Suggested procedure
1 Read the whole text through first to get a general idea of the subject.
2 Read the text sentence by sentence, looking at the specific context of each missing word.
3 Decide on the part of speech of the missing word and whether it should have a positive or
negative meaning. (Some items may require the addition of a prefix as well as a change to the
end of the word.)
4 Write the correct form of each word paying careful attention to accurate spelling.
How words change from verb to noun
A Look at the word in capital letters. Complete each short passage with the correct form of the
word. Does the word always change? What form of the word do you need in each space?
1 AGREE
The two sides have signed an ................................... to end the fighting, and most independent
observers .............................. the deal is fair to everyone.
2 MEAN
Have you ever been abroad and asked yourself 'What does that word ........................... ?' Well,
now you can find out with the help of the Electronic Translator, a small computer that lists the
.............................. of over 20,000 common words in six European languages.
3 ARRIVE
We went to the airport to collect Katie at 2.30. We checked the screens in the hall, but there
was no news of the ................................ of her flight. Then we went to the information desk,
and were told that there would be a long delay and in the end she didn't ..................................
until 9.30.
4 COLLECT
My uncle .............................. stamps, and the other day he went to see an expert. He took
his .................................. along, and he was told that it was worth thousands of pounds
because he had a number of very rare and unusual stamps.
B When a verb changes to a noun, the form can change in a number of ways. Can you think of
other examples of each of the following?
* A special ending (a suffix) is added:
amuse -- amusement act -- action
appear--appearance refer--reference
refuse -- refusal tend -- tendency
* A vowel and/or consonant changes:
sell -- sale believe -- belief
* The spelling is the same but the pronunciation changes:
I don't use (/z/) soap. I have no use (/s/) for soap.
* Some verbs ending in -se have noun forms ending in -ce:
to advise -- advice
to practise -- practice
* In a few cases, the stress changes:
We import (imPORT) cars.
This is an import. (IMport)
* But with many verbs, the noun form is exactly the same:
I love you. Love is a dangerous thing.
I hate you. Hate is a strong feeling.
C How do these forms change? Give the missing form of the words below.
VERB NOUN
suggest
______________________
satisfy
______________________
interfere
______________________
encourage
______________________
see
______________________
give
______________________
prove
______________________
advise
______________________
explanation
______________________
permission
______________________
appearance
______________________
delivery
______________________
breath
______________________
export
______________________
practice
______________________
* From the completed table above and from any other words you know, make a list of
endings like -ion which show you a word is a noun.
* Pronounce the words in the table. Do you notice any other changes from verb to noun?
D Complete the following passage with the correct form of the words in capital letters (1-10).
You will have to change a verb to a noun or a noun to a verb.
The fear of crime is leading to the (0) ......................................... of housing estates into
fortresses. In Rosemont, USA, the local council decided to fence off an entire neighbourhood
of 2,000 people. It is only possible to (1) ................................... the estate by two gateways,
which are manned 24 hours a day by armed police. Anyone who wants to
(2) .................................... is asked to provide (3) ................................ and has to give the
police a reasonable (4) .................................... of why they want to come in. A video camera
films the (5) ................................... plates of all the cars that come in and out. The people of
Rosemont have had mixed (6) ................................... to the scheme. Some residents
(7) ............................... it is a good idea, and point out that there have been no crimes since the
(8) ................................ of the scheme. However, others are not pleased. Linda Edwards, a (9)
.................................. said: 'These are public streets, there's no (10) ...........................
for the police to sit on our doorstep all the time. Iťs like living in a prison.'
0 TRANSFORM 6 REACT
1 ENTRANCE 7 THOUGHT
2 VISITOR 8 INTRODUCE
3 IDENTIFY 9 TEACH
4 EXPLAIN 10 NEED
5 LICENSE