Vocabulary

1. Affixation

• Definition: The process of forming new words by adding affixes (prefixes or suffixes) to root words.
• Prefixes: Added to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning. Key categories include:
  • Negative: (e.g., un-, non-, dis-) used to reverse or negate meanings.
  • Pejorative: (e.g., mal-, mis-) implying something is wrong or bad.
  • Degree or Size: (e.g., super-, ultra-, mini-) indicating extent.
  • Locative: (e.g., inter-, trans-, sub-) suggesting place or direction.
  • Time and Order: (e.g., pre-, post-, ex-) indicating sequence.
  • Number: (e.g., uni-, bi-, multi-) denoting quantity.
• Suffixes: Added to the end of a word to change its meaning or grammatical function. They are used to create:
  • Nouns: Using endings like -er, -tion, -ness, and -ment.
  • Adjectives: Using endings like -able, -ful, -less, and -ive.
  • Verbs: Using endings like -ise/-ize, -ify, and -en.
  • Adverbs: Using endings like -ly, -wards, and -wise.

2. Compound and Portmanteau Words

• Compound Words: Formed by linking two or more words to create a new meaning. They are classified as:
  • Open: Written as separate words (e.g., ice cream).
  • Hyphenated: Connected by a hyphen (e.g., mother-in-law).
  • Closed: Written as a single word (e.g., grandmother).
• Portmanteau Words: Also known as blends, these are created by joining two words while dropping some letters (e.g., brunch from breakfast + lunch).

3. Word Pairings and Relationships

• Collocation: The natural combination of words that sound correct to native speakers, such as "fast food" or "heavy rain."
• Homophones: Words that have the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings (e.g., altar and alter).
• Homographs: Words spelt the same but differing in meaning, origin, or pronunciation (e.g., wind /waɪnd/ to wrap vs. wind /wɪnd/ moving air).
• Homonyms: Words that are spelt and pronounced the same but have entirely different meanings (e.g., bank of a river vs. bank for money).

4. British and American English

• Vocabulary Differences: Many common objects have different names (e.g., British lorry vs. American truck; chips vs. French fries).
• Spelling Variations:
  • Words ending in -ise in British English often end in -ize in American English.
  • British English often doubles consonants (e.g., travelled), whereas American English does not (e.g., traveled).
  • The British -our ending (colour) changes to -or (color) in American English.
  • British -re endings (centre) change to -er (center).