Word Formation Conversion

Word formation is a great resource of English language. It encompasses different mechanisms through which lexical units can be created:

• Compounding: A combination of words or parts of them.
• Affixation: Adding affixes or suffixes to the base.
• Conversion: Linguistic elements changing their grammatical category, e.g. the use of verbs as nouns and vice versa, etc.

CONVERSION

Convertion implies no variation in the form (the morphology remains the same, i.e. the change is transparent).

E.g. WALK (noun) > TO WALK (verb)

Noun to Verb

Brake > to brake, mail > to mail, taste > to taste. In these cases, the passage is transparent. Exception: table > to table, book > to book

Adjective to Verb

Dirty > to dirty, empty > to empty, e-mail > to e-mail s.o.

Verb to Noun

To call > a call, to command > a command, to spy > a spy

Adjective to Noun

Daily newspaper: a daily; creative: a creative; fool: a fool

Sometimes, in the passage, some phonological (e.g. Rebel > to rebel) or morphological (practice: to practise) changes may occur.