Word formation - adjectives and adverbs (B1 Vocabulary)

Add -ful (with), -less (without) or -able (can be done) to make an adjective: helpful, useless, achievable.

Making adjectives: -ful, -less, -able

• Not ""The battery failed, so the phone was helpless."" — say ""...so the phone was useless."". -less means without: useless = without a use, while helpless means unable to act. Pick the root that carries the meaning.
• Try it: Ira: Can we really finish the model by Friday? Mateo: Yes, if we start today. It's completely ___. Choose the word for the blank. (achievable / achievement / achieveless) Answer: achievable — -able makes the adjective achievable, which fits after is.

Word	Pronunciation	Example
helpful	/ˈhɛlpfəl/	Sofia gave helpful feedback after the presentation.
useless	/ˈjuːsləs/	The old phone was useless after the battery failed.
achievable	/əˈtʃiːvəbl/	The goal is achievable with regular practice.
available	/əˈveɪləbl/	The full schedule is available on the school website.

Making adverbs: -ly

Add -ly to an adjective to make an adverb that says how something happens: clear → clearly, quick → quickly.

• Try it: Sofia: Did the fire drill go well? Ethan: Yes, everyone left the building ___ and calmly. Choose the word for the blank. (quickly / quick / quickness) Answer: quickly — It tells how they left, so use the adverb quickly.

Word	Pronunciation	Example
clearly	/ˈklɪrli/	Lani spoke clearly during the presentation.
carefully	/ˈkɛrfəli/	Farid answered the questions carefully.
quickly	/ˈkwɪkli/	Camila quickly saved the file before the laptop restarted.