Unit 7 · Education & Learning · Lesson 34
Building Words
The fastest way to grow vocabulary at B2 is to build outwards from words you already have: succeed → success → successful → successfully → unsuccessful.
Warm-up · §1
5 minGet talking
How many words can you make from 'educate' in sixty seconds?
What have you taught yourself outside a classroom?
Which negative prefix goes with: honest, patient, possible, relevant, agree?
Grammar focus · §2
8–10 minWord formation — prefixes, suffixes and families
Quick rule
Suffix = word class (noun, adjective, adverb). Prefix = meaning (negative, again, too much, wrongly).
When to use it
- Exam word-formation tasks, where one root must become four different words.
- Academic and formal writing, where noun forms carry the argument.
- Reading: guessing an unknown word from its parts instead of stopping.
Pattern builder
verb → noun
+ -tion / -ment / -ance
e.g. educate → education; achieve → achievement
adjective → noun
+ -ness / -ity
e.g. aware → awareness; able → ability
noun → adjective
+ -ful / -less / -al
e.g. use → useful / useless; education → educational
negative prefix
un- / in- / im- / il- / ir- / dis-
e.g. possible → impossible; regular → irregular
degree prefix
over- / under- / re- / mis-
e.g. overestimate, underprepared, rewrite, misunderstand
Compare
| Root | Family | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| succeed | success · successful · successfully · unsuccessful | Double 'c' and double 's'. |
| analyse | analysis · analytical · analyst | Stress moves: ANalyse → aNALysis. |
| responsible | responsibility · responsibly · irresponsible | Negative is 'ir-', not 'un-'. |
Examples
- →
She succeeded, and her success was completely unexpected.
- →
It was a successful year, and she handled it successfully.
- →
The application was unsuccessful, unfortunately.
- →
His argument was irrelevant and illogical.
- →
I misread the instructions and had to redo the whole thing.
- →
The course is overpriced and underfunded at the same time.
Common mistakes
unpossible
✓ impossible
Before p and m the prefix is 'im-'.
He worked very success.
✓ He worked very successfully.
After a verb you need the adverb, not the noun.
unresponsible
✓ irresponsible
Before r the prefix is 'ir-'.
Natural English
Whenever you meet a new word, write the family beside it in four columns: verb, noun, adjective, adverb. Leave gaps where none exists.
Deep dive (full explanation)
SUFFIXES tell you the word class. Nouns: -tion, -ment, -ness, -ity, -ance, -ship, -er. Adjectives: -ful, -less, -able, -ive, -ous, -al. Adverbs: -ly. Verbs: -ise, -en, -ify. PREFIXES change the meaning, not the class. Negatives: un-, in-, im- (before m/p), il- (before l), ir- (before r), dis-, non-. Others: re- (again), over- (too much), under- (too little), mis- (wrongly), pre- (before). Learn whole families, not single words — and note the spelling and stress shifts: ANalyse → aNALysis, PHOtograph → phoTOGraphy.
Step 1 · Notice the pattern— build the sentence before you analyse it
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Step 2 · Test the rule
Quick check 1.'She showed real ___ .' (aware)
Quick check 2.'That was ___ of him.' (responsible, negative)
Step 3 · Use it in context— longer, less supported items
Question 1.'Her ___ was completely unexpected.' (succeed)
Question 2.Which negative form is correct?
Question 3.'He handled the interview ___ .' (success)
Question 4.'That comment was completely ___ .' (relevant)
Question 5.'I ___ the instructions and lost an hour.' (read, wrongly)
Vocabulary · §3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
an achievement
something difficult you succeed in doing.
motivation
the reason that makes you keep going.
self-taught
having learned without a teacher.
curiosity
the wish to know more.
persistence
continuing despite difficulty.
qualification
an official record of study passed.
confidence
belief in your own ability.
underestimate
to think something is smaller or easier than it is.
overwhelming
too much to handle comfortably.
resourceful
good at finding ways to solve problems.
Step 1 · Sort first— what belongs with what?
Step 2 · Pin the meaning
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Step 3 · Produce— now say it about you
Activate it now
Use the right form of the word, not just the root.
- Make it yours#1
Describe one achievement nobody else would notice. Use 'achievement' and 'persistence'.
an achievementpersistence - Your view#2
Are qualifications still the best proof of ability? Use 'qualification' and 'self-taught'.
qualificationself-taught - Complete#3
Finish: 'I completely underestimated how ___ , and it taught me ___ .'
underestimate - Rank#4
Rank what matters most in learning: curiosity, confidence, persistence, motivation.
curiosityconfidencemotivation - Quick write#5
Write four forms of one root: verb, noun, adjective, adverb. Then use all four in one paragraph.
resourceful
Pronunciation · §4
3–4 minStress moves when the suffix changes
Adding a suffix often moves the stress. Words ending -ity, -tion, -ical and -ography place the stress on the syllable immediately BEFORE the ending: aBILity, educAtion, analYTical, phoTOGraphy. Keeping the original stress ('EDucation') is one of the clearest B2 pronunciation errors.
- EDucate → eduCAtion
- ANalyse → aNALysis
- ABle → aBILity
- PHOtograph → phoTOGraphy
- reSPONsible → responsiBILity
Reading · §5
8–10 minEverything I Know, I Taught Myself Twice
Listen to the passage
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
I left school with three qualifications and no curiosity whatsoever. Both of those facts were, I now think, the same problem. What changed was boredom. In my second year of an unremarkable office job, I started learning things at night for no reason at all: statistics, then Portuguese, then how to fix a bicycle properly. Being self-taught is slower than people imagine. There is no syllabus, so you learn things in an irrational order, and you badly underestimate how long each stage takes. I spent four months on something a good teacher would have explained in an afternoon. But the persistence transfers. Nobody sets you a deadline, so if the habit collapses, nothing external catches you — which means you build the internal version instead. My honest conclusion, after nine years: qualifications open doors, and resourcefulness decides what happens once you're through them. The formal education gave me the vocabulary. The unqualified, disorganised, overwhelming self-teaching gave me the confidence to use it.
Step 1 · Scan for evidence— decide true or false, then underline your proof
Q1.The writer began studying again because of a job requirement.
Q2.She spent four months on something a teacher could have explained quickly.
Q3.She believes formal education gave her nothing.
Step 2 · Read between the lines— inference and attitude
Question 1.What does the writer say about leaving school?
Question 2.What made her start learning again?
Question 3.What is hard about being self-taught?
Question 4.What is her conclusion?
Listening · §6
8–10 minA career adviser and a student discussing a course application (about 1:30)
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Adviser:Your application is strong, but the personal statement is underdeveloped.
Leo:In what way? I listed all my qualifications.
Adviser:You listed them. You didn't show any curiosity. A list proves attendance, not motivation.
Leo:So what should I add?
Adviser:One example of persistence. Something you found overwhelming and finished anyway.
Leo:I taught myself statistics last winter. It nearly finished me.
Adviser:That's exactly it. Self-taught, difficult, unfinished for months — that shows resourcefulness.
Leo:I assumed they'd find it irrelevant because there's no certificate.
Adviser:You underestimated it. Admissions tutors read four hundred identical lists. They remember the person who kept going.
Leo:Right. I'll rewrite it tonight — one achievement, properly explained.
Step 1 · First listening— tick only the phrases you hear
Step 2 · Second listening— now check the details
Question 1.What is wrong with Leo's personal statement?
Question 2.What does the adviser want him to add?
Question 3.Why did Leo leave out the statistics?
Question 4.What will he do now?
Exam skills · §7
5 minStrategy focus — Word formation tasks
Task
You are given a root word in capitals and must produce the correct form for the gap — often with a prefix, a suffix, or both, and sometimes a plural.
Strategy
Work in three steps. 1) Decide the word CLASS the gap needs (is it after 'the' → noun; after 'very' → adjective; after a verb → adverb). 2) Decide whether the meaning is POSITIVE or NEGATIVE — that decides the prefix. 3) Check singular or plural. Read your answer back inside the whole sentence.
Example
'The training was completely ___ .' (SUCCESS) → after 'completely' + linking verb we need an adjective, and the context is negative → unsuccessful.
Practice · §8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Step 1 · Retrieval— write the missing language from memory
Q1.Negative of 'possible':
Q2.Noun from 'able':
Q3.Adverb from 'success':
Step 2 · Check yourself— try it from memory, then reveal the options
Try each sentence from memory first — then reveal the options to check yourself.
Question 1.Her greatest ___ was finishing at all. (achieve)
Question 2.The instructions were badly written and totally ___ . (logic)
Question 3.He answered every question ___ . (confidence)
Question 4.I completely ___ how long it would take. (estimate)
Question 5.The workload was ___ in the first month. (overwhelm)
Question 6.It takes real ___ to keep studying at midnight. (persist)
Writing · §9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 130–170 word paragraph for a course application: 'Something I taught myself.' Use at least SIX words built with a prefix or suffix (e.g. achievement, persistence, underestimated, unsuccessful, resourceful, successfully).
Step 1 · Analyse the model— how does the writer open, link ideas and close?
Model answer
Something I Taught Myself Two winters ago I decided to teach myself statistics, mainly because I had failed the module at school and disliked the feeling. I badly underestimated it. My first attempt was completely unsuccessful: I worked through the wrong book for six weeks and understood almost nothing. What I lacked was not intelligence but organisation. The second attempt was different. I found an online course, set a fixed hour every evening, and accepted that progress would feel invisible for a month. It was often overwhelming, and twice I stopped for a fortnight. Finishing it is still the achievement I am proudest of, not because the subject is difficult, but because nobody would have noticed if I had quietly given up. What it gave me was persistence, a habit of being resourceful when the explanation doesn't make sense, and enough confidence to start the next hard thing.
Step 2 · Rewrite in your own words— same purpose and register, your own content
Your answer
Self-edit before you finish
- • Is the register right for the reader?
- • Did you use this lesson's target grammar at least twice?
- • Any repeated words you could upgrade with today's vocabulary?
Speaking · §10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
ROLEPLAY — The Admissions Interview. Partner A is a tutor asking: 'Tell me about something you learned outside formal education.' Partner B answers for 90 seconds using at least five word-family forms. Then swap and change the question to 'What is your greatest achievement?'
How to run it: rank the phrases below — choose the three you will definitely use and cross out one you would never say. Then take opposite positions and negotiate to an agreement in three minutes.
Rank these — which three will you use?
- • My greatest achievement was…
- • I completely underestimated…
- • It was overwhelming at first, but…
- • It took real persistence to…
- • I'm largely self-taught in…
- • That gave me the confidence to…
- • I handled it fairly successfully in the end.
Step 1 · Warm up on script first— get the moves right, then improvise
- TutorTell me about something you learned on your own.
- You_______________
- TutorWas it worth it?
- You_______________
- TutorWhy isn't it on your application?
- You_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Optional teacher-led activities. ~22 min total
Homework · §11
Take-homeTake it home
Write the 150-word 'Something I taught myself' paragraph with at least six built words.
Build four-column families (verb / noun / adjective / adverb) for: educate, succeed, analyse, responsible, confident, motivate.
Write the negative form of: possible, patient, legal, regular, honest, relevant, agree, appear.
Record 90 seconds about your greatest achievement, using five word-family forms and correct stress.
Recap · §12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- You can build nouns, adjectives and adverbs from a single root word.
- You can choose the right negative prefix: un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-.
- You can use over-, under-, re- and mis- to change meaning precisely.
- You can hear and produce the stress shift in words like ability and photography.
Grammar · Vocabulary · Speaking · Review
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