Hay fever: Word formation

Activity 1 · Listening follow-up · Upper-intermediate (FCE style)

The following activities are based on the audio recording titled Hay Fever Audio Recording.

Listen to the audio (opens in a pop-up window)

Read the text about hay fever. Use the word in capitals at the end of some lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line.

The word you need is a different form of the word given. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Hay fever

Spring should be an enjoyable (0 ENJOY) time of year, but for people with hay fever it can be quite 1 (PLEASANT). Hay fever is an 2 (ALLERGY) reaction to pollen, a powdery substance produced by plants, especially flowers. Wind and insects carry it from plant to plant, so everyone has some 3 (EXPOSE) to it.

In fact, pollen is completely 4 (HARM), but the immune system of an allergic person treats it as a threat. The symptoms, such as sneezing, a runny nose and 5 (ITCH) eyes, are really the body’s 6 (REACT) to something normally safe.

Although there is no cure, 7 (TREAT) is available. Antihistamines and daily nasal sprays can help, but one of the most 8 (EFFECT) ways of managing hay fever is to avoid the things that trigger it. For people who love the outdoors or own a pet, this can seem almost 9 (POSSIBLE).

Hay fever can also cause serious 10 (BREATHE) problems for people with asthma. If you suffer from it, remember that you are not alone: 1 in 5 Australians has the same problem.

Answer key

Gap	Word given	Answer	Change
0	ENJOY	enjoyable	verb → adjective (example)
1	PLEASANT	unpleasant	negative prefix
2	ALLERGY	allergic	noun → adjective
3	EXPOSE	exposure	verb → noun
4	HARM	harmless	noun → adjective (suffix -less)
5	ITCH	itchy	verb → adjective
6	REACT	overreaction	verb → noun + prefix (reaction is also accepted)
7	TREAT	treatment	verb → noun
8	EFFECT	effective	noun → adjective
9	POSSIBLE	impossible	negative prefix (im-)
10	BREATHE	breathing	verb → noun used as a modifier