B2 First: Use of English part 3 (word formation)
In this part of the exam you complete a gapped text by changing words given, for example changing a noun to an adjective.
The advice below should help, but make sure you read each sentence carefully before deciding what type of word you need. For example, if you see "in ______ months", you might think "hmm, there is a preposition here (in) so I need a noun". However, there is already a noun (months), so the missing word should be an adjective (e.g. 'recent') or a determiner (e.g. 'some').
You can find more word formation practice exercises here.
Adjectives
Common endings include -ant/ent, -ive, -ous, -ful, -less, -ing/ed and -able/ible. Traditionally we say they describe nouns, so you will often see adjectives:
- before a noun (a green dress)
- after a verb like 'be', 'look' or 'seem' (he looks tired)
- after adverbs of degree like 'very' or 'extremely' (absolutely enormous)
Complete these sentences with the adjective form of the word in brackets.
Adverbs
Most adverbs are made with adjective + ly (but be careful of words like 'friendly' or 'lovely' - these are adjectives). Adverbs often describe verbs, appearing after the verb phrase (e.g. he played the piano loudly) but also appear:
- at the beginning of a sentence: Surprisingly, he was late.
- before an adjective: I'm extremely bored.
- before a verb: he probably went home.
Complete these sentences with the adverb form of the word in brackets. Be careful with (2) - you'll need to change the verb to an adjective before you change it to an adverb.
Nouns
Common noun endings include -ence/ance, -ment, -ion, -ness. Traditionally we say these are people, places and things, but they may be abstract ideas too (e.g. honesty). Be careful - there is often one plural noun in the exam so you might need to add "s". You will often see nouns:
- after determiners - 'a/the/some/his...' (enough money)
- after prepositions (in bed)
- after adjectives (friendly children)
Complete these sentences with the noun form of the word in brackets.
Verbs
Common verb endings include -ise, -ify and -en, but remember you might also need to change the ending to -s, -ed or -ing. Traditional grammar says that verbs describe actions or states. In the exam, you'll often see verbs:
- after 'to' (he wanted to go ...)
- after modal verbs - 'must/could...' and auxiliaries - 'are/have...' (you should eat ...)
- after noun phrases (all of the tired students slept ...)
Complete these sentences with the verb form of the word in brackets.
There are lots more word formation practice exercises here.