…Yet, shopkeepers may have to spend extra hours to deal with problems, such as shoplifters, who always take away things from the shop without paying for them. …

What does the word “shoplifter” mean?

A.商店里的小偷 B. 商店里的推销员

C.商店里的老客户 D.商店里的搬运工

shop+lifter shoplifter

lifter n. 小偷 Word Formation

构词法

巧用构词法原则帮助解答

阅读理解中的猜测词义题

构词法

派生法（ Derivation ）

合成法 (Compounding)

转化法（ Conversion ）

缩略法（ Abbreviation ）

able unable; teach teacher

space+ship spaceship

visit v. visit n.

Do it yourself. DIY

一、派生法（ Derivation ）

由词根 (root) 加 前缀（ prefix ）

或后缀（ suffix ） 构成新词。un-

否定前缀

dis-in-im-mis-non-

understand politesmokeragreefairvisible

前缀 :一般只引起意思上的变化而不造成词性的变化，只有少数能引起词类的变化。

mis- 错误的 + understand v. 理解 --- misunderstand v. 误解

en + large adj. 大的 --- enlarge v. 扩大

后缀 :一般只引起词性上的变化而不造成意思的变化。

care v. 照料 --- careful adj. 细心的work v. 工作 --- worker n. 工人

常见的前缀

(A) 表示否定的前缀： un---unfair,unhappy non----nonsmokerin----inactive dis----disagree, disappear,dislike im----impolite, impossible

(B). 表示错误或失误的前缀 : mis---misunderstand, misdirect( 误导 )

(C) 表示两个 , 双边的前缀： bi- bicolor ( 双色的 ), bicycle

(D)表示相互 , 　交互 , 　在一起的前缀 inter—interview, international, internet

(E) 表示又 , 再 , 重新的前缀 re—review, return, rewrite

(F) 表示远的前缀tele– telephone, television

常见的后缀

1. 动词变名词：-tion educate--education, invite---invitation, predict---prediction-ment development, movement, disappointment

-er

teacher, worker, runner, singer

-or

visitor, sailor, tutor, actor

名词后缀补充 :

-ist ( 人 , 　名词后缀 )

science--scientist, terror--terrorist

-ese( 民族 , 语言 , 名词后缀 )

　　　 Chinese, Japanese

2. 形容词变名词-ness good—goodness, happy-happiness,busy-business , care—careless--carelessness

-ity able--ability, possible--possibility

3. 名词变形容词：-y: windy, rainy, healthy, cloudy, funny, sunny-ish: foolish, childish, girlish-some: handsome, troublesome-ous: dangerous, humorous-ful: helpful, careful, peaceful, colorful-less: homeless, helpless, careless,useless

-ed surprised, bored,excited,relaxed,interested-ing surprising, boring,exciting,relaxing, interesting, outstanding

-al: traditional, international, nature--natural

5. 名词、形容词变动词：

-ify: beauty-beautify, simple--simplify

-ize: realize

-en: quicken, sharpen , widen

Is it difficult for you to get up in the morning? Do you sometimes oversleep?

1. over- : too much

overwork , overeat

above sth; across

overcoat, overhead

Some important prefixes:

The trains are ____________ on Friday evenings. (crowded)

overcrowded

He enlarged his vocabulary by reading widely.

2.en- 动词前缀enable, endanger,

Reading can ______ your life.(rich)

enrich

Some important suffixes:-ment, -ion, -ness, -tion, -ful, -able, -less, -en 等

sharpen a pencil

strengthen

brighten

sharp adj.

sharpen v.__________________strength

_____________ bright

With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence.

unconditional:

nonjudgmental:

无条件的，绝对的没有判断力的

二、合成法（ Compounding ）

highway

waiting-room

kind-hearted

把两个或两个以上独立的词合成一个新词。

For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs.

生死攸关的

Down-to-earth spirit is a necessity. Sharp words from a teacher can usually bring a day-dreaming student down-to-earth.

honest or practical

实事求是，脚踏实地

Her name was Rachel, and I mooned my way through the grade and high school, stricken at the mere sight of her, tongue-tied in her presence. …At any rate, my love for Rachel remained without result. We graduated from high school, she went on to college, and I joined the Army. I was sent overseas during the war. For a time we wrote, and her letters were the highlight of those terrible endless years.

tongue-tied

overseas

highlight

三、转化法（ Conversion ）

由一种词性转化为另一种词性的词。He is a man with broad shoulders.

We will shoulder the responsibilities at any time.

n.

v. take/bear

So when someone has hurt you, calm yourself first. Take a couple of breaths, and think of something that gives you pleasure…Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean accepting the action of the person who upsets you.

calm

upsets

hurt

Never trouble trouble until

trouble troubles you.

四、缩略法（ Abbreviation ）

DV

MVP

SOS

WWW

Digital Video

Most Valuable Player

Save Our Ship

World Wide Web

1…It would be easy for someone to mispresent himself on line because you can’t see him. Thus someone who says that “she is a 12-year-old girl.”could really be an old man.What does the word “mispresent ” mean?

A.Making a wrong judgment about

B.Understanding somebody wrongly

C.Giving a wrong description of

D.Forming a wrong opinion about

mis- sth. is done wrong or badly

present vt. describe

2….The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a special piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables.

The word “nonrecyclables” probably means?

A.nonrecycling papers

B.things that can not be recycled

C.anything can be recycled

D.recyclable things

recycle v. 使再循环，回收利用recyclable adj. 可回收利用的

nonrecyclable n. 不能回收利用的东西

3…. Another myth about eyes is that they can be transplanted. It is quite difficult to connect an eyeball to a new brain…The word “transplant” probably means?A.To transport from one place to another

B.To translate from one part to another

C.To move from one part of the body to another

D.To change one form to another.

trans- change

transplant 移植

transport 运输，交通

4….My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away.

By saying “Karl became withdrawn” , the author means that the boy changed entirely and _________.

A.preferred to stay alone at home

B.lost interest in his studies

C.refused to talk to others

D.began to dislike his mother

with- draw back

withdrawn 退缩，（在社交场合或情绪方面）变得冷漠

When we deal with the problems in reading comprehension, we can use Word Formation to help us, but the context( 上下文，语境 ) is also very important.