Verbal Analogy and Word Formation
1. Analogy (A : B :: C : ?)
Find the relation between the first pair, then apply the same relation. Common relations: worker–workplace (doctor : hospital), tool–use (pen : write), animal–home (bee : hive), animal–young one (dog : puppy), animal–sound (lion : roar), part–whole (page : book), creator–work (poet : poem), instrument–measure (thermometer : temperature), unit–quantity (litre : volume), raw material–product (wheat : flour), opposites (hot : cold).
2. Word formation
- Nouns: decide–decision, brave–bravery, able–ability, arrive–arrival, deep–depth, proud–pride, free–freedom.
- Verbs: strong–strengthen, wide–widen, danger–endanger, courage–encourage, simple–simplify.
- Adjectives: danger–dangerous, nation–national, child–childish, beauty–beautiful, grammar–grammatical.
3. Prefixes and suffixes
- Negative prefixes: il- before l (illegal, illiterate), ir- before r (irregular, irrelevant), im- before p/b/m (impossible), un- (unhappy), dis- (dishonest, disappear), mis- (misunderstand).
- pre- (before), post- (after), anti- (against), re- (again), multi- (many), sub- (under).
- -less (without), -ful (full of), -er/-or/-ist (one who), -ment/-ness/-ity/-tion (noun), -ify/-en/-ise (verb), -ous/-al/-ive (adjective), -ly (adverb).