English Grammar
WORD FORMS
The different forms of words in English - verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs.
Many words in English have four different forms; verb, noun, adjective and adverb.
A large number of words have the four forms; some do not.
For example some recently-coined words such as ‘avatar’, ‘captcha’ or ‘selfie’ only exist as nouns.
Others, such as the noun ‘fun’, have no verb or adverb form.
The verb ‘sing’ has a noun form ‘singer’ but no adjective or adverb.
Sometimes several adjectives can be formed from a verb
by adding suffixes such as '–able,' '-ed,’ and '–ing'.
Here are some words with all four forms:
VERB | NOUN | ADJECTIVE | ADVERB |
act | action | active | actively |
beautify | beauty | beautiful | beautifully |
believe | belief | believable | believably |
benefit | benefit | beneficial | beneficially |
care | care | careful | carefully |
clear | clarity | clear | clearly |
comfort | comfort | comfortable | comfortably |
consider | consideration | considerable | considerably |
craze | craze | crazy | crazily |
create | creation | creative | creatively |
decide | decision | decisive | decisively |
delight | delight | delightful | delightfully |
differ | difference | different | diffently |
distract | distraction | distracted/ing | distractedly |
enjoy | joy | joyful | joyfully |
excel | excellence | excellent | excellently |
hate | hatred | hateful | hatefully |
hope | hope | hopeful | hopefully |
impress | impression | impressive | impresively |
include | inclusion | inclusive | inclusively |
indicate | indication | indicative | indicatively |
insult | insult | insulting | insultingly |
intend | intention | intentional | intentionally |
interest | interest | interesting | interestingly |
madden | madness | mad | madly |
protect | protection | protective | protectively |
quicken | quickness | quick | quickly |
rely | reliability | reliable | reliably |
sadden | sadness | sad | sadly |
secure | security | secured | securely |
speed | speed | speedy | speedily |
strengthen | strength | strong | strongly |
succeed | success | successful | successfully |
think | thought | thoughtful | thoughtfully |