Welcome to 

The Word Factory!

Where do words come from? 

The dictionary company? The people in olden days? Actually, words are decided by people just like YOU! If speakers of a language agree on using a word, it is a word! You can create words just like you can compose a song or draw a picture.

Let's learn about the different ways to create words, and you can take a try at making your own! 

This is when you put two words together (called base words) to create a new word with a new meaning. 

Tip: The words can be together, separate, or joined by a hyphen. 

Compounding

Old Examples

home+work = homework

lunch+box= lunchbox

New Examples:

low+key = lowkey

porch+pirate= porch pirate

Your Example:

Create a compound word that means "the teacher everyone likes"

                                _________________________________

Borrowing

When we take a word from another language and use it in our language, that's called borrowing.

Old Examples

coffee - from Arabic

ballet - from French

kindergarten - from German

New Examples

emoji - from Japanese

sriracha - from Thai

Your example:

Borrow a word from your second language class to describe someone in your family.  _______________________________

Clipping

This is when you shorten a word to make a new word.

Old Examples

influenza --> flu

cellphone --> phone

New Examples

best friend --> bestie

suspicious --> sus

Your example:

Clip a word to create a new word for any job.                                 __________________________