Key learning points

1. Blending is when words are 'chopped up' and put together.
2. Compounds are when two words are merged (sometimes using a hyphen).
3. Initialism is like an acronym, except all the letters are pronounced.
4. Affixation means fastening parts of words to other words.

Keywords

• Blending - In language, blending means to join the beginning of one word with the end of another to create a new word.

• Compounds - Compounds are words that are formed by combining two existing words together.

• Acronym - An acronym is a word formed by combining the first letter of each word in a name or phrase (e.g. ASAP).

• Initialism - Initialism is an abbreviation where the first letters of each word are pronounced as separate letters (e.g. CCTV).

• Affixation - Affixation is the process of adding groups of letters to the beginning or ends of words to change their meanings.

Common misconception