Reading: Vocabulary in Context B1
Lesson 3: Recognizing Word Families
Listen to the examples here.
Before You Read 🧠
Key Concepts (Click 🔊)
Knowing these ideas helps you learn 5 words at once, not just 1!
Word Family
A group of words that share the same root word (e.g., compete, competitor, competitive).
Root Word
The main part of a word that gives the basic meaning (e.g., create).
Suffix
Letters added to the *end* of a word to change its form (e.g., -ion, -ive, -er).
How Word Families Work
When you learn a new word, look for its family! Notice how the suffix (the ending) changes the word's job in the sentence. Click 🔊 to hear each word.
Root Word: create (Verb - to make something new)
Noun (The Thing)
creation
Noun (The Person)
creator
Adjective (Describes a noun)
creative
Adverb (Describes a verb)
creatively
Root Word: compete (Verb - to try to win)
Noun (The Event)
competition
Noun (The Person)
competitor
Adjective (Describes a noun)
competitive
Practice What You Learned 🎯
Quiz: Choose the Right Word
Complete each sentence by typing the correct word from the word bank. Check your spelling!
Word Family: create, creation, creative
Word Family: compete, competition, competitive
Word Family: create, creation, creative
Word Family: compete, competition, competitive
Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)
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Word Family
A group of words with the same root word (e.g., play, player, playful).
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Root Word
The main part of a word that gives the basic meaning.
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Suffix
Letters added to the end of a word to change its form (e.g., -ion, -ive, -er).
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Noun
A word for a person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., teacher, school, creation).
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Verb
An action or state word (e.g., create, compete, run).
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Adjective
A word that describes a noun (e.g., creative, competitive, beautiful).
Your Reading Mission ⭐
Find the Family!
- Find a short news article or blog post in English.
- Choose one word you see, like "decision".
- Try to find (or guess) other words in its family. For example: decide (verb), decisive (adjective).
- Write one new sentence using a *different* form of the word you found.
Example: You find "decision". You write: "I must decide where to eat dinner."