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CBC β†’ Grade 1 β†’ English β†’ Word forms

Word forms Notes, Quizzes & Revision

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topic_name_replace β€” Subtopic: Word forms

Subject: subject_replace | Target age: age_replace | Context: Kenyan examples included
What are word forms?
Word forms are the different shapes a single word can take to show meaning or grammar (for example: tense, number, degree, or word class). Learning word forms helps readers and writers use words correctly in sentences.
Main types of word forms
1. Inflectional forms β€” change a word to show grammatical roles without changing its word class.
- Nouns: number (singular/plural) β€” e.g., book β†’ books
- Verbs: tense/agree: base, -s, -ing, -ed β€” e.g., run, runs, running, ran
- Adjectives: degree β€” tall, taller, tallest
2. Derivational forms β€” create new words (often a new word class) by adding prefixes/suffixes or using conversion.
- Prefix: happy β†’ unhappy
- Suffix: teach β†’ teacher, nation β†’ national
- Conversion: a "bottle" (noun) β†’ to "bottle" (verb)
3. Compounding β€” join two words: school + bag β†’ schoolbag (common in everyday Kenyan use: e.g., schoolbag, roadside market)
Inflection: verbs
base: walk
3rd person: walks
continuous: walking
past: walked
Derivation: from adjective to noun
happy β†’ happiness
teach β†’ teacher
Important irregular word forms (learn these)
  • to be: am/is/are β†’ was/were β†’ been
  • child β†’ children; man β†’ men; mouse β†’ mice
  • go β†’ went β†’ gone; eat β†’ ate β†’ eaten
Kenyan context examples
- "A child sold maize on the roadside." β†’ plural: "Children sold maize."
- "I travel to Nairobi." β†’ continuous: "I am travelling to Nairobi National Park."
- Derivation: "tea" (noun) β†’ "tea-grower" (compound/agent) β€” useful for talking about farmers in tea-growing counties.
Quick rules & tips
  1. Most nouns: add -s (car β†’ cars). For nouns ending in -y after a consonant: city β†’ cities.
  2. Some verbs double the final consonant before -ing/-ed: run β†’ running, but open β†’ opening (no double).
  3. Use derivational suffixes to change meaning/class: -er (worker), -ness (kindness), -able (readable).
  4. Pay attention to stress/meaning shifts with conversion: a 'record (noun) vs to 'record (verb) β€” stress changes in some cases.
  5. Memorise common irregular forms β€” they appear often in tests and everyday speech.
Practice (try these)
1) Make plurals:
a) maize β†’ _______
b) child β†’ _______
c) city β†’ _______
2) Change verbs to past tense:
a) teach β†’ _______
b) go β†’ _______
c) stop β†’ _______
3) Make the comparative or superlative:
a) tall β†’ _______ / _______
b) good β†’ _______ / _______
4) Derive new words (use suffixes/prefixes or conversion):
a) kind (make a noun) β†’ _______
b) farm (make a verb) β†’ _______
Answers
1) a) maize (uncountableβ€”no change) or maize cobs (context) ; b) children ; c) cities
2) a) taught ; b) went ; c) stopped
3) a) taller / tallest ; b) better / best
4) a) kindness ; b) to farm (conversion) or farm (verb)
Summary checklist
  • Can you form regular and common irregular plurals?
  • Can you change verbs into common tenses (present, -ing, past)?
  • Can you use derivational affixes to make new words?
  • Can you spot compounds and converted words in everyday Kenyan speech?
Tip: Keep a small notebook of irregular forms and common derivations you meet in school texts, news, and conversations in Kenya β€” revision makes them easier to remember.
Created for: subject_replace | Subtopic: Word forms | topic: topic_name_replace | Age: age_replace
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