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Bonnie -- To me it sounds like you are talking about straightforward word formation... a skill needed by language students in order to pass many exams and really master a language. This concept exists in all languages and its a question of knowing your suffixes and prefixes as well as word root and which belong to which part of speech. For example, words that end in tion are nouns: action, vacation, obliteration, etc. Their respective verb counterparts are act, vacate and obliterate. Many also have adjective and adverb forms as well. As mariposita said, the gerund -ing form of the verb (also known as the present participle) is often used as a noun (and sometimes an adjective... bored/boring). The past participle (-ed ending) is often used as the adjective. Most adverbs in English end -ly. Example: lead (verb and noun) leader (noun - person) leadership (noun) misleadingly (adverb) You might want do a google search on word formation to get more ideas. Here is a good site that talks generally about the topic.Good luck. 
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| Posts: 1376 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 24 March 2002 |  |
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