Suffixes in English

Suffixes in English play one of the fundamental roles, since they are the basic form of word formation. The choice and knowledge of suffixes will help to correctly determine the meaning of the word used. 

In English there is no clear line between suffixes and endings, so you will need to memorize them all. 

The suffix, as we have already said, is a derivational morpheme and is designed to create new words, or change the meaning of the original one. It can also transform one part of speech into another. 

Bake – baker 

Green – greenish 

And, if the endings can be counted on the fingers of one hand, it will not work with suffixes. Therefore, let's figure out together what it is and why they are needed at all. 

 

Verb suffixes 

• -ate

Vaccine – vaccinate 

Motive – motivate 

• -en

length – lengthen 

hard – harden 

• -ify

Gas – gasify 

Pure – purify 

• -ise/-ize

summary – summary 

Memory – memorize 

 

Adjective suffixes 

• -ful–gives quality 

Meaning – meaningful 

Delight – delightful 

Use – useful 

• -less –indicates a lack of quality

Home – homeless 

use – useless 

Meaning – meaningless 

• -able/-ible – property or action availability

Eat – edible 

Admire – admirable 

• -ic/-al –related to something

Hero – heroic 

History – historic 

Myth – mythic 

• -ous – characteristic

Danger – dangerous 

Mystery – mysterious 

• -ish – similarity/weak sign/nationality

Red – reddish 

Girl – girlish 

Fool – foolish 

Sweden – Swedish 

• - ive–ability 

Talk – talkative 

Attract – attractive 

• -y – suffix of simple adjectives

Cloud – cloudy 

Dirt – dirty 

Wind – windy 

 

Noun suffixes 

• Or/er – profession suffix

This suffix is added to the verb and forms a noun with the meaning of who or what performs the action described by this verb. 

Act – actor 

Clean – cleaner 

Dry – drier 

Sing – singer 

• ist–suffix of science or views and beliefs 

Science – scientist 

Chemistry – chemist 

Real – realist 

• ian–suffix of Latin or Greek origin 

Music – musician 

Mathematics – mathematician 

• ant/ent

Assist – assistant 

Consult – consultant 

Study – student 

• -ess–one of the suffixes that give the word a generic affiliation (feminine) 

Wait – waitress 

Act – actress 

• -ism, -ion, -ment - suffixes of a phenomenon, action or process

Act – action 

Develop – development 

Critic – criticism 

• -tion/-cion

Isolate – isolation 

Restrict – restriction 

• -ance/-ence

Enter – entrance 

Different – difference 

Important – importance 

• -dom

Wise – wisdom 

Free – freedom 

• -hood is a proximity suffix referring to age or distance.

Neighbor – Neighborhood 

Child – childhood 

Brother – brotherhood 

• -ship –similar to the previous suffix, but not exactly

Friend – friendship 

Relation – relationship 

Scholar – scholarship 

• -ity – property (words of Latin origin)

Pure – purity 

Humid – humidity 

• -ness

Homeless – homelessness 

Kind – kindness 

• -th is a physical property suffix added to adjectives.

Deep – depth 

Strong – strength 

long – length 

 

Suffixes of adverbs and numerals 

• Adjective + -ly

Loud – loudly 

Quiet – quietly 

• -wards – movement direction

Back – backwards 

After – afterwards 

• -wise –in this way, in this direction

Other – otherwise 

Clock – clockwise 

• -teen –cardinal numbers from 13 to 19

Three – thirteen 

Five – fifteen 

• -ty –tens

Two – twenty 

Four – forty 

• -th – ordinal numbers

Five – fifth 

Seven – seventh 

 

Word-forming and formative suffixes 

The two main forms of suffixes can be distinguished in English: derivational and formative. 

Word-forming suffixes are just those that we examined above. It is they who help us form a profession or talk about the quality of the subject. 

The formative suffixes are: -s for the plural form, or -ed for the past tense form. 

 

Finally 

Only practice will help memorizing and further correct use of all this huge number of suffixes. Both spoken and written. Starting with basic word-building skills, you will discover the magical world of existence in a word of two suffixes at the same time, like home + less + ness = homelessness. Let's not be afraid, and only forward - to new horizons in the English language!