📈 Boost Your Exam Skills: The B1/B2 Word Formation Survival Guide

🎯 The Challenge: Why Word Formation is Key

Word Formation tasks (often called 'Use of English - Part 3' in Cambridge exams) require you to convert a base word into the correct part of speech (Noun, Adjective, Adverb, or Verb) to fit the sentence context.

At B1 and B2 levels, this task doesn't just test vocabulary; it tests your knowledge of derivation (prefixes and suffixes) and grammar (word order and function).

This guide gives you the strategy and resources to succeed!

---

5 Golden Rules for Exam Success

Before you even look at the word in brackets, follow these steps to guarantee you choose the right part of speech.

🥇 Rule 1: Identify the Missing Part of Speech (POS)

Read the sentence carefully, ignoring the gap, and determine what grammatical function the missing word must perform.

If the Gap is...	You Need a...	Example Clue
Before a Noun	ADJECTIVE	A [ ] decision.
After be, seem, become	ADJECTIVE	The results were very [ ].
After an Adjective (or the)	NOUN	The impressive [ ] of the tower.
After a Verb	ADVERB	He spoke [ ] about the situation.
After a Modal (can, will, might)	VERB (Base form)	We can easily [ ] the process.

🥈 Rule 2: Check for Negation (Prefixes)

If the sentence contains words like but, although, however, or a negative meaning, you may need a negative prefix (un-, dis-, im-, ir-, il-).

Example: "Although he worked hard, the project was a [SUCCESS]." $\to$ UNSUCCESSFUL (Adjective + Negative Prefix)

🥉 Rule 3: Look for Plurals (Noun Suffixes)

If the gap needs a Noun and the context refers to more than one thing (e.g., many, several, few), you must add the plural -s after the main Noun suffix.

Example: "The manager dealt with several [COMPLAIN] from clients." $\to$ COMPLAINTS

🏅 Rule 4: Adverbs Need an Adjective First

If you determine you need an Adverb (ending in -ly), you must first form the Adjective from the base word, and then add the -ly.

Example: "The children waited [PATIENCE] for the ice cream van." $\to$ PATIENT (Adj) $\to$ PATIENTLY (Adv)

🎖️ Rule 5: One Gap, Two Affixes

Advanced B2/C1 words often require both a prefix and a suffix. Be prepared to manipulate the word twice.

Example: "He showed total [RESPONSIBLE] in handling the issue." $\to$ IRRESPONSIBILITY (Negative Prefix ir- + Noun Suffix -ity)

---

🛠️ Free Downloadable Resource: B1/B2 Core Affix Table

Use this condensed table to review the most common suffixes needed to change the part of speech in exams.

POS Needed	Common Suffixes	Base Word Example	Final Word
NOUN (Person)	-er, -or, -ist, -ant	teach, invent, novel, consult	teacher, inventor, novelist, consultant
NOUN (Abstract)	-tion, -ment, -ness, -ity	educate, improve, kind, secure	education, improvement, kindness, security
ADJECTIVE	-ful, -less, -able, -ive, -y	hope, care, agree, impress, cloud	hopeful, careless, agreeable, impressive, cloudy
ADVERB	-ly	happy, easy, frequent	happily, easily, frequently

📝 Practice Activity (Exam-Style)

Use the base word in brackets to form a word that fits the gap.

1. Winning the championship was an incredible [ACHIEVE] for the team.

2. The director spoke [ENTHUSIASM] about the company's future plans.

3. Many teenagers feel a sense of [HELP] when dealing with stress.

4. The country's [ECONOMY] situation is starting to improve.

5. Despite the bad weather, the hikers continued their journey [DETERMINE].

Answers: 1. ACHIEVEMENT (Noun); 2. ENTHUSIASTICALLY (Adverb); 3. HELPLESSNESS (Noun + Negative Prefix); 4. ECONOMIC (Adjective); 5. DETERMINEDLY (Adverb)

🌟 Actionable Tip

Download the free Affix Table and create ten flashcards using one base word on the front and all its possible derivations (Noun, Adj, Adv) on the back. Quiz yourself daily!

---

What's Next? Ready to refine your spoken English? Our next post, Post 5: Improve Your British English Pronunciation, will focus entirely on stress, rhythm, and intonation to help you sound more natural and fluent in conversation.