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B1-B2
Grammar-Linked

Building Words: Prefixes, Suffixes & Transformations

20 questions60 minutes
  1. 1.Which English suffixes do you find the most confusing? For example, when do you use '-tion' and when do you use '-sion'?
  2. 2.Do you think learning word families (e.g. succeed, success, successful, successfully) is a good way to build vocabulary? Why or why not?
  3. 3.What strategies do you use to remember the correct spelling of words like 'happiness' (y changes to i) or 'beautiful' (one l, not two)?
  4. 4.In your language, do you also change words by adding parts to the beginning or end? How is it similar to or different from English?
  5. 5.Why do you think negative prefixes (un-, in-, im-, dis-) cause so many problems for English learners?
  6. 6.Can you think of a time when using the wrong word form caused a misunderstanding or an embarrassing moment?
  7. 7.If you could only learn 10 word families really well, which would be the most useful for everyday life?
  8. 8.How do you feel about the fact that some English words change completely when they become nouns (e.g. strong → strength, long → length)?
  9. 9.Do you think technology (like spell checkers and autocorrect) makes it less important to learn word formation rules?
  10. 10.Which part of speech do you find hardest to form correctly — nouns, adjectives, adverbs, or verbs? Give examples.
  11. 11.How important is word formation knowledge for passing English exams like FCE or IELTS?
  12. 12.What advice would you give to a beginner who wants to improve their word formation skills?
  13. 13.Do you keep a vocabulary notebook? How do you organise new words — by topic, by word family, or alphabetically?
  14. 14.Why do you think some people find it easy to guess the meaning of new words using prefixes and suffixes, while others struggle?
  15. 15.How do you deal with words that look similar but have different meanings, like 'economic' and 'economical', or 'historic' and 'historical'?
  16. 16.If you were a teacher, how would you teach negative prefixes to your students? What activities would you use?
  17. 17.Reading is often recommended for improving vocabulary. What kind of reading material helps you notice word formation patterns?
  18. 18.How do you feel about English words borrowed from other languages, like 'photograph' (Greek roots) or 'telephone' (Greek/Latin)? Does knowing word origins help?
  19. 19.Some people say that learning prefixes and suffixes is boring. How would you make it more interesting or fun?
  20. 20.What is the longest English word you know that uses both a prefix and a suffix? Can you break it down into its parts?