Unit 7.2
Suffixes
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Introduction
Suffixes are segments added to the end of words to form a new one. They can change the grammar category of words and they usually give a totally different meaning to words.
Suffixes often cause a spelling change in the original word.
Form
At the end of a word, we can find verb, noun and adjective suffixes. They are added at the end of the word with or without any orthographical change.
Verb
The principal verb suffixes are: -ate; -en; -ify, -fy; -ize, -ise.
Noun
The principal noun suffixes are -acy, -ment; -er, -ness; -ance, -ence, -ism; -ity, -ty; -ship; -sion, -tion; -dom; -ist; -al.
Adjective
The principal adjective suffixes are: -abla, -ible, -ious, -ous; -al, -ish; -esque, -ive; -ful, -less; -ic, -ical, -y.
Example
- I classify my flowers depending on their color.
He realized he made a mistake.
- Atheism means to not believe in any god’s existence.
She has a stray dog for companionship. - There are so many poisonous plants in the forest.
He finds mushrooms horrible!
Use
We can use suffixes to create new words or to make that word grammatically fit into the sentence.
Summary
Suffixes are segments added to the end of words to form a new one. They can change the grammar category of words, in order for them to fit in a sentence, and they usually give a totally different meaning to words. They often also cause a spelling change in the original word.
At the end of a word, we can find verb, noun and adjective suffixes:
- the verb suffixes end in: -ate, -en, -ify, -fy, -ize, -ise;
- the noun suffixes end in: -acy, -ment, -er, or -ness, -ance, ence, -ism, -ity, -ty, -ship, -sion, -tion, -dom, -ist, -al;
- the adjective suffixes end in: -abla, -ible, -ious, -ous, -al, -ish, -esque, -ive, -ful, -less, -ic, -ical, -y.
For example:
— “They haven’t communicated for 2 weeks.” = -ated is added to have a verb.
— “He ordered a big portion of pasta.” = the suffix -tion is added to create a noun.
— “The cake she made was very tasty.” = the suffix -y is added to have an adjective.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
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