their cards Each card is played on top of the first card so that the affix on the first card remains visible and is always the one that is played upon If a player cannot combine a word from one of his/her cards, they place one of their cards upside down on the pile, still allowing the original affix on the first card to show Judge determines legitimacy of each word and each player uses it in a sentence The dealer plays last card The last card played face-up takes the trick, meaning that all cards in played in that round are given to the last player to successfully form an affixed word The winner of each trick starts play again by picking a card from the pile and choosing a card to start with Tricks taken are totaled at the end of each round and each player’s points are written down The maximum score will be 4 Then dealer and judge roles move to the left Tricks where no cards are played face-up are not won by anyone and are placed to one side The object of this game is to take as many tricks as you can while you are dealer and to “steal” as many from other dealers when you are not

Another wrinkle you can add to this game is to ask the judge to write down the sentences used by the players This way you can check them for accuracy after the game and take up any wrongly used words with the class

Word Formation

for each that you feel your students should know or learn, e.g., excite,

excitement, exciting, excited, excitedly, excitable, unexciting

To play the game in class, divide the students into two teams For large classes, you can go with three Write the list of root words on the board One team decides to go first and they choose one of the root words to attempt Then list on the board the part of speech of each affixed word for the root word Below is the example for excite (including ‘excite’ itself):

VNAdj/VAdj/VAdvAdjAdjThen the team members guess one word each, in turn, that might go with any of the parts of speech listed on the board If the first member guesses one correctly, write it on the board next to the part of speech designation (example below) If a member gets it wrong, then give them an X, which is written on the board When they get 3 X’s, their turn is over but they get points for each affixed word that they guessed At that point, you can allow the other team(s) one or more guesses (your choice) as to what the other words are that they missed Award them points for each one they guess Play then moves to another team who chooses another root word from the list

V

Adj/VAdj/VAdvAdjAdj

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Guess the

Affix

Sample with root

words for ‘-ment’

In this more challenging version, teams can write whatever affix they think it

is at any point while you are reading the root words Read the list out slowly, allowing time for students to write the affix before you say the next word Each time you say a word you say the number it is, going from 10 backwards Students have to write whatever number you have just said when they write the affix on their strip That number represents the points they will get if they are correct So, for example, if the suffix was “ment” and you said “Ten, invest” and they wanted to guess “ment” at that point, they would write “10 ment” on their strip of paper and hold it up before you gave the number 9 word The thing is they only get one guess and by going for

10 points, they are taking a chance they will get nothing if they are wrong Other students may decide to wait for more words before hazarding a guess, but they will get fewer points When you have read the final root word, ask all teams to hold up their strips and those that got it right, award themselves the number of points indicated by the number on their strip

8 MENT

Sample strip for 8 points with ‘ment’