Exercises C1 : use Neologisms in English (answers)

These exercises are based on the course on neologisms in English at C1 level. Practise identifying and using blended words, affixed forms, and borrowed vocabulary as they appear in modern English.

→ See the course : Neologisms in English : complete course

Exercise 1 : Identifying Word-Formation Processes

Choose the correct word-formation process that best describes each underlined neologism.

1. The term 'brunch' is a classic example of which word-formation process?
   • A. Affixation, because a prefix has been added to an existing root.
   • B. Blending, because 'breakfast' and 'lunch' have been merged into a single new word.
   • C. Borrowing, because the word has been adopted from another language without modification.
   • D. Conversion, because a noun has been turned into a verb through a change in grammatical category.
2. The word 'unfriend', widely used on social media, is best described as which type of neologism?
   • A. Blending, because two existing words have been combined by overlapping their sounds.
   • B. Borrowing, because the term originates from a foreign language community.
   • C. Affixation, because the negative prefix 'un-' has been added to the existing verb 'friend'.
   • D. Clipping, because a longer word has been shortened to create a new, more convenient form.
3. The English word 'entrepreneur' illustrates which word-formation process?
   • A. Affixation, because multiple suffixes have been attached to an English root word.
   • B. Blending, because two English business terms have been fused together phonologically.
   • C. Borrowing, because the word has been taken directly from French into the English lexicon.
   • D. Back-formation, because a shorter verb was derived by removing what appeared to be a suffix.
4. The neologism 'podcast' is formed by which word-formation process?
   • A. Affixation, because a derivational suffix has been attached to the base word 'pod'.
   • B. Borrowing, because the term was introduced into English from a non-English-speaking tech community.
   • C. Blending, because 'iPod' and 'broadcast' have been merged to create a new compound concept.
   • D. Conversion, because a proper noun has been transformed into a common noun through regular use.

Correction

1. B. Blending, because 'breakfast' and 'lunch' have been merged into a single new word.
2. C. Affixation, because the negative prefix 'un-' has been added to the existing verb 'friend'.
3. C. Borrowing, because the word has been taken directly from French into the English lexicon.
4. C. Blending, because 'iPod' and 'broadcast' have been merged to create a new compound concept.

Exercise 2 : Match the Neologism to Its Definition

Match each neologism on the left with its correct definition on the right. Write the full definition sentence that corresponds to each word.

1. Staycation
2. Cyberchondriac
3. Hyperlocal
4. Loanword

• A person who repeatedly searches online for medical information and becomes convinced they are suffering from serious illnesses, combining 'cyber' with 'hypochondriac' through blending.
• A holiday spent at home or in one's home country rather than travelling abroad, blending 'stay' and 'vacation'.
• A word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification, reflecting the borrowing process that continuously enriches the English lexicon.
• Formed by adding the prefix 'hyper-' to an existing adjective, this word describes content, news, or services that are focused on a very specific, small geographic community.

Correction

1. Staycation – A holiday spent at home or in one's home country rather than travelling abroad, blending 'stay' and 'vacation'.
2. Cyberchondriac – A person who repeatedly searches online for medical information and becomes convinced they are suffering from serious illnesses, combining 'cyber' with 'hypochondriac' through blending.
3. Hyperlocal – Formed by adding the prefix 'hyper-' to an existing adjective, this word describes content, news, or services that are focused on a very specific, small geographic community.
4. Loanword – A word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification, reflecting the borrowing process that continuously enriches the English lexicon.

Exercise 3 : Neologisms in Context: Gap-Fill

Complete each sentence by filling in the blank with the correct neologism or word-formation term. Write the full completed sentence as your answer.

1. The word 'smog', formed by combining 'smoke' and 'fog', is a well-known example of ___, a process in which parts of two words are fused to create a single new lexical item.
2. When English speakers began using the word 'tsunami', borrowed from Japanese, they were engaging in ___, one of the key processes through which modern English continuously expands its vocabulary.
3. The neologism 'post-truth', which became widely used in political discourse, was created through ___, since the prefix 'post-' was attached to the existing adjective 'truth' to express a new cultural concept.
4. Understanding how neologisms enter everyday speech is essential at C1 level, as it allows learners to ___ unfamiliar vocabulary by analysing its component parts rather than relying solely on dictionary definitions.

Correction

1. The word 'smog', formed by combining 'smoke' and 'fog', is a well-known example of blending, a process in which parts of two words are fused to create a single new lexical item.
2. When English speakers began using the word 'tsunami', borrowed from Japanese, they were engaging in borrowing, one of the key processes through which modern English continuously expands its vocabulary.
3. The neologism 'post-truth', which became widely used in political discourse, was created through affixation, since the prefix 'post-' was attached to the existing adjective 'truth' to express a new cultural concept.
4. Understanding how neologisms enter everyday speech is essential at C1 level, as it allows learners to decode unfamiliar vocabulary by analysing its component parts rather than relying solely on dictionary definitions.