suffixes
1. Some suffixes do not change the meaning of the word just the grammar:
| Suffix | Grammar / tense | original word | Word with suffix |
| -s | plural | computer | computers |
| -en | plural (irregular) | (singular) child woman man |
(plural) children women men |
| -s | 3rd person present simple | write work |
He writes She writes It works |
| -ed | past tense /past participle(regular) | walk learn |
walked learned |
| -en | past participle |
fall
eat write |
fallen eaten written |
| -ing | continuous/progressive | study | studying |
| -er | comparative adjective | small | smaller |
| -est | superlative adjective | small | smallest |
| -ly | adverbs | careful slow |
carefullyslowly |
2. Making verbs.
Some suffixes change the meaning (but the new meaning is related to the old meaning)
| Suffix | example original word | making verbs |
-ise
or
-ize
|
terror
private real modern |
terrorise terrorize
privatise / privatize realise / realize modernise / modernize |
| -en | wide loose sharp |
widen loosen sharpen |
| -ate | hyphen participant |
hyphenateparticipate |
| -ify | simple pure just |
simplify purify justify |
We can make a noun that describes people or things:
| suffix | verb or noun | job or description |
| -er | teach ride bank sprinkle copy |
teacher rider banker sprinkler copier |
| -or | act solicit conduct |
actor soliticitor conductor |
| -ist | cycle psychiatry art |
cyclist psychiatrist artist |
| -cian | electric beauty music |
electrician beautician musician |
| -ee | employ attend train |
employee attendee trainee |
| -ant | assist attend account |
assistant attendant accountant |
We can make a noun or verb into an adjective
| suffix | verb or noun | adjective |
| -al | accident monument tradition |
accidental monumental traditional |
| -ary | imagine | imaginary |
| -able | tax read |
taxable readable |
| -ly | brother love friend |
brotherly lovely friendly |
| -y | ease sun noise |
easy sunny noisy |
| ful | beauty forget |
beautiful forgetful |
| -ish | blue self |
bluish selfish |
| -less | use father help |
useless fatherless helpless |
| -ous | fame nerve marvel |
famous nervous marvellous (AmEng marvelous) |
We can make verbs and adjectives into nouns.
| suffix | verb or adjective | nouns |
| -ation |
organise/organize
imagine |
organisation/organization imagination |
| -ment |
develop
arrange achieve |
development arrangement achievement |
| -ness | happy kind mad |
happiness kindness madness |
| -age | bag waste marry |
baggage wastage marriage |
There
are loads more words you can add to these tables so when you see the
letter pattern write them out and make your own building words
dictionary.
