高考英语构词法，英语讲授，词汇学习技巧How Words Are FormedWhen we learn English, it is very, very important to know how English words are formed. Once we know this, we can learn words easily.English people add "heads" or "tails" to words. The word without a head nor a tail is called root. Usually the head is called prefix, while the tail is called suffix.PrefixesThere are some prefixes you can add to some words to form new words. For example, mis- can be added to some verbs, meaning "wrong" or "wrongly". I can understand my English teacher well. means I often know what my English teacher says in class. But I misunderstood him. means I failed to understand him correctly.Adding prefixes is a very common way to form a new word. Most often, we have the following prefixes:in- (im-, il-, ir-): the opposite of somethingindependent: an independent person is someone who does not depend on someone else; an independent country is a country which is not controlled by other country or countries; an independent organisation is an organisation that is not controlled or run by another organisation or government.inaccessible: access is the way or possibility of coming to a place or person. Accessible means "able to be reached". Inaccessible means "very difficult or impossible to go to": Mount Qomolangma (the highest place of Himalayas) is one of the most inaccessible places. impossible: not possibleillegal: legal means "allowed by laws", so illegal means "not allowed by laws".irregular: regular means "happening every hour, every minute, etc.", so irregular means "not happening every hour, etc.".tele-: at or over a long distancetelevision: something you can see, and something that comes to you over a long distance (vision meaning "something you can see")telecommunication: the communication you can do over a long distance, like phone call, email, etc.teleconference: a meeting which is carried out over a long distance, for example by telephone, or other ways like television.telephone: phone is a Greek word meaning "sound" or "voice", so everybody knows this word telephone.inter-: between or involving two or more people, places, countries, etc.internet: the Internet is a system which allows millions of millions of computer users to exchange information. Net is something we use to catch fish, etc., and a net is usually made of threads or other similar things like wires that are woven across each other. The way the Internet works is quite similar to "net", so maybe this is the reason people use net to form this word. Another word quite similar is web: a web is something like a net.international: nation is similar to country, and national is an adjective, so international means "relating to two or more countries".intercom: com is from communication, so intercom is a system people use in a building or in an office building to talk to each other.There are many other common prefixes in English language. Please go to a dictionary to learn some.SuffixesSuffixes are something you add to the end of a word. Suffixes are even more common than prefixes. For example, a teacher is someone who teaches; a worker is someone who works, etc., so -er means "someone who does something". A lecturer is someone who gives lectures.-able (-ible): that you can dowashable: something washable means something you can wash in water.drinkable: something drinkable, like water, means something you can drink.accessible: something accessible means something you can reach.-ly: in a particular way (when added to an adjective); like something or every (when added to a noun)happily: in a happy wayfriendly: like a friend; motherly: like a mother (but not a mother); kingly: like a king (but not a king)weekly: every week; monthly: every month-less: withoutcareless: without careaimless: without aimschildless: without children-ful: full ofcareful: full of carehopeful: full of hopethankful: full of thanksFor many other suffixes, you can follow your teacher or go to a dictionary for information. CompoundsIt is easy to understand a compound: when two or more independent words come together, we say it is a compound word. Blackboard is from black and board; website is from web and site; hardware is from hard and ware, which means "things".Other waysBesides the above three ways, there are ways like:Many homeless people are being housed in temporary accommodation. (to house is from a house) Do you Yahoo today? means "Do you visit Yahoo website today?" or "Do you use Yahoo today?". modem, which is from modulator and demodulatorbrunch, which is from breakfast and lunchsmog, which is from smoke and fogmotel, which is from motor and hotellab, which is from laboratorytaxi (or cab), which is from taxicabA cry-out-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse girl is a girl who cries out at the sight of a mouse.A five-year-old boy is a boy who is five years old.A filmgoer is someone who goes to a film, so is the moviegoer or cinemagoer.ConclusionSo, it is not a bad idea to enrich your vocabulary by learning the way a word is formed. Important notesTraditionally, we treat text message as two words, but in meaning they cannot be separated, and the sound is /"tekst 'mesIdP/, with one stress at the head. The same is true with the following words:mobile phonemovie starafternoon teabread and butterThey are much the same as the Chinese bo(1)li(0): two characters but one meaning.Words and Their PartsLearning the parts of a word is very important. It is a very good way to enrich your vocabulary. Some people think it is easy to learn these parts, but actually it is difficult. For example, how to learn these words: part / depart / department / departure? Are they related to each other? If so what about the meaning of these words? They are so different!So it is very important to know how a word and its parts.At the same time, you can use Resources / Word List from the menu. You can easily see the heads of a group of words, or the tails of a group of words. (See also in this CD-ROM: How Words Are Formed.)We hope you can learn these parts of a English word, and of course, try to use them.abandonedfrom: to abandonacademicfrom: academy; pattern: n. + -ic = adj.accessiblefrom: to access; pattern: v. + -ible (-able) = adj.aimThe word acts as a noun and as a verb.amazedfrom: to amazeIn English, there are a large group of verbs, like to amaze, to amuse ,etc. But we do not usually use them as a verb. After we add -ing, or -ed, we regard and use them as adjectives. Other examples: interesting / exciting / depressing, etc. and their -ed forms.amazingfrom: to amazeamusingfrom: to amusearchitecturefrom: architect(n.) (An architect (n.) is someone who designs buildings.)assistantfrom: to assist; pattern: v. + -ant = n.astonishedfrom: to astonishattractivefrom: to attract; pattern: v. + -ive = adj.boredfrom: to borebreakdownfrom: to break downbrilliantrelated form: brilliance (n.)cassettefrom: case; pattern: n. + -ette (small) = n.Think about the meaning of these words: cigarette / kitchenette / barrette (bar + -ette) / diskette / novelette / luncheonette. Do you know there is a character called Manette in Charles Dickens' story A Tale of Two Cities? Why did Dickens give the person such a name?completelyfrom: complete; pattern: adj. + -ly = adv.comprehensionfrom: to comprehend; pattern: v. + -sion = n.conclusionfrom: to conclude; pattern: v. + -sion = n.correctionfrom: to correct; pattern: v. + -tion = n.crucibleWe have just a few -ible ending words as nouns: collectible (something you collect); convertible (a kind of car); submersible (a kind of ship running under water).datafrom: datum (n.) (singular form, a form we hardly use.)departmentThe word is from the French language. In English, to depart means to leave.descriptionfrom: to describe; pattern: v. + -tion = n.disadvantageIt is very hard to explain the formation of this word. -age is usually added to a verb, so we have advance →advantage. Dis- is usually used before a verb, like disagree, or an adjective, like disable. But what is about disadvantage? We don't have such a word like disadvance (?). disappearfrom: to appear; pattern: dis- + v. = v.disappointedfrom: to disappoint; pattern: v. + -ed = adj. (disappoint: dis- + v.; pattern: dis- + v. = v.) disappointingfrom: to disappoint; pattern: v. + -ing = adj. (disappoint: dis- + v.; pattern: dis- + v. = v.)dissolvefrom: to solve; pattern: dis- + v. = v.distancerelated form: distant (adj.)downtownfrom: down + town. Down has a meaning in the south, and up has a meaning in the north. But here, downtown means towards the business area of a town or city, while uptown means towards the residential area of a town or city.electricalrelated forms: electric (adj.), electricity (n.)electricityfrom: electric; pattern: adj. + -ity = n.embarrassedfrom: to embarrass; pattern: v. + -ed = adj.embarrassingfrom: to embarrass; pattern: v. + -ing = adj.employmentfrom: to employ; pattern: v. + -ment = n.encouragementfrom: to encourage; pattern: v. + -ment = n. (encourage: en- + courage; pattern: en- + n. = v.) energeticfrom: energy; pattern: n. + -ic = adj.enjoymentfrom: to enjoy; pattern: v. + -ment = n.enthusiasticfrom: enthusiasm; pattern: n. + -ic = adj.equipmentfrom: to equip; pattern: v. + -ment = n.exhaustedfrom: to exhaust; pattern: v. + -ed = adj.fantasticfrom: fantasy; pattern: n. + -ic = adj.fascinatingfrom: to fascinate; pattern: v. + -ing = adj.fluencyrelated forms: fluent (adj.), fluently (adv.)formalfrom: form (n.); pattern: n. + -al = adj. Related forms: formality (n.); formally (adv.); informal (adj.); informally (adv.); informality (n.)related forms: fortune (n.), fortunately ( adv.)frequentlyfrom: frequent; pattern: adj. + -ly = adv. Related forms: infrequent (adj.); infrequency (n.); frequency (n.)frightenfrom: fright; pattern: n. + -en = v.gorgeousAlthough the word ends with -ous, we could hardly say it is from a word gorge, a word which means something else, but they ARE of the same root.headmasterfrom: head + masterheadmistressfrom: head + mistresshelicopterrelated forms: copter; heliport (from helicopter + port)hometownfrom: home + townhouseholdfrom: house + hold (to hold: to keep). Although the word has a part hold, the meaning now is a group of people living together. Someone who is the head of a house is called householder, who is employed to clean the house is called housekeeper, who is doing the cleaning in his or her own house is called house husband or housewife.immediatelyfrom: immediate; pattern: adj. + -ly = adv.impressfrom: to press. This im- is not very active now. Imprint also has this similar im-.impressionfrom: to impress; pattern: v. + -sion = n.incorrectlyfrom: incorrect; pattern: adj. + -ly = adv. (incorrect: in- + adj.; pattern: in- + adj. = adj.) independentfrom: dependent; pattern: in- + adj. = adj. (Dependent is from depend. Other similar forms: adherent, adjacent, accident, apparent, diligent, obedient, eloquent, existent, fluent, intelligent, urgent, etc. Most of these forms are adj. in English. They are usually from a French verb. So this is the reason why we can get a sense of "action meaning" in these words.informationfrom: to inform; pattern: v. + - (a)tion = n.instructionfrom: to instruct; pattern: v. + -tion = n.interviewfrom: to view; pattern: inter- + v. = v., inter- + n. = n., inter- + adj. = adj., etc. (Inter- means between or among more than two people or things. Similar words: internet, international, interact, interconnect, interface, etc.)from: to interview; pattern: v. + -er = n.inventionfrom: to invent; pattern: v. + -tion = n.jokeThe form acts both as a noun and as a verb.keywordfrom: key + wordkindergartenfrom: kind (a German word which means child) + garten (a German word which means garden. localrelated forms: location (n.), to locate, to localise, locality (n.), locally (adv.)loudlyfrom: loud; pattern: adj. + -ly = adv.magnesiumThere are some "metals" which have the -ium ending: aluminium / cadmium / calcium / iritium / lithium / chromium / potassium / plutonium / sodium / uranium.midnightfrom: night; pattern: mid- + n. = n. or adj. Similar words: midday / midsummer / midweek / midway, etc.misunderstandingfrom: understanding; pattern: mis- + n. = n., mis- + v. = v.mixturefrom: to mix; pattern: v. + -ture = n.motorbikefrom: motor + bikemoveThe word works both as a noun and a verb.neighbourhoodfrom: neighbour; pattern: n. + -hood = n. Similar words: childhood, girlhood, boyhood, parenthood, adulthood, babyhood, fatherhood, brotherhood, manhood. We have two other words ending with -hood: livelihood / likelihood.nervousrelated forms: nerve (n.), nervously (adv.), nervousness (n.)networkfrom: net + workoccupationfrom: to occupy; pattern: v. + -tion = n.organisationfrom: to organise; pattern: v. + -tion = n.organisedfrom: to organise; pattern: v. + -ed = adj.partialfrom: part; pattern: n. + -ial (-al) = adj.It is hard for us to know the formation of this word, though -age really exists in English. We have a large group of words ending with -age, but the suffix is not very active now.permissionfrom: to permit; pattern: v. + -sion = n.prettyThe word works both as an adjective and as an adverb, but the meaning is quite different. previousAlthough it is hard to recognize the last part of the word, pre- clearly carries the meaning of before. Actually the word is from via, which means way.productrelated forms: to produce, productionprofessionalfrom: profession; pattern: n. + -al = adj. The word professional can also be a noun.reactfrom: to act; pattern: re- + v. = v.reactionfrom: to react; pattern: v. + -tion = n.relationshipfrom: relation; pattern: n. + -ship = n.relaxedfrom: to relax; pattern: v. + -ed = adj.reviseThe prefix re- has the meaning again, and it is a bit active. You can say re-do, re-sing, etc. revisionfrom: to revise; pattern: v. + -sion = n.sceneryrelated form: scene (n.)scientificrelated form: science (n.)seasidefrom: sea + sideshortenfrom: short + -en; pattern: adj. + -en = v.sidewaysfrom: side + -ways; pattern: n. + -ways = adv.similarlyfrom: similar + -ly; pattern: adj. + -ly = adv.softwarefrom: soft + -ware; pattern: adj. (or n.) + -ware = n.soundThe word can both act as a noun and as a verb.stadiumWords which mean buildings or rooms: atrium / auditorium / condominium / crematorium /emporium / gymnasium / planetarium / sanatorium / sanitarium / solarium / stadiumstatisticrelated forms: statistics (n.) / statistical (adj.) / statistically (adv.) / statistician (n.)summaryrelated form: sum (n.)technologyTech is more and more used in informal situation, like hi-tech.teenagerfrom: teenage (n.)timetablefrom: time + tabletongsThere are some words which end with the letter -s: glasses / trousers / sleeves / scissors / pliers, etc. All these things are made of two parts, maybe the reason why they end with -s.touristfrom: tour + -ist; pattern: n. + -ist = n.tramrelated forms: tramcar (n.), tramlines (n.)translationfrom: to translate; pattern: v. + -tion = n.unemployedfrom: employed; pattern: un- + adj. = adj. (employed: employ + v.; pattern: v. + -ed = adj.) websitefrom: web + site。