How To Take a Word Formation Exam

Many tests include a word formation section. In this exercise, you are required to change the form of the word given to the correct form of speech.


Here's How:

1. Read the text through trying to understanding the general meaning.
2. Look at each missing word gap and the key word that needs to be changed.
3. Look at each missing word gap and the key word that needs to be changed.
4. Decide which part of speech (adjective, noun, gerund, etc.) needs to be used to fill each gap.
5. Any words that come immediate to mind, should be penciled in.
6. Return to the more difficult words and think about the various parts of speech that can be formed using the key word (care - careless, careful, carelessly, uncarefully, etc.).
7. Fill in the final answer with the appropriate forms.

Tips:

1. Remember to think about prefixes and suffixes that can change the meaning and help complete the meaning.
2. Always think about the overall meaning of the text (i.e., whether the text is negative, positive, etc.) to make sure that your answer choice fits the context.
3. Trust your intuition. If you feel a word is right instinctively, it probably is correct.

Source: about.com