Practice Exercises for IELTS

WordFormation

by Fiona Wattam

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Hi! I’m Fiona.

I’m an IELTS Tutor and ex-examiner with 30 years experience of teaching English as aForeign Language, and I’ve specialised in IELTS for over 20 years.

I put all my best materials in one place so that they’re easy to find and follow. Thatplace is the Members Academy where I walk you step by step through everything youneed to know and do in order to pass the test without spending hours and hours on theInternet.

The Members Academy includes:

10 IELTS courses 180+ Video Lessons Email challenges e-books 60+ Model Essays 60+ Writing Feedback Videos Private Facebook Group Weekly new materials Full access to Library of resources and e-books 6 Mock Tests (3 Listening, 3 Reading) Weekly Writing Feedback Weekly 2-minute Speaking Feedback

For more detailed information about the Members Academy, click here .

I hope you enjoy the Word Formation booklet. I made it so that you can use all theexample sentences in your Writing and Speaking.

Best wishes

Fiona

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

I believe the best way to learn vocabulary is IN CONTEXT , from your Reading andListening etc.

aim of these lists is to help you revise words that you already know and torecognise these words more easily when you see/hear them. The practice sentences are designed to help you USE these words accurately.Memorising the words from the lists will also help your SPELLING , which is tested inthe IELTS exam.

The

Word formation is important in IELTS because:

It helps you express yourself more clearly and precisely in andSPEAKINGWRITING It allows you to use more sophisticated/academic expressions in WRITING In the TEST, your are specifically tested on your spelling of differentforms, especially irregular ones

LISTENING

An understanding of different forms will help you and from context

READ faster guessmeaning

All of the sentences I've used in the practice sections are particularly USEFUL for usingin your Writing Task 2.

Group 1: Irregular verb forms of some adjectives/nouns.

All the verbs in this group work the same i.e.

‘to lengthen’ = to make something long/longer

‘to strengthen’ = to make something strong/stronger

Disclaimer! I do not normally recommend learning lists of vocabulary.

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

1) Some people think the school day is too short and want to __________________it.

(*we don’t really use these. There are other nouns which have different meanings e.g.‘shortage’ = ‘lack’)

Adjective Noun Verb

long length lengthen

strong strength strengthen

deep depth deepen

wide width widen

broad breadth broaden

high height heighten

weak weakness weaken

short (shortness)* shorten

low (lowness)* lower

large (largeness)* enlarge

2) Metal bars are added to concrete in order to ______________________ it.

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

10) They the kitchen by building over the garden.enlarged

8) You could _________________________ your essay and still get a good mark.

5) Travelling the mind.broadens

9) Do you think the government should the voting age to 16?lower

9) Do you think the government should ___________________the voting age to 16?

6) Raising the floor level meant that the roof had to be .heightened

7) There are several in his argument.weaknesses

10) They _______________________ the kitchen by building over the garden.

8) You could your essay and still get a good mark.shorten

3) What is the ___________________________ of an Olympic diving pool?

Group 1 Answers:

4) In the second picture we can see that the road has been ___________________.

1) Some people think the school day is too short and want to it.lengthen

5) Travelling _________________________ the mind.

2) Metal bars are added to concrete in order to it.strengthen

6) Raising the floor level meant that the roof had to be ________________________.

3) What is the of an Olympic diving pool?depth

7) There are several ___________________________ in his argument.

4) In the second picture we can see that the road has been .widened

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Group 2: Some irregular adjectives to nouns

Adjective Noun

proud pride

guilty guilt

wealthy wealth

healthy health

true truth

young youth

poor poverty

brave bravery

hungry hunger

thirsty thirst

severe severity

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

1) Everyone should take ____________ (proud) in their work.2) Many new mothers experience feelings of____________(guilty) when they go backto work.3) South Africa has great mineral ________________ (wealthy).4) The government is responsible for the _________________ (healthy) of its people.5) Politicians are well known for being economical with the ______________(true).6) The _____________ (young) of today do not appreciate how lucky they are.7) _____________(poor) is one of the world's biggest problems.8) We must never forget the ____________ (brave) of those who fought for our freedom.9) Surely more can be done to alleviate the problem of _____________ (hungry).10) To get ahead, you need to be ambitious and have a _____________ (thirsty) for success.11) Prison sentences should reflect the ________________ (severe) of the crime.

Group 2 Answers

Choose the correct form of the words for the gaps below:

1) Everyone should take in their work.2) Many new mothers experience feelings of when they go back to work.3) South Africa has great mineral 4) The government is responsible for the of its people.5) Politicians are well known for being economical with the .6) The of today do not appreciate how lucky they are.7) is one of the world's biggest problems.8) We must never forget the of those who fought for our freedom.9) Surely more can be done to alleviate the problem of .10) To get ahead, you need to be ambitious and have a for success. 11) Prison sentences should reflect the severity of the crime.

prideguilt

wealth.health

truthyouth

Povertybravery

hungerthirst

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Group 3: MORE tricky adjectives to nouns

Adjective Noun

free freedom

wise wisdom

boring boredom

grateful gratitude

likely likeli hood

angry anger

famous fame

hot heat

cruel cruelty

cowardly cowardice

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

1. ____________________ (free) of speech is a fundamental human right.2. Many people question the _____________________ (wise) of privatising the NHS.3. Young people tend to commit crimes out of ________________ (boring).4. I don't know how to express my _______________________ (grateful) for your help.5. Young people see no ___________________ (likely) of finding employment.6. I feel a strong sense of _________________ (angry) when I see tax-payers' money being wasted.7. Many celebrities suffer the trappings of __________________________ (famous).8. It is easy to over-react in the ____________ (hot) of the moment.9. ______________________________ to animals should not be tolerated.10.During World War 2, many soldiers were punished for _______________ (cowardly) and have since been pardoned.

Group 3: Answers

1. freedom 2. wisdom 3. boredom 4. gratitude 5. likelihood 6. anger 7. fame 8. heat 9. cruelty 10.cowardice

Choose the correct form of the words for the gaps below:

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

So make sure that you keep a for word forms and practice them regularly bymaking sentences like these and doing practice sentences like the ones I’ve made foryou below!

notebook

make your writing sound more formal, academic and authoritative. Thissentence (‘The electrification of a road in Sweden….’) is an example of ‘nominalisation’- see the full lesson on this.

*NOUN forms

Of course all of the sentences are correct.

They all say the same thing using a of the root word ‘electric’.different form

Being able to use different forms will allow you more flexibility when you speak andwrite, and is a key criteria for IELTS Writing Band 7.flexibility

1. Sweden has made a road which can charge cars.electric2. Sweden has made a road which can produce to charge cars.electricity3. Sweden has a road so that it can charge cars.electrified4. Sweden has installed its first road for charging cars.electrified 5. The * of a road in Sweden allows electric cars to recharge.electrification

Choose the correct answer:

World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

Look at the headline of the article below - what does it mean?

Group 4 Verbs which end in ‘ify’

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Adjective Verb Meaning

just (right/fair) justify To prove sth is right/reasonable/true/fair

certain certify To con�rm/of�cially recognize

signi�cant signify To be evidence of, to be a sign of

mysterious mystify To confuse or puzzle someone

peaceful pacify To calm, bring peace

glorious glorify To make sth seem better than it is

united/uni�ed unify To bring sth together

terri�ed terrify To frighten

horri�ed horrify To �ll with horror

strong fortify To make something stronger

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

1. The end does not always _______________ the means.2. Meat needs to be ________________ as fit for human consumption. 3. There was a ______________________ increase in the price of petrol. 4. Maths is a subject that completely ________________________ me.5. We all want to live in a _________________ and harmonious society. 6. Films often _____________________ violence. 7. The government is attempting to _________________ the country. 8. Dogs used to _______________ me as a child, but now I quite like them. 9. I was __________________ to find out how much my boss earns! 10. They ___________________ the town with an impenetrable wall.

Choose the best form for the gaps - change the verb form if you need to!

Group 4 Answers

1. justify 2. certified3. significant4. mystifies5. peaceful6. glorify7. unify8. terrify9. horrified

10. fortified

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Group 5: More verbs which end in ‘ify’

Adjective Verb Meaning

intense intensify To become more intense

beautiful beautify To make something more beautiful

solid solidify To become solid

liquid liquify/liquefy To make something liquid

simple simplify To make something more simple

false falsify To make something false

correct rectify To make something right

speci�c specify To identify clearly and precisely

pure purify To make something clean/pure

diverse diversify To make or become more varied

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

1. Fighting has _____________________ (intense) over the last few days. 2. Sculptures are one way of __________________(beautiful) town centres.3. The liquid is left to cool in order to ____________________ (solid).4. Water is added to the mixture and it is then __________ (liquid) in a blender.5. The complex process of applying for a visa needs to be _________(simple).6. ______________ (false) documents is a serious crime.7. More funding is needed to ______________ (correct) the problem.8. It is always best to _____________ (specific) exactly what your requirements are.9. The water is then _______________ (pure) organically by being passed through areed bed.10. Small businesses need to ________________ in order to attract and maintain newcustomers.

Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the VERBS:

Group 5 Answers

Extra Task:

1. intensified2. beautify3. solidify4. liquified/liquefied (UK/US)5. simplified6. falsifying7. rectify8. specify9. purified

10. diversify

Find the nouns forms for words ending in and add them to the lists above e.g.

‘ify’justify - justification, intensify - intensification, simplify - simplification.

Make your own sentences using the .noun forms

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Group 6:‘ence’ nouns

Verb Adjective Noun

confide confident confidencedepend dependent (on) dependencediffer different (from) differenceexist existing/ (non)existent* existenceobey (dis)obedient (dis)obedience occur occurring occurrence offend offensive offence persist persistent persistence recur recurrent recurrence

*e.g. Regulations about noise pollution are virtually non-existent (= they don’t exist).

More ‘ence’ nouns (from adjectives)

Adjective Noun

absent absence(in)competent (in)competence (in) convenient (in)convenienceevident evidenceintelligent intelligence(im)patient (im)patiencepresent presenceviolent violence

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

1. Many people lack __________________________when speaking in public.2. Our _________________________on fossil fuels needs to be reduced.3. People’s attitudes to immigrants ______________according to where they live.4. It is preferable to exploit _________________ resources than spend time and

money looking elsewhere.5. Classroom _________________is an increasing problem in secondary schools

these days.6. Evidence suggests that climate-change may be a natural __________________.7. There is needs to be a more effective filtering system for _________________

comments on social media.8. Successful people claim that it was their _________________ , rather than their

talent, which brought them success.9. Hopefully there will be no ______________________ of the violence.

Extension: Can you write these sentences in a less formal way?

Practice

Answers

1) confidence 2) dependence 3) differs 4) existing 5) disobedience 6) occurrence 7) offensive 8) persistence 9) recurrence

Extension suggestions

1. Lots of people feel scared when they talk in front of big groups.2. We need to stop relying on coal, gas and oil.3. Your attitude to immigrants depends on where you live.4. It’s better to use the resources we’ve already got than to…5. There are too many badly-behaved/naughty kids in schools these days.6. Some studies show that climate change could happen naturally.7. Social media companies should do more to filter out offensive posts.8. Successful people say they were only successful because they didn’t give up, not

because they had any talent!9. Hopefully the violence won’t happen again.

Now can you turn them back to the formal version?

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Adjective Noun

(in) accurate (in) accuracy

(in) adequate (in) adequacy

immediate immediacy

private privacy

infant infancy

pregnant pregnancy

vacant vacancy

(in) decent (in) decency

(in) ef�cient (in) ef�ciency

(in) frequent (in) frequency

urgent urgency

secret secrecy

Group 7: -cy nouns

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

(Not all of the words are used here)

1. I apologise for the ___________________________ of my spelling.2. Funding for healthcare is ____________________________ and needs to be

increased.3. Famous people suffer from a lack of _________________ in their personal lives.4. There are very few ________________________ in the retail industry these days.5. The privatisation of the rail networks has resulted in a system which is outdated

and _______________________.6. Trains are unpunctual and _______________________.7. There needs to be a sense of ______________ in order for the government to

take action.8. The effect of delayed trains in terms of billions lost to the economy is still

shrouded in ______________________.

Answers

Practice Sentences:

1) inaccuracy 2) inadequate 3) privacy 4) vacancies 5) inefficient 6) infrequent 7) urgency 8) secrecy

Fiona's Word Formation Worksheets

www.ieltsetc.com

Yes, I went through and started to noticepatterns in the TYPE of words that they choose for gap fill in the Listening Test.

every single Cambridge Practice Test Book

Get more booklets like this in The Members Academy. They have been specificallydesigned by me to target weak areas I've identified over many years of helping IELTSstudents pass the test.

PLUS! Get a compilation of ALL the gapfill words that have been used over the last 20years* in the Listening Test.

This list has helped my students learn ONLY the key words that they need for theIELTS Test, saving them a lot of time and money.

The Members Academy is not just a course - it's a school, a community, a coach, alibrary, a coffee break and a support network all in one place. It's designed todramatically shortcut your path to an outstanding IELTS score, in the most enjoyableway possible - it’s IELTS Made Easier.

Join the  Members Academy

by Fiona Wattam