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Vocabulary: making verbs - English lesson
How can you increase your vocabulary quite easily? This is a problem that the most hardworking learners keep trying to solve... There are methods to do so...
We're going to have fun today: learning how to make verbs... (it's often a true discovery and quite a wonder for learners!) and of course, the different tenses and forms of the verbs will be available to your creativity!
In order 'to make' a verb, you only have to follow a simple pattern:
some nouns and many adjectives are added the suffix -EN : VERB= ADJECTIVE/ NOUN + -EN
You may use these new easily learnt verbs, in many various ways! Literally speaking, it's a CHILDREN'S PLAY!
1° Some NOUNS will give VERBS: ( Don't forget: if you double-click on a word, you'll get the online dictionary...)
(ADJECTIVES) | NOUNS | VERBS |
(High) | => the height | to heighten |
(Long) | => the length | to lengthen |
X | => a fright | to frighten |
(Hasty) | => haste | to hasten |
(Strong) | => the strength | to strengthen |
X | => a threat | to threaten |
2° Many ADJECTIVES give birth to VERBS expressing:
a) Sizes, or dimensions:
Wide | => to widen |
Broad | => to broaden |
Deep | => to deepen |
Right | => to righten |
Short | => to shorten |
Thick | => to thicken |
b) Colours and aspects:
Bright | => to brighten |
Dark | => to darken |
Light | => to lighten |
Red | => to redden |
White | => to whiten |
Black | => to blacken |
3° Many other ADJECTIVES:
Awake | => to awaken | Ripe | => to ripen |
Coarse | => to coarsen | Rough | => to toughen |
Damp | => to dampen | Sad | => to sadden |
Dead | => to deaden | Sharp | => to sharpen |
Deaf | => to deafen | Sick | => to sicken |
Fat | => to fatten | Smart | => to smarten |
Soft | => to soften | ||
Flat | => to flatten | Stiff | => to stiffen |
Fresh | => to freshen | Straight | =S to straighten |
Glad | => to gladden | Sweet | => to sweeten |
Hard | => to harden | Thick | => to thicken |
Less | => to lessen | Tough | => to toughen |
Loose | => to loosen | Weak | => to weaken |
Mad | => to madden | Worse | => to worsen |
Quick | => to quicken | Quiet | => to quieten |
4° Do we, or don't we double the final consonant? This is one of the questions you'll have to answer:
Must we, or mustn't we, double the final consonant before adding the suffix - EN?
- If ever the noun (or the adjective) ends with A CONSONANT, preceded by a SINGLE vowel, which is preceded by a consonant, then, you must double the final consonant: glad=> to gladden; fat=> fatten.
- If the word ends with a double consonant, it remains unchanged: less=> to lessen ; stiff=> stiffen.
- If the word ends with a vowel, preceded by a consonant, itself preceded by two vowels, the pattern will be unchanged and the suffix is added: loose=> to loosen; you'll slowly get used to the words; in the meantime, do examine the pattern of the spelling of the root word carefully, and everything will be all right. Well well! You're ready to face the test! Go for it!

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