In this episode, we talk about derivational forms —words that are created by adding prefixes or suffixes to a base word (also called a root). These added parts can change the meaning of the word or its grammatical category (like turning a verb into a noun or an adjective into an adverb).
For example:
From the verb teach, we get the noun teacher.
From the adjective happy, we get the noun happiness.
From the noun success, we get the adjective successful.
These are all derivational forms — words that come from the same root but play different roles in a sentence. Knowing how they work can help you build your vocabulary and communicate more precisely.
In this episode, I:
Explain what derivational forms are and we think of several examples
Talk about word roots and the different types we have in English, especially coming from Latin
Look at common negative prefixes like un-, in-, im-, ir-, and mis-
Practice identifying word families and patterns that can help you guess the meaning of new words
This is a topic that will help you on a standardized test or in your everyday life!