B2 First Word Formation Practice

B2 First (FCE) · Reading & Use of English Part 3 · 41 free exercises

A text with eight gaps, each with a stem word in capitals that must be transformed to fit — noun to adjective, verb to noun, adding prefixes or making it negative. Word formation tests how well you know word families and affixes.

Word Formation: One root word, the right family member.

8 — gaps
1 root word — to transform
1 mark — per gap
~10 min — of your paper

Two decisions: which word class the gap needs (noun, verb, adjective, adverb), and whether the meaning needs a prefix — most often a negative one. The root gives you the meaning; you build the correct form and spell it right.

What real learners get wrong: From 2,461 real B2 gaps, learners average 71%. Negative prefixes are the hardest family (39% wrong) — read the sentence for a negative meaning before you write the answer.

The method

Read the whole sentence and find the word class the gap needs.
Decide singular or plural, and person or thing (HISTORY → historians, not historically).
Check the meaning for a prefix — is the idea negative or opposite? Add un-, in-, dis-, mis-.
Watch for double changes: many answers need a prefix AND a suffix (un-comfort-able).
Spell it, minding root changes (maintain → maintenance), then reread the sentence.

The traps

Inventing a word: Applying a suffix that does not exist — "perceivance" for PERCEIVE (the word is perception).
Right idea, wrong word class: An adverb where a noun was needed — "surviving" for SURVIVE where "survival" fits.
Missing the prefix: The suffix and class are right, but a negative prefix was needed — the whole mark goes with it.
Person vs thing: Some gaps need a person noun, not an abstract one — ask who or what the sentence is about.
Spelling the right word wrong: A doubled letter missed, a root that changed. No partial credit, so proofread every answer.

B2 First Word Formation Practice

Word Formation: One root word, the right family member.

The method

The traps

All Word Formation exercises

Cambridge B2 First 4, Cambridge University Press

Cambridge English First 2, Cambridge University Press

Cambridge English First 3, Cambridge University Press

First Expert Coursebook, Pearson Education

First Expert Student's Resource Book, Pearson Education

Ready for B2 First 4th Edition Workbook, Macmillan Education Limited

Ready for B2 First 4th Edition, Macmillan Education Limited

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