In this post, I am sharing two activities which help practice forming nouns ending in -ence and -ance suffixes. They are suitable for levels B2 and higher especially for exam course (Cambridge First and Advanced).
The task
Word formation activities prove challenging for B2 andC1 students, especially when it comes to similar suffixes such as -ence and -ance.
The first worksheet contains a word formation exercise followed by rule forming activity. It helps students create some framework for what some of them do instinctively (“it sounds good”).
The second worksheet contains a grid for Connect Four game. Students play the game in pairs. Flip a coin to decide who goes first. The aim of the game is to turn words in the grid into -ence/-ance nouns and connect four adjacent words (vertically, horizontally, diagonally). The game is similar to tic-tac-toe in that the opponents are supposed to block each other and make it impossible for the other person to connect any 4 words. If one player is unsure whether the word formed by the opponent is correct, they may challenge it and ask the teacher for clarification. The game might be played in pairs or displayed on the board for two bigger teams to enjoy.
You can see other uses of Connect Four here and here.
Materials
Great post Gosia.
I will definitely use this with my B2 exam classes.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Jonathan. I’m happy you’ve found it useful.