Forming Verbs

Verbs are action or doing words. You can turn nouns and adjectives into verbs by adding a prefix or a suffix. Knowing how to form verbs helps you choose the correct word class when a sentence needs an action word.

What You'll Learn

• How the prefix en- turns nouns and adjectives into verbs (courage to encourage, large to enlarge)
• How the suffix -ise turns nouns and adjectives into verbs (apology to apologise, modern to modernise)
• How the suffix -en turns adjectives into verbs (wide to widen, bright to brighten)
• How the suffix -ify turns nouns and adjectives into verbs (beauty to beautify, simple to simplify)
• How to recognise when a sentence needs a verb instead of a noun or adjective

When to Use

1. When a sentence needs an action word from a noun: "The teacher tried to encourage the shy pupil." (en- + courage = to give courage)
2. When a sentence needs an action word from an adjective: "We need to widen the path so that two people can walk side by side." (-en turns "wide" into an action)
3. When a sentence describes changing something into a state: "The workers will modernise the old library." (-ise turns "modern" into an action of making modern)
4. When a sentence describes making something have a quality: "She used flowers to beautify the classroom." (-ify turns "beauty" into an action of making beautiful)
5. When the blank follows a modal verb or "to": "The council plans to simplify the rules." After "to", you need a base verb -- so turn "simple" into the verb "simplify".

How to Form

Prefix en- (added to the beginning)

The prefix en- means "to make" or "to put into". It turns nouns and adjectives into verbs.

Note: Some words use em- instead of en- when the base word starts with b, m, or p: empower, embrace, embark.

Suffix -ise (added to the end)

The suffix -ise means "to make" or "to become". It is commonly added to nouns and adjectives.

Suffix -en (added to the end)

The suffix -en means "to make" or "to become". It is usually added to short adjectives.

Suffix -ify (added to the end)

The suffix -ify means "to make" or "to cause to become". It turns nouns and adjectives into verbs.

Key Rules

1. en- goes at the beginning; -ise, -en, -ify go at the end: The prefix en- is added before the base word (en + courage = encourage). The suffixes -ise, -en, and -ify are added after the base word (modern + ise = modernise).

2. After "to", a modal verb, or an auxiliary, you need a verb: If you see "to _", "will _", "can _", "should _", or "must ___", the blank needs a verb form. "The council plans to simplify the rules." Not "The council plans to simple the rules."

3. Watch the spelling changes: When the base word ends in -y, drop the -y before adding -ise or -ify (apology to apologise, beauty to beautify). When the base word ends in -e, drop the -e before adding -en or -ify (wide to widen, simple to simplify).

4. Use UK English: -ise, not -ize: In Singapore and UK English, we spell these verbs with -ise: organise, realise, apologise, modernise. Do not use the -ize spelling.

5. -en usually attaches to short adjectives: The suffix -en works best with one-syllable adjectives that describe a physical quality: widen, brighten, sharpen, soften, darken, tighten, loosen, shorten, thicken, flatten.

6. en- sometimes becomes em-: Before base words starting with b, m, or p, the prefix changes to em-: empower (em- + power), embrace (em- + brace), embark. This makes the word easier to say.

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Words before the blank that signal you need a verb

to, will, can, could, should, must, shall, would, may, might, did, does, do, has to, have to, need to, want to, try to, plan to, decided to

Prefixes and suffixes that signal a verb

en-, em-, -ise, -en, -ify

If a word starts with en- or em-, or ends in -ise, -en, or -ify, it is very likely a verb.

Common base words to know

courage to encourage, large to enlarge, danger to endanger, modern to modernise, apology to apologise, organ to organise, wide to widen, bright to brighten, sharp to sharpen, beauty to beautify, simple to simplify, class to classify

Tip: If the blank comes after "to", "will", "can", "should", or "must", you need a verb. Look at the base word given in brackets and ask yourself: "Which verb-forming prefix or suffix do I add?" Try en-, -ise, -en, or -ify and pick the one that sounds right and is a real word.

Practice Tips

1. The "to" test: Place the word "to" in front of the blank. If "to _" makes sense as an action, you need a verb. "The painter wants to _ the room." You need "to brighten" -- a verb formed by adding -en to "bright".

2. Sort by suffix: Make four columns on a piece of paper -- one for en-, one for -ise, one for -en, and one for -ify. Write as many verbs as you can in each column. This helps you see which suffix goes with which type of base word.

3. Word family practice: For each base word, write out the full word family. For example: beauty (noun), beautiful (adjective), beautifully (adverb), beautify (verb). This helps you quickly identify which form the sentence needs.

4. Spelling change check: After forming the verb, read it aloud. If it looks or sounds wrong (like "apologyise" or "beautyify"), you may have forgotten to drop a letter before adding the suffix. Check the spelling rules.

Quick Reference

Verb-Forming Prefixes and Suffixes at a Glance

Signal Words: "I Need a Verb!"