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Word Formation

Reasoning · Verbal Reasoning

7 Part1 worked examples5 practice questions

When children play a letter puzzle or Scrabble they build words from a few letters. The word formation questions of an exam are the same game, only at speed and with a firm method: “Can this word be built from the letters of that word?”, “Which word do these scattered letters make?”, “How many words can be made?”

You do not need to memorise any long word list in this chapter. What you need is one firm habit — making a letter inventory: how many of each letter. The letter that occurs two or three times is what causes most traps. Then all questions fall into three families:

FamilyThe questionMain tool
From the letters of a given wordwhich word can / cannot be made; which word from letters at chosen places; how many wordsletter inventory and matching
Arranging scattered lettersthe right order of numbered letters; a name from a class; opposite / same meaningword knowledge and testing the options
Joining two wordswhich word in the middle makes a word on both sidestrying both joins

How to use this chapter

  1. Read — each part first explains the idea, then the method.
  2. Study the solved example — in the boxes marked “Example” the full solution is open, step by step.
  3. Try it yourself — in the “Try it yourself first” questions the solution is hidden. Solve on paper first, then choose; take the hint if stuck.
  4. Know the level — every question is marked Basic, Standard or Advanced.
NoteThe questions you have solved are remembered in this browser. Look at the panel on the right (the “Contents” button on a phone) to see how many you have got right.
1

Foundation — the letter inventory

How many of each letter — that is the whole key

The method of making a letter inventory, the trap of repeated letters and the letters two words share.

Making a letter inventory

Count, write, cross off

Writing the count of every letter of a word, watching repeated letters and counting the letters two words share.

Suppose you are given the word INTERNATIONAL. To test whether some word can be built from it, first write down how many times each letter occurs in it. That is the “inventory”. Every time you take the letters of an option from this inventory, that many are used up.

LetterHow many timesNote
A2repeated
E1
I2repeated
L1
N3repeated
O1
R1
T2repeated

The short form of the inventory above: A×2, E, I×2, L, N×3, O, R, T×2 (a ×2 or ×3 means that letter occurs that many times).

Three steps to test every option
Count the letters of the optionFind each letter in the inventoryAny letter short or missing? then it cannot be made

The trap of repeated letters

The examiner often places an option all of whose letters are in the main word — but one letter is needed twice in the option and occurs only once in the main word. In INTERNATIONAL, E occurs only once, so TREE (two E’s) cannot be made even though T, R and E are all present. Likewise a word with a letter that is not in the main word at all (like F or U) cannot be made.

CarefulOne missing letter is enough — even with all the other letters the word cannot be made. So test every letter, not just the first and last. And remember: each letter can be used only once each time.

Letters two words share

A simple exercise: how many letters are present in both of two words? Write the different letters of each word (without repeats) and match them. This skill will serve in all the later questions.

Example 1 · Basic
How many letters are present in both HORSE and DOLPHIN? (Count each letter once.)
Solution, step by step
  1. 1The different letters of HORSE: E H O R S. The different letters of DOLPHIN: D H I L N O P.
  2. 2Letters present in both: H, O.
  3. 3So the number is 2.
Answer 2
Write the different letters of both words and match them.
BasicTry it yourself first
How many letters are present in both KITCHEN and HONEST? (Count each letter once.)
BasicTry it yourself first
How many letters are present in both APPLE and CAPITAL? (Count each letter once.)
StandardTry it yourself first
How many letters are present in both DRIVE and FIELD? (Count each letter once.)
StandardTry it yourself first
How many letters are present in both DANCE and VOICE? (Count each letter once.)
AdvancedTry it yourself first
How many letters are present in both RAILWAY and VALLEY? (Count each letter once.)
2

Using the letters of a given word

Can it be made? Which one will be made? How many?

Testing which word can be built from a main word or from chosen letters, words from letters at chosen places (the M and X rules) and counting the words that can be made.

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Which word can / cannot be formed

Match against the inventory, watch the repeats

Testing whether the word of an option can be built from the letters of the main word.

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A word from letters at chosen places (M and X)

“Take the 1st, 4th, 7th and 11th letters …”

Picking four letters from a long word to make a word, and the rule of answering M for more than one word and X for none.

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How many words can be made

None, one, two or more than three

Counting the meaningful words that four letters can make: trying all forms by changing the place of the vowel.

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3

Arranging scattered letters

The letters are jumbled — find the word

The right order of numbered scattered letters, building the name of a class (bird, vegetable …) and choosing the opposite / synonym of the word made.

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The right order of numbered letters

Make the word, then read off every letter’s number

Every scattered letter carries a number; the options are orders of numbers; choose the order that makes a word.

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Building the name of a class

“Arranged, they make the name of a bird / vegetable”

When the class is named, turning the scattered letters into a name of that class and giving the asked letter.

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The opposite / synonym of the word made

Two steps: make the word → find the related meaning

Making a word from scattered letters and choosing its opposite or its synonym from the options.

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4

Joining two words

Which word in the middle makes a word on both sides

Finding a word between two words that makes a meaningful word after the first and also before the second.

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Trying both joins

First join → second join

Joining an option first with the left word and then with the right word, and the forms with fragments (such as -ING, -ION).

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5

Strategy guide

The first step for each family and the slips to avoid

What to do first in each of the three families, the common traps and time-savers.

The first step for each kind

What to write on seeing the question

How to recognise the seven question forms and the first step.

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Common traps and time-savers

The mistakes that keep happening

The commonest reasons for losing marks in word formation and how to avoid them.

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6

Mixed practice

All kinds mixed — first spot the kind, then solve

Questions on making, testing, arranging and joining words together, in three levels.

Basic practice

One inventory, one check

Options with an obviously absent letter, letter sets with one word and plain joins.

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Standard practice

Options with repeated letters and longer scattered words

Options short of one letter, the M and X rules, longer number orders and joins with fragments.

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Advanced practice

Long words, many word possibilities, scrambles up to eight letters

Long main words, M/X questions on the third and fourth letters, scrambles of up to eight letters and look-alike decoys.

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7

Revision — cards

Flip each card and test yourself

Think of the answer yourself first, then flip.

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