Practice
English practice: word families
Sign in to saveThe manager gave a clear explanation. She explained the change clearly. The main idea is similar, but the words do different jobs.
Choose a useful member of an English word family by using the grammar and meaning of the sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
She explained the instructions clearly. /ʃi ɪkˈspleɪnd ði ɪnˈstrʌkʃənz ˈklɪəli/
The short answer
First decide what job the missing word must do. Then choose the noun, verb, adjective, or adverb from the related word family that fits both the grammar and the meaning.
The committee reached a decision after lunch.
Why it works: After a, the sentence needs the noun decision, not the verb decide.
5 more examples
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Her explanation made the instructions easier to follow.
Explanation is a noun. It names the information that she gave.
Not this:She
explainedthe instructions clearly. What changes: Explained is the verb because it describes her action. -
The new route is safer for cyclists.
Safer is an adjective after is. It describes the route.
Not this:Cyclists travelled
safelyon the new route. What changes: Safely is an adverb because it describes how they travelled. -
The team made an improvement to the timetable.
An follows a made phrase, so the sentence needs the noun improvement.
Not this:The team
improvedthe timetable. What changes: Improved is a verb because it states what the team did. -
Mina was confident before the interview.
Confident is an adjective after was. It describes Mina's state.
Not this:Mina answered the first question
confidently. What changes: Confidently describes how she answered. -
Their decision surprised the neighbours.
Decision is a noun and is the subject of the sentence.
Not this:They
decidedto move in June. What changes: Decided is the past-tense verb after the subject they.
Read the full guide
Do not choose a related word only because you recognise its spelling. Look at the words around the gap. Articles often introduce nouns. A noun may need an adjective before it. A verb may follow to or a subject. An adverb often explains how an action happens. These clues narrow the choice before you think about the exact meaning.
What a word family is
A word family contains words that share a central idea but have different grammar roles. The family for explain includes explain, explanation, explanatory, and clearly explained in context. You do not need to memorise every possible form at once. Start with forms you meet often and connect each one to a sentence.
The guide gave a useful explanation.
Explanation names a thing or idea, so it works after a useful.
The guide explained the route.
Explained tells us what the guide did, so it is the verb.
Use articles and determiners to spot nouns
A, an, the, this, and many possessive words often come before a noun. If you see an article before the gap, test a noun first. Adjectives can appear between the article and noun, so read far enough to find what the phrase needs.
We need a decision by Friday.
A needs a singular countable noun here. Decide cannot follow a in this sentence.
Which family member fits after Their sudden ___ changed our plan: decide or decision?
Choose decision: Their sudden decision changed our plan.
Check whether the gap needs a verb
A subject usually needs a verb to say what happens. Look for a person, thing, or pronoun before the gap. After to, English also often uses a base verb. Check the tense and agreement after you choose the family member.
The repairs improved the building's safety.
Improved follows the subject repairs and reports an action in the past.
We hope to improve the service next month.
After to, use the base verb improve rather than the noun improvement.
Use adjectives to describe nouns and states
An adjective can come before a noun or after a linking verb such as be, seem, feel, and become. It gives information about a person, thing, or situation. Ask what quality the sentence is describing.
The application was successful.
Successful follows was and describes the application.
Which word fits before project: success or successful?
Use successful: It was a successful project.
Use adverbs to describe actions
Adverbs often describe how an action happens. Many are made with -ly, but the ending alone does not prove the word choice. Look for the verb being described and ask how the action was done.
The technician checked the cables carefully.
Carefully describes how the technician checked the cables.
The technician was careful with the cables.
Careful is an adjective after was. It describes the technician, not the checking action.
Avoid common word-family traps
A familiar root does not guarantee the right answer. Some forms have different meanings, and spelling changes can be misleading. Read the whole sentence, identify the grammar role, and then check a learner dictionary if two family members both seem possible.
The company is economical with electricity.
Economical means that the company avoids wasting electricity.
The report discusses economic policy.
Economic relates to the economy, so it has a different use from economical.
Before you go
Remember this
Find the grammar job first. Decide whether the sentence needs a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb, then choose a related word that makes sense. A word ending can guide you, but the surrounding sentence is the stronger clue.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice: word families"
What is a word family in English?
A word family is a set of related words with different grammar jobs. For example, decide is a verb, decision is a noun, decisive is an adjective, and decisively is an adverb. Their shared root can help you remember them, but each form belongs in a different sentence pattern.
Her explanation made the instructions easier to follow.
How can I tell which word-family form a sentence needs?
Look at the words around the gap before choosing. An article often points to a noun, a subject may need a verb, a linking verb may need an adjective, and an action verb may be followed by an adverb. Then make sure the chosen word also fits the meaning.
She explained the instructions clearly.
Do English adverbs always end in -ly?
No. Many common adverbs use -ly, such as carefully and confidently, but some do not, including fast and hard. Also, some words ending in -ly are adjectives. Use the sentence role to decide instead of relying only on the ending.
The new route is safer for cyclists.
Why can I not use any related word from the same family?
Related words share an idea, but their grammar and sometimes their meanings differ. Successful describes a result, success names the result, and succeed describes an action. A sentence requires one particular job, so a word from the same family can still be wrong.
Cyclists travelled safely on the new route.
How should I learn new word families?
Record a useful base word with one short, original example for each form you need. Group the noun, verb, adjective, and adverb together, then practise choosing among them in sentences. A learner dictionary can show spelling changes, pronunciation, and common patterns.
The team made an improvement to the timetable.