Forming abstract nouns 1

Grammar review Is there a pattern?

Mostly, yes. Most abstract nouns in this exercise are formed by adding a suffix to an adjective or verb, and a handful of suffixes cover most cases:

-dom: free → freedom
-cy: bankrupt → bankruptcy, pirate → piracy
-hood: mother → motherhood
-ery: flatter → flattery, brave → bravery
-ty: cruel → cruelty
-ance: ignorant → ignorance

But not always. A few very common abstract nouns don't follow any suffix pattern at all and just have to be memorized: proud becomes pride (a vowel change, no suffix added), and true becomes truth (an older, much less productive pattern that doesn't apply to most other adjectives).

The takeaway: learning the common suffixes gets you most of the way there, but the highest-frequency abstract nouns are often the irregular ones, so they're worth learning individually rather than assuming a rule will always apply.

Did you know? Word formation is worth more exam marks than most students realize.

Cambridge Use of English Part 3 is entirely dedicated to word formation: you’re given a base word and must produce the correct form to fit the sentence. Forming abstract nouns from other word classes (adding suffixes like -tion, -ness, -ity, -ment) is one of the most tested transformations at B2 and C1.

IELTS and TOEFL writing also reward lexical variety, and the ability to shift between to inform, information, and informative in the same paragraph demonstrates the kind of range that pushes scores into Band 7+ or TOEFL 24+. This exercise trains that flexibility directly.