Word Families & Morphology

Vocabulary range doesn’t come from memorizing more single words—it comes from controlling families of words built from the same base. When you can flip a root into the right verb, noun, adjective, or adverb, you write and speak faster, clearer, and more naturally.

1) Quick family tables you’ll actually use

Make tiny tables you can review in under a minute. Include a model sentence and one collocation.

Build your own: pick 5 roots from your week (e.g., refund, insure, verify, escalate, schedule) and complete the row with one natural collocation.

2) Part-of-speech control: say the same idea different ways

You often need the same idea in a different form depending on tone or sentence structure.

• Verb (direct, concise): We approved the claim.
• Noun (formal, document tone): We gave approval for the claim.
• Adjective (describing state): The claim is approved.
• Adverb (how something is done): The issue was promptly resolved.

When to choose which

• Email to a neighbor/manager → prefer verbs: short and clear.
• Policy/note on a form → nouns/adjectives feel more official.
• Performance/quality descriptions → adjectives/adverbs add nuance.

Nominalization therapy (cutting wordiness)

• We conducted a review of the application. → We reviewed the application.
• We made a decision to reschedule. → We decided to reschedule.

3) Prefixes that change meaning you care about

Use prefixes to decode new words and to add nuance in your own writing.

A) Negative / opposite

• un- (unavailable, unfair): simple “not”.
• in-/im-/il-/ir- (ineligible, impossible, illegal, irregular): “not / without”.
• non- (non-refundable, non-resident): “not” but neutral/formal; common on forms.
• dis- (disagree, disconnect, disapprove): opposite/undo; often adds a stance.

Production tip: non-refundable (policy label) vs not refundable (sentence).

B) Degree / amount

• over- (overcharge, overuse) → too much
• under- (underpay, underreport) → too little
• super-/ultra- (supervisor, ultra-fine) → high degree
• semi-/quasi- (semi-annual, quasi-official) → partial/approximate

C) Time / order

• pre- (prepay, pre-authorize, preview) → before
• re- (redo, reapply, reopen) → again/back
• post- (postpone, post-incident) → after

D) Direction / relation (handy in workplace & tech)

• inter- (interdepartmental) → between
• sub- (subsection) → under/part of
• co- (co-sign, cooperate) → with/together
• anti-/pro- (anti-theft, pro-rated) → against / in favor of

Fast decode drill:

• ineligible = not eligible.
• underpayment = paid too little.
• preauthorized = approved before the charge.
• overage fee = fee for too much usage.

4) Suffixes that signal the part of speech (and tone)

• Verb → Noun: approve → approval; renew → renewal; comply → compliance; respond → response; insure → insurance; attend → attendance; move → movement; refund → refund (also a verb)
• Verb → Agent (person): applicant, respondent, assistant, technician, supervisor
• Verb → Adjective: permit → permissible; rely → reliable; vary → variable; respond → responsive; access → accessible
• Adjective → Noun: reliable → reliability; compliant → compliance; responsive → responsiveness
• Adjective → Adverb: prompt → promptly; reasonable → reasonably; temporary → temporarily

Why this matters: If you can spot the suffix, you can guess the role of the word in the sentence and pick the right form when you write.

5) Negative & degree nuance that changes answers

Small prefixes can flip an answer on Reading/Listening or make your email accurate:

• discontinue ≠ continue; under-estimate ≠ over-estimate
• incomplete ≠ complete; non-transferable ≠ transferable
• unauthorized vs not yet authorized (status vs timing—different meaning)

Minute drill: Rewrite with exact degree/negation.

• He paid less than required. → He underpaid the invoice.
• The card can’t be moved to another person. → The card is non-transferable.

6) Canadian-English morphology & spelling that CELPIP expects

Use common Canadian patterns in formal writing:

• -our: colour, behaviour, labour
• -re: centre, litre, metre
• -ize/-ization preferred (Canadian allows -ize): organize, organization
• Double L before a vowel-ending suffix is common: travelling, cancelled

Noun/verb pairs (watch these):

• licence (noun) / license (verb) → driver’s licence; to license a business
• practice (noun) / practise (verb) → medical practice; to practise writing

When in doubt during timed tasks, keep the word family consistent inside your response.

7) Family-switch templates you can steal

Convert between forms without changing meaning:

• Decision

  • Verb: We approved the claim.
  • Noun: We gave our approval for the claim.
  • Adj: The claim is approved.

• Eligibility

  • Verb: You qualify for the benefit.
  • Noun: Your eligibility has been confirmed.
  • Adj: You are eligible for the benefit.

• Compliance

  • Verb: All units must comply with the bylaw.
  • Noun: We reviewed compliance last quarter.
  • Adj: The unit is compliant with safety rules.

Copy the structure; swap the family.

8) Micro-drills (5–7 minutes total)

A) Morphology sprint (2 min)
Turn the base into three correct forms and one collocation:

• verify → __________ / __________ / __________ ; __________ documentation
• escalate → __________ / __________ / __________ ; __________ an issue
• maintain → __________ / __________ / __________ ; __________ records

B) Verbify it (2 min)
Replace nouny phrases with strong verbs:

• give a recommendation → recommend
• make a payment → pay
• do a review → review

C) Prefix precision (90 sec)
Pick the accurate option:

1. Residents are (ineligible / non-eligible) until they submit ID.
2. We’ll credit the account if you were (overcharged / undercharged).
3. This item is (non-refundable / unrefundable) after opening.
   Suggested: 1) ineligible 2) depends on case; choose the one that matches facts 3) non-refundable

D) Part-of-speech swap (90 sec)
Rewrite once each:

• There was a cancellation of tomorrow’s class. → They cancelled tomorrow’s class.
• We made an adjustment to your bill. → We adjusted your bill.

9) Quality checklist (use while writing/speaking)

• Did I choose the right form for the job (verb for action, noun/adjective for policy/status)?
• Is my degree/negation precise (over/under, non/un/dis)?
• Did I use at least one collocation from the family (e.g., comply with, applicable to)?
• Are my spellings consistent with Canadian usage across the response?

10) Ready-to-paste mini family banks (start here)

apply → apply / application / applicant / applicable

• I’m writing to apply; the position is applicable to residents.

refund → refund (v/n) / refundable / non-refundable

• We’d like to request a refund; sale items are non-refundable.

verify → verify / verification / verifiable

• Please verify your address; verification can take 2–3 days.

escalate → escalate / escalation / escalated

• If the issue persists, we’ll escalate the ticket to Tier 2.

maintain → maintain / maintenance / maintainable

• The strata must maintain common areas; maintenance occurs monthly.