A derivação de palavras em inglês é um dos processos mais importantes para expandir vocabulário e compreender melhor o idioma. Trata-se da formação de novas palavras a partir de uma base (root word) por meio da adição de prefixos e sufixos. Esse processo é essencial tanto para leitura quanto para escrita em níveis intermediários e avançados.
📘 O que é derivação de palavras?
A derivação (word formation) ocorre quando você adiciona elementos antes ou depois de uma palavra base para criar uma nova palavra com significado diferente ou função gramatical distinta.
Base (root): happy
Com prefixo: unhappy
Com sufixo: happiness
Com ambos: unhappiness
🔹 Prefixos (Prefixes)
Os prefixos são adicionados no início da palavra e normalmente não mudam a classe gramatical, mas alteram o significado.
👉 Prefixos mais comuns
1. Negação (negative meaning)
un- → unhappy (infeliz)
in- / im- / il- / ir- → incorrect, impossible, illegal, irregular
non- → non-smoker
dis- → disagree
✔ Exemplo:
happy → unhappy
possible → impossible
2. Repetição ou reversão
re- → redo (refazer), rewrite (reescrever)
✔ Exemplo:
write → rewrite
3. Grau ou intensidade
over- → overwork (trabalhar demais)
under- → underpaid (mal pago)
4. Tempo ou ordem
pre- → preview (prévia)
post- → postgraduate
5. Opinião ou atitude
anti- → anti-social
pro- → pro-government
🔸 Sufixos (Suffixes)
Os sufixos são adicionados no final da palavra e geralmente mudam a classe gramatical.
👉 1. Sufixos que formam substantivos (nouns)
| Sufixo | Exemplo | Tradução |
|---|---|---|
| -ness | happiness | felicidade |
| -ment | development | desenvolvimento |
| -tion / -sion | information | informação |
| -er / -or | teacher | professor |
✔ Exemplo:
happy (adj) → happiness (noun)
develop (verb) → development (noun)
👉 2. Sufixos que formam adjetivos (adjectives)
| Sufixo | Exemplo | Tradução |
|---|---|---|
| -ful | useful | útil |
| -less | useless | inútil |
| -ous | dangerous | perigoso |
| -able | readable | legível |
✔ Exemplo:
use → useful
read → readable
👉 3. Sufixos que formam verbos (verbs)
| Sufixo | Exemplo | Tradução |
|---|---|---|
| -ize | modernize | modernizar |
| -en | strengthen | fortalecer |
✔ Exemplo:
modern → modernize
strength → strengthen
👉 4. Sufixos que formam advérbios (adverbs)
| Sufixo | Exemplo | Tradução |
|---|---|---|
| -ly | quickly | rapidamente |
✔ Exemplo:
quick → quickly
slow → slowly
⚙️ Mudança de classe gramatical
A derivação muitas vezes muda a função da palavra:
Verb → Noun: decide → decision
Adjective → Adverb: careful → carefully
Noun → Adjective: danger → dangerous
⚠️ Regras e observações importantes
1. Mudanças na ortografia
happy → happiness (y → i)
decide → decision (mudança interna)
2. Pronúncia pode mudar
photograph → photography
3. Nem sempre é previsível
Algumas palavras derivadas precisam ser memorizadas.
🧠 Estratégias para aprender derivação
✔ Aprenda por famílias de palavras
act → action → active → activity
✔ Foque em padrões comuns
-tion → geralmente substantivo
-ly → geralmente advérbio
✔ Use em contexto
This is a useful tool.
He explained it clearly.
✍️ Exemplos completos
create → creation → creative → creatively
help → helpful → helpless → helpfully
care → careful → careless → carefully
✅ Conclusão
A derivação com prefixos e sufixos é uma ferramenta poderosa para:
expandir vocabulário rapidamente
entender palavras desconhecidas
melhorar escrita e leitura
Dominar esses padrões permite que você “desmonte” palavras e entenda seus significados com mais facilidade — uma habilidade essencial para níveis intermediários e avançados de inglês.
Aqui está uma atividade completa com 50 questões de múltipla escolha sobre derivação (prefixos e sufixos) em contexto de management, engineering, programming e cloud security 👇
📘 Word Formation – Multiple Choice (50 Questions)
Instruções: Escolha a alternativa correta.
1. The cloud system detected an ______ login attempt.
A) legal
B) illegal
C) legality
D) legally
2. The manager asked to ______ the report before sending it.
A) write
B) rewrite
C) writer
D) writing
3. This tool is very ______ for network analysis.
A) use
B) useful
C) useless
D) using
4. The engineer improved the ______ of the server.
A) perform
B) performance
C) performing
D) performer
5. The programmer fixed the bug very ______.
A) quick
B) quickly
C) quicker
D) quickest
6. The company plans to ______ its cloud infrastructure.
A) modern
B) modernize
C) modernity
D) modernly
7. This system is highly ______.
A) security
B) secure
C) securely
D) securing
8. The manager was ______ with the results.
A) happy
B) happiness
C) unhappy
D) happily
9. The team is working on data ______.
A) protect
B) protection
C) protective
D) protecting
10. He explained the issue very ______.
A) clear
B) clearly
C) clearness
D) clearing
11. This solution is not ______ for large systems.
A) suitable
B) suitability
C) suit
D) suited
12. The developer is responsible for system ______.
A) maintain
B) maintenance
C) maintaining
D) maintainer
13. The application became ______ after the update.
A) use
B) useful
C) useless
D) usability
14. The engineer showed great ______.
A) skill
B) skilled
C) skillful
D) skillfully
15. This software is ______ designed.
A) bad
B) badly
C) badness
D) baddest
16. The manager wants to ______ the process.
A) simple
B) simplify
C) simplicity
D) simply
17. The system failure caused major ______.
A) disrupt
B) disruption
C) disruptive
D) disrupting
18. The company needs better ______ measures.
A) secure
B) security
C) securely
D) securing
19. The code was written ______.
A) correct
B) correctly
C) correction
D) correcting
20. The engineer is highly ______.
A) experience
B) experienced
C) experiencing
D) experienceful
21. The manager made a ______ decision.
A) care
B) careful
C) careless
D) carefully
22. This error is ______.
A) avoid
B) avoidable
C) avoidance
D) avoiding
23. The team worked ______ to solve the issue.
A) efficient
B) efficiently
C) efficiency
D) inefficient
24. The system is ______ protected.
A) full
B) fully
C) fullness
D) fulness
25. The company wants to reduce ______ risks.
A) operate
B) operation
C) operational
D) operatingly
26. The cloud solution is very ______.
A) power
B) powerful
C) powerless
D) powerfully
27. The engineer gave a ______ explanation.
A) detail
B) detailed
C) detailing
D) detailly
28. The system needs regular ______.
A) update
B) updated
C) updating
D) updates
29. The developer is working on app ______.
A) improve
B) improvement
C) improving
D) improved
30. The manager reacted ______ to the issue.
A) calm
B) calmly
C) calmness
D) calming
31. This software is ______ compatible.
A) full
B) fully
C) fullness
D) ful
32. The engineer found a ______ solution.
A) create
B) creative
C) creation
D) creatively
33. The system is ______ configured.
A) proper
B) properly
C) property
D) properness
34. The company is investing in cloud ______.
A) secure
B) security
C) securing
D) securely
35. The manager wants to ______ the workflow.
A) organize
B) organization
C) organized
D) organizing
36. The results were ______.
A) success
B) successful
C) successfully
D) successness
37. The engineer acted ______.
A) responsible
B) responsibly
C) responsibility
D) irresponsibility
38. The system is ______ reliable.
A) high
B) highly
C) height
D) higher
39. The company faced many ______ challenges.
A) finance
B) financial
C) financially
D) financing
40. The developer gave a ______ response.
A) quick
B) quickly
C) quickness
D) quicker
41. The system is ______ monitored.
A) constant
B) constantly
C) constancy
D) constanter
42. The engineer showed great ______ in solving the issue.
A) patient
B) patience
C) patiently
D) impatient
43. This is a ______ problem.
A) seriously
B) serious
C) seriousness
D) seriousful
44. The manager handled the situation ______.
A) professional
B) professionally
C) profession
D) professionalism
45. The company is working on system ______.
A) develop
B) development
C) developing
D) developer
46. The engineer is ______ trained.
A) special
B) specially
C) specialize
D) specialization
47. The system is ______ accessible.
A) easy
B) easily
C) easiness
D) easier
48. The company wants to ______ its services.
A) expansion
B) expand
C) expansive
D) expandingly
49. The manager gave a ______ answer.
A) direct
B) directly
C) direction
D) directing
50. The cloud system works ______.
A) perfect
B) perfectly
C) perfection
D) perfectness
✅ Gabarito
1-B
2-B
3-B
4-B
5-B
6-B
7-B
8-C
9-B
10-B
11-A
12-B
13-C
14-C
15-B
16-B
17-B
18-B
19-B
20-B
21-B
22-B
23-B
24-B
25-C
26-B
27-B
28-D
29-B
30-B
31-B
32-B
33-B
34-B
35-A
36-B
37-B
38-B
39-B
40-A
41-B
42-B
43-B
44-B
45-B
46-B
47-B
48-B
49-A
50-B
