Self-training Exercises

Exercise 1. Use your dictionary to complete the word in each sentence.

a) The children never do what I tell them to! They are very dis........................

b) It won't rain in August, surely! That seems extremely un........................

c) No, I told you not to sell the shares! You must have mis.........................

d) Jack gets very good marks, and is an out....................... student.

e) If you со....................... with the police you will receive a light sentence.

f) Dave was in the first sub....................... that sailed under the North Pole.

g) Just heat up the rice, it's been pre........................

h) Mr Jones is incredibly rich. In fact he's a multi........................

i) The ship hit a rock, but the lives of the passengers were not en...................

j) I just can't answer this question! It's im........................

Exercise 2. Complete each sentence with a word formed from the highlighted word. Begin the word with a prefix from the list.

dis- in- non- over- re- trans- un- vice-

 

a) I'm not satisfied with your work. I am............ with it.

b) She doesn't have the usual kind of haircut. It's very...........

c) We haven't decided where to go yet. We are................

d) Mary is sailing across the Atlantic. She is on a....... voyage.

e) Dan is the president 's assistant. He is the..............

f) Terry is no longer a smoker. Now he is a..................

g) Don't wear a formal suit. The dinner is quite..............

h) I don't think this rule is fair. It's............ to older students.

i) You haven't written this clearly. It'll have to be..............

j) This steak is cooked too much. It's..............

Exercise 3. Complete each sentence with a word formed from a word given in the list, ending as shown.

astonish, fool, great, music, thought, back, free, lead,short, trumpet

 

a. I don't want to be a slave! I demand my..................dom.

b. How kind of you to bring flowers! That was very..................ful.

c. Martin plays the guitar, but he isn't a very good..................ian.

d. Our school has closed because there is a..................age of teachers.

e. Brian is one of the world's..................ing architects.

f. Imagine my..................ment when the cat started to speak!

g. Don't be..................ish! There is no such thing as a ghost!

h. I prefer to begin at the end and go..................wards.

i. I always wanted to be a..................er in a jazz band.

j. A small country can still achieve..................ness.

Exercise 4. Complete each sentence with a word formed from a word given in the list, using one of the prefixes or suffixes given.

care, home, postpone, satisfied, employ, charged, friend, night, pronounce, skirts

 

dis- mis- out- over- -less -ment -ship -ее

 

a) I traveled to Scotland on the …………train and slept all the way.

b) You're always breaking things! Why are you so.....................?

c) Jane knows a lot of French words, but she tends to................... them.

d) We all believe in..................... between the people of different nations.

e) Bad weather caused the.................... of nearly all the football programme.

f) George was very.................... with the service at the hotel.

g) We live in a flat on the.................... of London.

h) Patsy thought the shop assistant had...................... her.

i) David was tired of being a/an................... so he started hisown company.

j) The government is providing more money to help................... people.

Exercise 5. Use the word in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.

Evening classes

Recently I decided to go to evening classes twice a week. During the day I work in a (1).......... agency as a telephonist. It is not a very interesting (2).......... and I get bored. I also got tired of coming home every evening, putting a (3) ……… meal in the oven, and watching TV. So I decided to take up (4) ………. as a hobby. Perhaps, I should give you an (5) ………. for my choice. Learning a skill is a good (6) …………. to the problem of boring work. Also, I felt I was a (7) ………. because any time I tried to put up a shelf, for example, it always fell down! Now I am quite a (8) ………… wood worker! I am working on the (9)............ of some furniture at the moment. And although there are only two other girls in the class, I don't feel any (10)............ I've turned out to be the best student in the class!

SECRETARY OCCUPY   FREEZE CARPENTER EXPLAIN  SOLVE FAIL   SUCCESS CONSTRUCT   EMBARRASS

Exercise 6. Complete the compound word in each sentence, using a word given in the list.

bow cut helmet powder storm case fire place steps writing

 

a) I could hear the sound of gun................. coming from the main square.

b) We had to take shelter during a severe thunder..................

c) Nobody can read the doctor's hand..................

d) You look awful. Why don't you have a hair.................?

e) I wanted to do some washing but I've run out of soap..................

f) If you ride a motorbike you have to wear a crash..................

g) There isn't room in here for another book..................

h) After the shower, the sun came out and there was a rain..................

i) I could hear the sound of foot.................. Someone was coming!

j) At one end of the room is a lovely old stone fire..................

Exercise 7. Add one of the prefixes in the list to each incomplete word so that it makes sense. Use each prefix once only.

auto- dis- ex- in- mis-  non- over- semi- sub- un-

 

a) Dick was very tired and suffering from............work.

b) We couldn't see the magician! He had become............visible.

c) I could only cross the road by going down a............way.

d) Nobody believed what Mary wrote in her............biography.

e) Let me introduce you to Janet, my.............wife.

f) What he said was not clear. In fact it was rather............leading.

g) Unfortunately our football team lost in the.............final.

h) Mr Smith regrets that he is............able to accept your invitation.

i) This is a good train, it goes to Manchester.............stop.

j) Oh bother, my pencil sharpener has............appeared again.

Exercise 8. Complete each sentence with a word formed from a word given in the list, ending as shown.

drink, equal, hand, hope, partner, employ, green, harm, neighbour, wide

 

a) Carol and Andy have just moved into a new...................hood.

b) My new...................er is paying me a much higher salary.

c) The local council have decided to...................en the main road.

d) Jerry picked up a..................ful of the money and smiled.

e) I'm a terrible card player. I'm really...................less.

f) It's a kind of blue colour, but a bit...................ish too.

g) Bill now works in...................ship with two other architects.

h) Don't drink from the stream. You don't know if the water is...................able.

i) Most people say that they believe in the...................ity of men and women.

j) Doctors have proved that smoking is...................ful.

Exercise 9. Complete each sentence with a word formed from a word given in the list, using one of the prefixes or suffixes given.

art, cycle, friend, hope, national, circle, edible, ground,mountain, young
fore- in- inter- semi- tri- -eer -ful -ist -ly-ster

 

a) I can't eat this! It's completely................

b) John has been interested in sailing ever since he was a/an................

c) The teacher arranged the desks in a/an................

d) I like it here. The people are really................

e) There are two figures in the............... of the picture.

f) You have to have a good head for heights if you are a................

g) It's much safer for a young child to ride a/an................

h) Scientists are............... that a cure for the disease will be found.

i) Most countries have signed a/an............... agreement banning whaling.

j) Paintings by this............... have been sold for millions of pounds.

 

Exercise 10. Use the word in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.

How to become Prime Minister Jack had never wanted to be a (1).................. First of all, he suffered from terrible (2)................. and blushed violently when he had to make a speech. He also (3)................. with people who refused to vote. After all, what difference did it make? As a speaker, he was slow and (4)................. and never knew what to say. He began his career as a last-minute (5)................for a speaker who failed to turn up. Later he learned to (6)................. his tie, give a big smile, and read the speech which had been prepared by his (7)................. speech-writer. People liked him. 'He has a kind of (8).................', they said. They did not mind that he had no (9)................., and seemed quite (10)................. in what he was saying. They applauded him and then made him Prime Minister.

POLITICS SHY SYMPATHY   ORGANISE   PLACE STRAIGHT PERSON INNOCENT IMAGINE INTEREST

 

Exercise 11. Choose the most suitable compound word highlighted.

a) The bus from Glasgow arrives at the Central bus station/bus stop.

b) Bob only works half-time/part-time at the moment.

c) Joan has lovely clothes and is always well-dressed/well-worn.

d) Some of Bill's ideas are rather old-aged/old-fashioned.

e) We left our car in the multi-storey car park/car parking.

f) Martin is now a well-known/well-written novelist.

g) Thank you. You gave me a good haircut/haircutting.

h) Excellent. That was a first class/first course lunch!

i) I prefer self-made/homemade jam to the jam you buy in shops.

j) I sent back the chicken because it was half-baked/half cooked.

Exercise 12. Complete the compound word in each sentence, using a word given in the list.

clothed, handed, hearted, looking, mouthed, eared, headed, legged, minded, tempered

 

a) Thank you for helping me, and being so kind........................

b) We searched all day, but had to return home empty........................

c) Paul didn't have time to think, but jumped into the river fully.........

d) It seems that long....................... people can run faster.

e) Try to concentrate and remember! You are so absent.......................

f) Mary is very attractive, and her husband is good....................... too.

g) Stop shouting! I'm tired of your loud....................... comments!

h) Mike gets angry easily. He's a bit short........................

i) Steve's book was dirty and dog........................

j) Red....................... people usually dislike being called 'Ginger'!