English words ending with er. LESS suffix in English. Suffix -ist in English
This is a lesson from the cycle "Word formation in English language» and in it we will look at common noun suffixes:-er/or, -tion, -ing, -ness, -ence/ance (5). will help you understand how nouns are formed in English with the help of suffixes, as well as prepare for English language exams in the form of the OGE and the Unified State Examination.
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Basic noun suffixes in English (Grade 9)
Remember 5 basic noun suffixes.
- er/or (work er)
- tion (informa tion)
- ing (read ing)
- ness (happy ness)
- ence/ance (different ence)
1. Suffixes of nouns formed from a verb
verb + Ʌ = noun
- -er/or(doer suffix)
dance - dancer (dance - dancer)
work - worker
collect - collector (collect - collector)
inventor - inventor - -tion(process suffix)
collect - collection (collection, collection)
invent - invention - -ing
suffer - suffering (suffer - suffering)
warn-warning
mean - meaning
Remember three suffixes -er (-or), -tion, -ing, by means of which nouns are formed from a verb.
2. Suffixes of nouns formed from an adjective
adj + Ʌ = noun
- -ness
ill - illness (sick - illness)
kind - kindness - -ance/ -ence(corresponding adjectives have suffixes: -ant/ -ent)
important - importance (important - importance)
different - difference
Remember two suffixes: -ness, -ence (ance), by which nouns are formed from adjectives.
Suffixes of nouns in English. Exercises
Suffixes -ness & -tion are the most common noun suffixes.
Exercise 1. Suffix -ness.Translate the indicated nouns and indicate the adjectives from which they are formed.
foolishness, happiness, seriousness, illness, readiness, richness, strangeness, carelessness, whiteness, cleverness, greatness, brightness
Note. Please note that the letter "y" usually occurs at the end of the word, in the middle of the word its double is used - the letter "i": happ y- happy i ness.
Exercise 2. Suffix –tion and its varieties -ation /-ion/ -sion/ -ssion.Translate the indicated nouns and indicate the verb from which they are formed.
translation, explanation, admiration, celebration, continuation, invitation, pronunciation, exhibition, demonstration, conversation, competition, communication
Exercise 3 The suffix -tion.Paraphrase the sentence using a verb instead of a noun.
EXAMPLE. Their acting was very good. —— They acted very well.
1. His collection of books was mainly on art.
2. The farmer's quick actions saved the building from fire.
3.Her translation of the poem was so good that the professor invited her to take part in a translation contest.
4. The teacher's explanation of the task was clear to everybody.
Exercise 4 Guess the suffix and form nouns with it. Translate them.
- weak-
- polite-
- fresh-
- ugly-
- cold-
- dark-
- careful-
Exercise 5 Suffix -er.Guess the profession.
EXAMPLE. Someone who bakes bread is a baker.
- Someone who interviews people is a….
- Someone who plays football is a…
- Someone who eats well is a…
- Someone who sleeps well is a…
- Someone who rules the country is a…
- Someone who explores new lands is a…
- Someone who makes or repairs shoes is a…
- Someone who always causes trouble is a…
- Someone who makes films is a…
- Someone who has traveled to another place for a holiday is a…
Remember:
- troublemaker- bully, bully
- holiday maker- vacationer
Exercise 6 If you know verbs, then adding a suffix –tion, you easily form new words. Translate them into Russian.
- collect-
- explain-
- protect -
- prepare-
- found-
- inform -
- celebrate-
- composite-
- create-
- decorate-
Exercise 7 Suffix –er/or.Form nouns from these words using suffixes: -er/-or.
Remember: to fail (to fail) - failure (failure)
to construct, to direct, to protect, to transport, to fail, to educate, to manage, to govern, to achieve, to build, to sing, to act, to sleep
Exercise 8 Suffix –ence/ance.Translate and memorize pairs of words with -ence/-ance suffixes:
- import ant-import ance
- differ ent- differ ence
- indifferent - indifference
- independent
- dependent - dependence
- patient-patience
- persistence
- insistent - insistence
- indulgent - indulgence
There can be confusion (both are often called word endings, “word endings”), and the English terminology in this matter is slightly different from Russian. So let's start with the basic concepts.
The ending is an inflectional morpheme. It changes the form of the word, but not its meaning, and at the same time carries a grammatical load:
- pencil—pencil s(ending indicates plural)
- work - work ed(the ending indicates the past tense)
The suffix, in turn, is a derivational morpheme. Suffixes in English create new words, either by changing the meaning of the original one or by transforming one part of speech into another:
- red-redd ish(red - reddish)
- teach-teach er(teach - teacher)
There are very few endings in English - these are -s (-es), -ed and -ing. There are a lot of suffixes in English. In this article we will consider only the most common ones.
Noun suffixes
Suffixes of professions and activities (-er, -ent, -ess)
The suffix -er is perhaps the most common and productive suffix for "doers". With it, you can form a noun from almost any verb.
- write > writer - write > writer
- bake > baker - oven > baker
- paint > painter - draw > artist
Majority modern words, denoting the performer of the action, are formed precisely with his help. This also applies to inanimate objects.
- printer - printer
- scanner - scanner
Many have the -or suffix:
- doctor - doctor
- tailor
- actor - actor
The suffix in English -ist often denotes activities related to science and medicine:
- scientist - scientist
- dentist - dentist
- biologist - biologist
It also denotes an adherent of any views and beliefs:
- pacifist - pacifist
- communist - communist
- realist - realist
Other suffixes in English for words of Latin and Greek origin:
Suffix -ian:
- musician - musician
- librarian - librarian
- mathematician - mathematician
Suffix -ent:
- student - student
- resident - resident, resident
- agent - agent
Suffix -ant:
- informant - informant
- assistant - assistant
- confidant - confidant
The suffix -ess is one of the few "feminine" suffixes in English:
- waitress - waitress
- actress - actress
- princess - princess
Suffixes of process, action, phenomenon (-ment, -ion, -ism)
The suffix in English -ment is needed when forming verbal nouns and means an action or its result:
- movement - movement
- entertainment - entertainment
- concealment - concealment
The suffix -ion also means an action, process, or result of that process:
- revolution - revolution
- isolation - isolation
- restriction - restriction
The suffix -ism denotes a system of views, beliefs:
- racism - racism
- communism - communism
- pacifism - pacifism
Suffixes of state, quality, property (-ance / -ence, -dom, -hood, -ity, -ness, -ship, -th)
The -ance / -ence suffix in a noun usually corresponds to the -ant / -ent suffix in an adjective:
- different - difference (different - difference)
- important - importance (important - importance)
- independent - independence (independent - independence)
The suffixes in English -hood and -ship mean the state of a person associated with his age, social relations, and sometimes activity; or a group of people united by this state.
- childhood - childhood
- motherhood - motherhood
- priesthood - clergy
- friendship - friendship
- internship - internship, internship
The suffix -dom means states and properties of a broader meaning:
- freedom - freedom
- wisdom - wisdom
- martyrdom - martyrdom
The suffix in English -ness means the possession of some quality and serves to form nouns from adjectives:
- kindness - kindness
- usefulness
- vastness - vastness
The suffix -th often means physical properties:
- strength - strength
- length — length
- warmth - heat
The suffix -ity means property, quality, and is common for words of Latin origin:
- brevity - brevity
- velocity - speed
- purity - purity
Adjective suffixes
The suffix in English -ful means having quality (and is related to the adjective full - “full”):
- beautiful - beautiful
- useful
The suffix -less is opposite in meaning to the previous one and means the absence of quality:
- careless - carefree
- harmless - harmless
The suffix -able, -ible characterizes a property or availability for any action:
- edible - edible
- portable - portable, portable
- admirable - admirable
The suffixes -ic and -al mean "related to something":
- heroic - heroic
- mythic - mythical
- cultural - cultural
- musical - musical
The suffix -ous also carries the characteristic:
- dangerous - dangerous
- nutritious - nutritious
The suffix in English -ish has several meanings:
expresses similarity (in relation to appearance, behavior)
- girlish - girlish
- childich - childish, childish
- foolish - stupid
weakens the meaning of the adjective
- reddish - reddish
- narrowish - narrowish
means nationality, language or country
- english
- Swedish - Swedish
The suffix -ive means having a property, ability:
- attractive - attractive
- sedative - sedative
The suffix in English -y is used to form many simple adjectives:
- rainy - rainy
- dirty - dirty
- sunny - sunny
Verb suffixes
Verb suffixes are not so diverse and almost all have the meaning of "do something" or "become something".
Sometimes there are situations when something unfamiliar is found in the text. English word and no dictionary at hand. You can, of course, try to understand from the context what it means. But the rules of word formation will also help us to understand its meaning.
Ways of word formation in English
- FROM wording - when from two or more independent words, new words are formed by addition: fireplace, chess player. At the same time, new words can be written together ( postman, windowsill, boyfriend), through a hyphen ( copy-book, cinema-goer, holiday-maker) or separately ( stone wall, fire brigade, market place). In such cases, the meaning of the word can be understood without difficulty: fur fur + coat coat = fur coat fur coat (fur coat), text– text + book- book = text book- textbook (book with texts), well– good + pay– pay = well-paid- well paid, etc.
- Conversion - when a word without changes becomes another part of speech, for example, water- water - to water- to water, milk milk - to milk- to milk picture- painting - to picture- portray. More about , we wrote earlier.
- Changing a word with a prefix (prefix) or suffix. If you know the meaning of the main prefixes and suffixes, you can easily "recognize" the word by the familiar root. Consider the most common suffixes.
English prefixes
- Un-/im-/ir-/il-/dis-/in- are negative prefixes. With their help, words are formed that are opposite in meaning: legal law– illegal illegal, like be in love– dislike not to love, usual ordinary– unusual unusual
- mis- - this prefix has the meaning "wrong, wrong": misunderstand ( from the word understand - to understand) – misunderstand, misprint ( print - print) - typo, misinformation (information - information) - incorrect information
- Re- - has the meaning "do again, re-do": rewrite ( write - write) – rewrite, replay ( play) – replay, refill ( fill - fill) - refill, refill
- Over- indicates an excessive degree of something: overcook ( cook - cook) - overcook or overcook, overcrowd ( crowd - fill with people) – overflow, oversleep ( sleep - sleep) - oversleep (sleep a lot)
- under- has the meaning "under": underground ( ground - earth) - metro (subway), underwear ( wear - wear) - underwear (what is worn under clothes)
- Ex- this prefix means "former" - ex-president - ex-president, ex-girlfriend - ex girlfriend
English suffixes
Consider the most common suffixes of various parts of speech.
Noun suffixes
- -er / -or - this suffix forms nouns from the verb and denotes the one who performs the action: player ( play - play) - player, swimmer ( swim - to swim) - swimmer, visitor ( visit - visit) - visitor, speaker ( speak - speak) - speaker, speaker, adviser ( advise - advise) — adviser
- -ing – verbal noun suffix – beginning (begin - begin) - start, feeling ( feel - feel) - feeling, opening ( open - open) - opening
Google shortcode
Abstract nouns from adjectives are formed using the following suffixes:
- -ness – sleepiness ( sleep - sleep) - drowsiness, loneliness (lonely - lonely) – loneliness, darkness ( dark - dark) - darkness, politeness ( polite - polite) - politeness
- -ment - movement ( move - move) - movement, announcement ( announce - announce) – declaration, agreement ( agree - agree) - agreement
- -dom – freedom ( free - free) - freedom, boredom ( bore - boring) - boredom, kingdom ( king - king) - kingdom
- -ion/ -tion / -sion / -ssion – competition ( compete - compete) — competition, admission ( admit - recognize) - recognition, celebration ( celebrate - to celebrate) - celebration, revision ( revise - revise) - revision
- -ure / -ture -adventure- adventure, agriculture - Agriculture , nature - nature
- - hood – childhood ( child - child) – childhood, brotherhood ( brother - brother) - brotherhood, neighborhood ( neighbor - neighbor) neighborhood
- -ship -partnership ( partner) partnership, ownership ( owner) - property, hardship ( hard - difficult) - difficulty
- — ist — idealist ( ideal - ideal) — idealist, artist ( art - art) pianist ( piano) - pianist
- -ance/-ence – importance (important - important) - importance, disappearance ( disappear - disappear) - disappearance, presence ( present - to be present) – presence, silence ( silent - silent) - silence
Adjective suffixes
- -able / -able - eatable ( eat - eat) - edible, unbreakable ( un + break - break, break) - unbreakable, changeable ( change - change) - changeable
- - less - denotes absence, in Russian it often corresponds to the prefix without-: expressionless( expression) - inexpressive, without expression, cloudless ( cloud - cloud) - cloudless, toothless (tooth - tooth) - toothless, careless ( care - care) - carefree
- — ous – dangerous ( danger - danger) dangerous, famous ( fame - glory) – famous, vibrant ( vigour - strength, energy) - strong, energetic
- — ful – presence of quality: forgetful ( forget - forget) - forgetful, watchful ( watch - watch) - observant, doubtful ( doubt - doubt) - doubtful, thoughtful ( thought - thought) thoughtful
- -ish – denotes 1) a weakened degree of quality: greenish – greenish, reddish- reddish, 2) an expression of irritation or contempt: childish - you act like a child, bearish - like a bear, camelish- stubborn as a camel
- -y – windy ( wind - wind) windy, stormy ( storm - storm) - stormy, soapy ( soap - soap) - soapy
- — ic – philosophical ( philosophy - philosophy) - philosophical, scientific (science - science) — scientific, democratic ( democracy - democracy) - democratic
- -ive - expressive ( expression — expression) expressive, progressive ( progress) - progressive, active ( act - act) - active (one who acts a lot)
adverb suffix
- -ly - calmly ( calm - calm) - calmly, occasionally ( occasional - random) randomly, quickly ( quick - fast) - fast
Verb suffix
- -en - forms a verb from adjectives and nouns, denotes an action that gives the quality expressed in the stem weak - weak-weaken- weaken, hard- solid-harden- harden, sharp - spicy- sharpened - sharpen
Knowing the basic rules of word formation, now it will not be difficult for you to translate the following words:
- unbelievable: un- negative prefix + believe +able adjective suffix= incredible
- Unexpectedness: un negative prefix +expect expect+ness noun suffix= surprise
- Unsuccessful: un negative prefix + success + ful adjective suffix= not successful
- Indifference: in negative prefix +diff to distinguish + ence noun suffix= indifference
- well-educated: well well +educated= well educated
- heartily: whole whole, whole + heart heart + ly - adverb suffix= wholeheartedly
- pain-killer: pain pain + kill + er - the one who kills= pain reliever
as well as the following phrases:
- A hardly recognizable extract (hard+ly recognize+able)
- An unforgettable performance (un+forget+able perform+ance) - an unforgettable performance
- An inattentive listener (in+attentive listen+er)
- An easily-hardened metal (easy+ly hard+en)
- An unknown trouble-maker (un+know trouble+make+er)
- Successful underground work (success + ful under + ground) - successful work underground
The formation of nouns in English can occur different ways. In this article, we will consider the formation of nouns in English using suffixes. A suffix in English is a letter or letters added to a word to form another part of speech or another type of word. For example, if we add the suffix -ly to the word quick - fast (adjective in English), we get the word quickly - quickly (adverb), if we add the suffix - er to the word train - train, train (verb in English), we get a noun and another type of word - trainer - trainer (noun in English).
The formation of nouns in English comes from various parts of speech. There are groups of suffixes in English that indicate the part of speech to which the word belongs.
Suffixes that indicate that a word belongs to such a part of speech as a noun:
Ation, -ion, -ness, -ship, -ity, -ism, -ist, -ence, -ment, -al, -er(-or), -hood, -ing, -th, -ant, -age , -ure(-ture, -sure), -ship, -ian, -ency, -ee, -ette, -ocracy, -ology, -phobe, -phobia, -ess, -ese |
- -ation - indicates the state, process of the subject. Often this ending is added to a verb to form a noun:
inform - information (inform - information)
explore - exploration (explore - research)
starve - starvation (to starve, to die of hunger - hunger; starvation)
She quitted those English courses because she was paid starvation wages - she quit those English courses because she was paid beggarly wages
- -ion
repeat - repetition (repeat - repetition)
Can you spell this English word? Can you spell this English word?
- -ness is added to an adjective to form a noun:
happy - happiness (happy - happiness)
happiness takes no account of time - for happy time does not exist
- The suffix-ship in English indicates status, condition, property:
director - directorship (director - leadership, management)
She has got a friend from Kiev - she has a friend from Kyiv
friendship cannot stand always on one side - friendship must be mutual
- -ity is added to an adjective to form a noun in English:
false - falsity (wrong, erroneous - falsity, infidelity)
electric - electricity (electric - electricity)
to lay on the electricity - supply electricity
- -ism - the addition of this suffix in English characterizes many beliefs, opinions, beliefs:
vandal - vandalism
capital - capitalism
to combat manifestations of nationalism - to combat manifestations of nationalism
- -ist - this suffix in English is attached to nouns to form derivatives from them, indicating professionals, supporters of a public or scientific direction:
This pianist is going to give a concert in Kiev - this pianist will have a concert in Kyiv next month
- -ence - attached to a verb or noun, the noun indicates a state or process:
reluctant - reluctance (doing something with great reluctance - reluctance, unwillingness)
intelligent - intelligence (educated - intellect, reason, mind; mental abilities)
This scientist from Kiev is a person of considerable intelligence - this scientist from Kiev is a person of considerable intelligence
- -ment - attached to a verb to form nouns in English. This suffix indicates the process, the result:
govern - government (rule, manage - government)
arrange - arrangement (put in order; arrange - putting in order; arrangement; classification; systematization; usually measures, events, preparations)
But personal prejudices again interposed to prevent an arrangement so desirable - but personal prejudices again prevented such a desired agreement from being reached
All the arrangements were done. Now she is ready to open her own English language courses in Kiev - all preparations have been completed. Now she is ready to open her English courses in Kyiv
- -al - attached to the verb to form nouns in English:
refuse - refusal (reject, refuse; reject - refusal, rejection)
I could not comprehend her refusal to help me with my English language project - I could not understand why she refused to help me with my English language project
- -er (-or) - this suffix is used to form nouns in English from verbs. A noun with such suffixes indicates a person who performs an action or a device that performs this or that operation:
play - player (play, have fun - player, participant)
mix - mixer (mix - mixer, mixer, mixer)
edit - editor (edit, prepare for printing - editor)
drive - driver (ride; drive - driver)
write - writer (write - writer)
He is a famous English writer - he is a famous English writer
- -hood - forms a noun that indicates a state, position, quality:
brother - brotherhood (brother - brotherhood)
child - childhood (child - childhood)
She spent her childhood in Kiev - she spent her childhood in Kyiv
- -ing - with the help of this suffix, nouns in English are formed from verbs:
meet - meeting (meet - meeting)
proceed - proceeding (continue (say) - act, action, deed)
I have arranged a meeting with my English teacher - I made an appointment with my English teacher
- -th - forms nouns with a quality value:
true - truth (true - true)
deep -depth (deep - depth)
health (health)
He started studying language in depth after he had signed up to take a course in English in Kyiv
- -ant - form nouns that indicate a person or substance:
assist - assistant (assist - assistant)
oxidant (oxidizer)
He is an English teaching assistant - English teacher's assistant
- -age - in English, this suffix is attached to the verb. With its help, nouns with different meanings are formed:
marry - marriage (marry, get married - marriage)
break - breakage (break - breakage)
shrink - shrinkage (reduce, reduce - shrink, decrease)
shrinkage of fabric - fabric shrinkage
- -ure(-ture, -sure) - these suffixes are used to form nouns in English from verbs that indicate a process:
press - pressure (press - pressure)
mix - mixture (mix - mixing)
- -ship - attached to a noun that indicates status, condition, quality:
friend - friendship (friend - friendship)
leader - leadership (leader - leadership)
These newly opened English language courses in Kiev have taken over the leadership very quickly
- -ian - in English, a noun with such a suffix can indicate nationality, rank, profession (it can act as an adjective):
physician (therapist)
Italian
academician (academician)
She studied Italian at these courses in foreign languages in Kiev - she studied Italian at
- -ency - in English, a noun with such suffixes can indicate a process, a state. They can be formed from nouns or adjectives:
president - presidency (president - presidency)
independent - independence (independent - independence)
She has promised improvements during her presidency - she promised to improve during her presidency.
- -ee - in English, nouns with such suffixes can indicate an object; the formation of nouns in English in this case comes from verbs:
train - trainee (train - trainee, trainee)
employ - employee (employ - hired worker)
There are 200 employees working for our subsidiary in Kyiv
- -ette indicates a diminutive. Attach to a noun (the formation of nouns in English from other nouns):
kitchenette - kitchenette, small kitchen (combined with a room)
- -cracy :
dem about cracy
- -logy - indicates the belonging of the word to science, subject (school):
Bi ology
Physi ology
Anthrop ology
Ge ology
He spent the following year at the same Institute where he studied Bi ology– he spent the next year at the same institute where he studied biology
- -phobe - indicates that the person is a coward, a hater, or a fearful, timid person:
Anglophobe - Anglophobe (a person who fears or hates England)
- -phobia - in English, this suffix indicates irritation or fear, fear of something (phobia):
arachnophobia - fear of spiders
pantophobia - fear of everything
ophidiophobia - pathological fear of snakes
claustrophobia - claustrophobia (pathological fear of closed space)
- -ess - belonging to the female sex (female):
lioness - lioness
waitress - waitress
She worked as waitress in Kiev restaurant - she worked as a waitress in a Kyiv restaurant
- -ese- indicates language or nationality (can be used as an adjective):
Chinese
Japanese
Vietnamese
I studied English and Japanese at these courses in foreign languages in Kyiv
This concludes the topic of the formation of nouns in English with the help of suffixes, and the formation of adjectives, adverbs and verbs with the help of various suffixes, we will consider in one of the following articles.
The English sentence is like an impenetrable forest, they turned the wrong way, and, lo and behold, they already got lost among unfamiliar words. How not to get into a mess and correctly determine what part of speech is in front of you? Suffixes Help! Especially for you, we have prepared useful material, thanks to which you will distinguish these mysterious parts of speech. Understanding the meanings of common affixes will help you understand the meanings of new words you come across. Let's go
So, by suffix we mean the letter or group of letters that is usually found at the end of a word in English. Thanks to this element, amazing metamorphoses occur, so a completely new word is formed from the original word, and sometimes a part of speech changes. Let's look at an example, the verb to create (create), by adding a suffix - or get the noun create or(creator). Let's build an adjective in a similar way, but this time we choose a suffix - ive: create ive(creative).
Since practicing and creating vocabulary is a useful thing, we suggest paying attention to three important features:
First, sometimes adding a suffix changes the spelling of the root or stem. The word ends in a vowel -y, preceded by a consonant, - y replace with - i. Here's an example:
- verb to justify y(to justify) > adjective justif i able (justified);
- adjective y(ugly) > noun ugl i ness (ugliness).
Also, if by the way with the dumb - e an affix is added at the end, then this vowel is simply falls out. For example:
- verb to us e(use) > adjective usable(practical);
- verb to adore e(to adore) > adjective adorable(charming).
NOTA BENE: As with all the rules of the English language, spelling, of course, has its exceptions. Therefore, if there are controversial questions, feel free to refer to the dictionary.
Secondly, not all suffixes can be added to all roots, such affixes are owners, and nothing can be done about it. For example:
- beauty y(beauty) + - ful > beautiful(beautiful);
- ugl y(ugly) + - ness > ugliness(ugliness).
But the words beauty or ugliful are not in the dictionary, since they do not exist at all in the language, period.
Third, some suffixes have more than one meaning. How greedy! All you know is the affix - er used in comparative degree: bright (bright) > bright er(brighter). However, the same suffix also means a person who lives in a particular place: London (London) > Londoner (resident of London).
Verb suffixes in English
An English verb, like any verb, means the state or action of an object or thing. The verb suffix is rather unpretentious and has the following meanings: occur, become, do or create.
NOTA BENE: Many verbs with the suffix - size, can also end with - ise. For example: real size& real ise(be aware) or patron size& patron ise(take care). Two variants take place, however, the verb suffix - ise use British. While - size use more Americans.
SUFFIX | MEANING | EXAMPLES |
---|---|---|
ate | become take place |
regulate ["regjəleɪt] - regulate eradicate [ɪ"rædɪkeɪt] - exterminate enunciate [ɪ "nʌn (t) sɪeɪt] - expound repudiate - to reject evaporate [ɪ "væp (ə) reɪt] - evaporate |
en | become take place |
harden ["hɑ: d (ə) n] - harden soften ["sɔf (ə) n] - soften enlighten [ɪn "laɪt (ə) n] - enlighten strengthen ["streŋθ (ə) n] - strengthen loosen ["lu:s(ə)n] - weaken |
size/ise | become take place |
civilise ["sɪv (ə) laɪz] - to civilize humanize ["hju: mənaɪz] - soften economise [ɪ "kɔnəmaɪz] - save utilize ["ju: tɪlaɪz] - spend valorize ["væl(ə)raɪz] - raise prices |
ify/fy | do create become |
satisfy ["sætɪsfaɪ] - satisfy rectify ["rektɪfaɪ] - fix terrify ["terɪfaɪ] - to terrify exemplify [ɪk "semplɪfaɪ] - illustrate clarify ["klærɪfaɪ] - clarify |
Noun suffixes in English
A noun refers to an object or thing. The English noun suffix is distinguished by its diversity and includes the following elements: an actor, a quality or state, a process or activity, etc.
NOTA BENE: If the verb ends in - ere, but the noun will have the suffix - ence: to interfere > interfer ence(interference). If on - ate, -y, -ure / -ear, then the affix - ance: to devi ate(to deviate) > devi ance(deviation); to apple y(apply) > apply ance(device); to cl ear(clear) > clear ance(cleaning).
SUFFIX | MEANING | EXAMPLES |
---|---|---|
ance / ence | condition quality action |
extravagance [ɪk "strævəgən (t) s] - whim preference ["pref (ə) r (ə) n (t) s] - preference utterance ["ʌt (ə) r (ə) n (t) s] - pronunciation |
acy | condition quality |
fallacy ["fæləsɪ] - cunning celibacy ["seləbəsɪ] - celibacy |
ity / ty | quality characteristic |
probity ["prəubətɪ] - honesty royalty ["rɔɪəltɪ] - greatness |
ment | condition means result |
endorsement [ɪn "dɔ: smənt] - approval fragment ["frægmənt] - fragment excitement [ɪk "saɪtmənt] - excitement |
al | action process |
recital - transfer denial - refusal |
dom | condition status |
boredom ["bɔ: dəm] - longing earldom ["ɜ:ldəm] - earl title |
ness | condition | preparedness - readiness wilderness ["wɪldənəs] - desert |
xion/sion/tion | condition action |
fluxion ["flʌkʃ (ə) n] - change concession - recognition relation - relation |
hood | characteristic interest group Current state |
womanhood ["wumənhud] - femininity brotherhood ["brʌðəhud] - brotherhood childhood ["tʃaɪldhud] - brotherhood |
ship | Current state interest group |
|
ship | Current state interest group |
membership ["membəʃɪp] - membership friendship ["friendʃɪp] - friendship |
ist | actor | narcissist ["nɑ: sɪsɪst] - "narcissus" novelist ["nɔv (ə) lɪst] - novelist |
ee | actor | addressee [ædre "si:] - recipient employee [ɪmplɔɪ "i:] - employee |
ess | female character | goddess ["gɔdes] - goddess waitress ["weɪtrəs] - waitress |
ism | ideology action and result language features |
hedonism ["hi: d (ə) nɪz (ə) m] - hedonism exorcism ["skeptɪsɪz (ə) m] - skepticism Americanism [ə "merɪkənɪz (ə) m] - Americanism |
Suffixes of adjectives in English
An adjective is a part of speech that defines a noun. The main meanings of the suffix include the following: the absence or presence of quality, characteristic, ability, opportunity, etc.
SUFFIX | MEANING | EXAMPLES |
---|---|---|
able / able | able possible important |
payable ["peɪəbl] - payable edible ["edɪbl] - edible fashionable ["fæʃ (ə) nəbl] - secular |
al | related to | autumnal [ɔ: "tʌmn (ə) l] - autumn accidental [æksɪ "dent (ə) l] - random |
ic / ical | related to | metallic - metallic Finnic ["fɪnɪk] - Finnish |
esque | pertaining to style manner or manner |
arabesque [ærə "besk] - decorated picturesque - picturesque |
ful | quality characterizing |
masterful ["mɑ: stəf (ə) l] - masterful woeful ["wəuf(ə)l] - woeful |
ious / ous | quality characterizing |
careful ["kɔ:ʃəs] - careful nervous ["nɜ: vəs] - nervous |
y | quality characterizing |
sticky ["stɪkɪ] - sticky nerdy ["nɜ: dɪ] - boring |
ive | quality characterizing |
palliative ["pælɪətɪv] - softening corrective - corrective |
ish | quality characterizing to a certain degree |
girlish ["gɜ: lɪʃ] - girlish snobbish ["snɔbɪʃ] - snobbish pinkish ["pɪŋkɪʃ] - pinkish |
less | lack of quality without anything |
skinless ["skɪnləs] - without skin childless ["tʃaɪldləs] - childless |
Suffixes of adverbs in English
An adverb is an indispensable part of speech that conveys a sign of the state or action of a predominantly verb. The suffix of adverbs is modest and has only three meanings: orientation or direction, characteristic or sign, relation of one to another.
Conclusion
So, we have analyzed the most common suffixes of different parts of speech in the English language. Think of the affix as a clue to the meaning of words. As with any detective story, sometimes the clues are visible to the naked eye and are pretty obvious. In other cases, they can be confusing or misleading.
In any case, keep in mind that the meanings of words are best determined by examining the context in which they are used. We hope that this article was useful and informative for you.
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