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C2 Proficiency word formation practice and answers

C2Reading & Use of English40 questionsUpdated

C2 Proficiency word formation asks you to turn one root into the exact derived form a sentence needs, and at this level the answer is often two changes away: a prefix and a suffix, or a suffix plus an internal vowel change. Plurals, negatives and the confusable pairs built on a single root are where most marks are lost.

What this task tests

  • Suffixation across word classes: verb to abstract noun, noun to adjective, adjective to adverb.
  • Negative and reversative prefixes, including the ones that are not un-.
  • Internal spelling and stress changes when a suffix is added.
  • Whether the sentence needs a singular or plural noun, and whether the noun is countable.
  • Choosing between two real derivatives of the same root with different meanings.
  • Degree prefixes such as over-, under-, mis- and pre-, which the sentence context selects.
  • Compound adjectives built with -worthy, -ridden, -laden and -free.
  • Agentive and abstract noun suffixes in contrast: -ant, -ent, -ee, -ship, -hood, -dom.
  • Adjective pairs that share a root but not a meaning, such as economic and economical.
  • Accurate spelling of the finished word, which is part of the answer and not a detail.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read the sentence to the end first

    The gap is decided by what surrounds it, not by the root. A determiner before the gap means a noun; an auxiliary plus the gap means a participle or adjective; a gap between a verb and its object rules out an adverb.

  2. Step 2:

    Name the word class, then build

    Say out loud what class the gap needs before touching the root. Candidates who start from the root produce a real English word of the wrong class, which earns nothing.

  3. Step 3:

    Check for a negative

    Scan the sentence for a contrast signal: but, despite, far from, anything but, rather than. At C2 roughly one gap in four wants a negative prefix, and the sentence always tells you.

  4. Step 4:

    Choose the prefix by the word, not by the sound

    Legible takes il-, probable takes im-, reversible takes ir-, conclusive takes in-. These are memorised per word. If you are guessing, guess in- for Latinate adjectives and un- for Germanic ones, but learn the frequent ones properly.

  5. Step 5:

    Check number and countability

    If the noun has no determiner and the verb is plural, you need a plural. Abstract nouns like advice, machinery and evidence do not take one, so the sentence has to be reread rather than pattern-matched.

  6. Step 6:

    Watch for the confusable twin

    Where a root yields two adjectives, decide which meaning the sentence needs before you write: economic is about economies, economical is about saving money; historic is important, historical merely relates to the past.

  7. Step 7:

    Spell the result out letter by letter

    Maintenance, occurrence, pronunciation and privilege are lost more often to spelling than to morphology. Write the word, then check the doubled letters and the vowel before the suffix.

  8. Step 8:

    Reread the sentence with your word in place

    Ten seconds of rereading catches a plural that should be singular, an adverb where an adjective belongs, and a missing negative. This task is quick, so use the time you save to check it.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisThe evidence was unconclusive.

    ThisThe evidence was inconclusive.

    The negative prefix is fixed per word and cannot be chosen by feel: inconclusive, unconvincing, illegible, irreversible.

  • Not thisThere has been a steady improvement in the standard of maintainance.

    This... in the standard of maintenance.

    Maintain loses the i when it becomes maintenance. Internal spelling changes are tested deliberately.

  • Not thisHer contribution was widely recognised as significative.

    ThisHer contribution was widely recognised as significant.

    Candidates invent plausible suffixes. If you have never read the form, it is almost certainly not a word.

  • Not thisThe committee made several recommendation.

    ThisThe committee made several recommendations.

    Several forces a plural. Number is part of the answer, and an otherwise perfect derivative is marked wrong without the -s.

  • Not thisThe reforms produced a historical change in the way schools were funded.

    ThisThe reforms produced a historic change in the way schools were funded.

    Historic means momentous; historical means relating to the past. The sentence is about importance, so only one form works.

  • Not thisHe was interrupted by continuous complaints from the back of the hall.

    ThisHe was interrupted by continual complaints from the back of the hall.

    Continual means repeated with gaps; continuous means unbroken. Interruptions are by definition repeated, so continual is the only fit.

  • Not thisThe witness was entirely credulous and the jury believed her.

    ThisThe witness was entirely credible and the jury believed her.

    Credible means believable; credulous means too ready to believe. The pair reverses the meaning of the sentence.

Language this task keeps reusing

-ance / -ence
abstract noun from a verb: maintain to maintenance, occur to occurrence
-ity
abstract noun from an adjective: complex to complexity, scarce to scarcity
in- / im- / il- / ir-
negative prefixes chosen per word: inconclusive, improbable, illegible, irreversible
dis-
reversative or negative: disprove, disinclined, disenchanted
over- / under-
excess or deficiency: overstated, underestimated, understaffed
-ship
state or role: stewardship, apprenticeship, statesmanship
-ise / -ify
verb from noun or adjective: standardise, exemplify, intensify
mis-
wrongly: misinterpret, misrepresent, misapprehension
-ous vs -ful
adjective suffixes that are not interchangeable: disastrous, not disasterful
-ment
result or process from a verb: bewilderment, discernment, curtailment
-worthy
deserving: noteworthy, praiseworthy, trustworthy
economic vs economical
relating to the economy vs saving money
historic vs historical
momentous vs relating to the past
continual vs continuous
repeated with interruptions vs unbroken
credible vs credulous
believable vs too willing to believe
exhaustive vs exhausting
covering everything vs extremely tiring

Practice: word formation

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Form a word from CONCLUDE to fit the gap.

Far from being decisive, the evidence proved entirely .
Which is the correct noun from MAINTAIN?

3Form a word from STEWARD to fit the gap.

The building has been neglected, and years of poor are now visible.
Which sentence uses the right derivative of SCARCE?

5Form a word from BEWILDER to fit the gap.

His account was so confused that it left the jury in a state of .
Decide whether each statement about word formation is true.
  • A gap after 'a state of' usually needs an abstract noun.
  • Every adjective can be made negative with un-.
  • Plural marking is part of the answer and a missing -s loses the mark.
3 to go

7Form a word from REVERSE to fit the gap.

The damage to the coastline is, on current evidence, .
The witness gave a ___ of events that contradicted the official record.

9Form a plural word from OCCUR to fit the gap.

Several of the same fault were logged in a single week.

10A gap reads: 'Far more rain fell than the forecast had allowed for, which turned out to be wildly ___ (STATE).' Explain how you reach the answer.

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Frequently asked questions

How many marks does word formation carry?

It is one of the shorter Use of English tasks, with fewer items than the reading sections, but every item is a single word you either know or do not. It is the most improvable task on the paper.

Will a real but wrong-class word get partial credit?

No. Writing conclusion where the sentence needs inconclusive is marked wrong. Fix the word class before you touch the root.

How should I revise for this task?

Keep word families rather than words: one page per root with the verb, the noun, the adjective, the adverb and the negative. Test yourself by writing the family from the root, not by recognising it.

Do I ever need to add both a prefix and a suffix?

Regularly. Roots like CONVINCE, ACCESS and DISPENSE give unconvincing, inaccessible and indispensable, which is one change at each end. If a single change does not fit the sentence, try two before deciding the root is wrong.

Which word families are worth learning first?

The ones that recur in argumentative prose: prove, convince, doubt, conclude, access, rely, necessary, responsible, consider and require. They appear in every text type the exam uses, so the return on memorising them is immediate.