Extended Matura in English: Word Formation

Tasks in the area of Use of English are for many high school graduates the biggest challenge at the extended level. Word formation requires not only an excellent knowledge of vocabulary but also an understanding of grammar and context. Below you will find a comprehensive guide on how to tackle this type of task.

Typical tasks on the matura exam

In the matura exam in English at the extended level, word formation most often appears in the form of a text with gaps. In the margin of the text (or in parentheses), the words are given in their base form (e.g. CREATE). Your task is to transform this word so that it grammatically and logically fits into the gap.

You must create the appropriate part of speech by adding:

• Prefixes – changing the meaning of the word (e.g. to the opposite: happy -> unhappy).
• Suffixes – changing the part of speech (e.g. noun to adjective: danger -> dangerous).

Ways to tackle tasks (Exam Strategy)

Solving word formation tasks is a process that is worth systematizing. Here is the best strategy step by step:

1. Read the entire text „dry”: Before you start typing words, read the text from cover to cover to understand its overall meaning and tone.
2. Determine the part of speech: Look at the words surrounding the gap. Do you need a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb there?
   • Gap after the article (a, an, the) and adjective? Look for a noun.
   • Gap before the noun? Look for an adjective.
   • Gap at the beginning of the sentence (separated by a comma) or at its end? Look for an adverb (e.g. Surprisingly, …).
3. Positive or negative context? Consider whether the sentence expresses approval or disapproval. Very often, you need to use a negative prefix (e.g. un-, in-, dis-, im-).
4. Check the number: If you are entering a countable noun, make sure after the verb and context that it should not be in the plural (adding the ending -s / -es). An error in number is treated as an incorrect answer!
5. Read the sentence after filling it in: Make sure it sounds natural and correct.

Examples with explanation

Preparation strategy – how to practice at home?

• Learn „Word Families”: Don’t just learn individual words. When you learn a new word, e.g. employ, immediately check and note its derivatives: employment (employment), employer (employer), employee (employee), unemployed (unemployed).
• Learn the rules of adding suffixes: Note that, for example, the endings -tion, -ment, -ness create nouns, while -ous, -ful, -able create adjectives.
• Read a lot in English: Articles, books, blogs. Reading builds what is called „language intuition.” Over time, you will start to „feel” which word fits in a given place, even if you don’t remember a specific rule.
• Take tests: Practice makes perfect. The more gaps you fill, the more patterns you will notice.