Suffixes 

In this lesson you will learn how suffixes, such as "-ness" and "-ment," create new words or change their functions. Practice with examples and exercises to improve your skills.

How to use "Suffixes" in English Grammar

What Are Suffixes?

A suffix is a type of affix that is added to the end of a word to change its meaning or form a new word. Suffixes are commonly used in English to create new words, modify the grammatical function of an existing word, or change the tense or form of a verb.

Suffixes: Types

Suffixes can change the part of speech (lexical classes) and the meaning of words. They are commonly categorized into two groups: 'English suffixes' and 'Latin suffixes'.
The main difference between these two types of suffixes is that English suffixes are added to a meaningful stem, while Latin suffixes are added to a stem that has lost its meaning in most cases. Additionally, in English suffixes, both the part of speech of the stem and that of the new word are important, while in Latin suffixes, only the part of speech of the output is considered important.

1. English Suffixes

In the following, you can see English suffixes that can make a noun, an adjective, a verb, or an adverb.

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1.1 Noun Makers

These are suffixes that are added to an adjective, a verb, or a noun stem to make a noun.

Adjective → Noun

POS of Stems: Adjective

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

Free

-dom

Freedom

State of, condition of

Safe, loyal

-ty

Safety, loyalty

The quality or condition

Legal

-ist

Legalist,

Adherent to a belief, a system, a principe

Legal

-ism

Legalism

A system, principle, or ideological movement

Warm

-th

Warmth

A state or condition

Absent

-ee

Absentee

A person described as or concerned with

Verb → Noun

POS of Stems: Verb

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

Bore

-dom

boredom

A state or condition

Bake, brew, refine

-ery

Bakery, brewery, refinery

A commerce

Advise, abolish

-ment

Advisement, abolishment

A state or condition

Employ

-ee

Employee

A person in a specified state or condition

Assign

-ee

Assignee

A recipient of an action

Loan, invest

-er/-or

Loaner, investor

A performer of a particular action

Sleep, fight, win

-ing

Sleeping, fighting, winning

A verbal action that shows the process or result of something

Noun → Noun

POS of Stems: Noun

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

Star

-dom

Stardom

A state or condition

Machine, green

-ery

Machinery, greenery

A collection of

Slave

-ery

Slavery

The state or condition of

Pot

-ery

Pottery

The product or goods of

Engine

-eer

Engineer

A person engaged in an activity

Member, friend, companion

-ship

Membership, friendship, companionship

A quality or condition

Ambassador, lord

-ship

Ambassadorship, lordship

Denoting rank, office, or position

Workman, scholar

-ship

Workmanship, scholarship

Denoting craft or skill

Boot, goat

-ee

Bootee, goatee

A smaller size

Tube, soldier

-ing

Tubing, soldiering

Something used in, consisting of, involving, etc.

Solo, motor

-ist

Soloist, motorist

A person who performs a certain action

Human

-ist

Humanist

A person who follows a particular doctrine, system, etc.

Physic

-ist

Physicist

A member of a profession, a person who practices in a specified field

Sex, age

-ist

Sexist, ageist

A person who advocates discriminative practices

Human

-ism

Humanism

A particular doctrine, system, etc.

1.2 Adjective Makers

These tables show the suffixes that are added to nouns or adjectives to make an adjective.

Noun → Adjective

POS of Stems: Noun

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjectives

Meaning

Child

-like

Childlike

Similar to

Clock

-wise

Clockwise

In the same direction

Back

-ward

Backward

Turned or tending towards.

Biology

-ic

Biologic

Of, relating to, or resembling

Dirt

-y

Dirty

Denoting characteristics

Knight

-hood

Knighthood

A condition or quality

Brother

-hood

Brotherhood

A group

Fate, pain

-ful

Fateful, painful

Full of or characterized by

Spoon, mouth

-ful

Spoonful, mouthful

Indicating what fills a specified thing

Arm

-ed

Armed

Having the characteristics of

Fear

-less

Fearless

Denoting lacking

Adjective → Adjective

POS of Stems: Adjective

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjectives

Meaning

Red, blue

-ish

Redish, bluish

Somewhat; approximately

Boy, devil

-ish

Boyish, devilish

Resembling

Tall

-er

Taller

More

Tall

-est

Tallest

The most

1. 3 Verb Makers

These tables indicate the suffixes that make a verb from nouns or adjectives.

Noun → Verb

POS of Stems: Noun

Suffixe

POS of Outputs: Verb

Meaning

Strength, height

-en

Strengthen, heighten

Cause to be; become

Adjective → Verb

POS of Stems: Adjective

Suffixe

POS of Outputs: Verb

Meaning

Fast, black

-en

Fasten, blacken

Cause to be; become

1.4 Adverb Makers

This table illustrates the suffixes that can make an adverb out of an adjective.

Adjective → Adverb

POS of Stems: Adjective

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adverb

Meaning

Bilingual

-ly

Bilingually

In a particular way

East

-wards

Eastwards

Towards a specific place or direction

2. Latin Suffixes

In Latin suffixes, only the part of speech of the output is important; however, recognizing the part of speech of input helps us with the morphology of words. It is important to know that Latin suffixes have lost their meaning in the English language.
In this part, you will learn suffixes that make a noun, an adjective, or a verb.

2.1 Noun Makers

Take a look at the tables of Latin suffixes that make nouns.

-ion, -ition, -ation, -ssion, -hesion, -sion, -ration

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

verb

-ion

Creation, invention, rejection

Denoting action; process

verb

-ition

Addition, position

''

Sometimes verb (accept, accuse)

-ation

Acceptation, accusation, accomodation

''

-

-ssion

Concession, admission, succession

''

-

-hesion

Cohesion, adhesion

''

-

-sion

Evasion, expansion, explosion

''

-

-ration

Ministration, registration

''

-ance, -ence, -ttance, -dence, -ancy

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

-

-ance

Abundance, pleasance, instance

Denoting the state /the condition

-

-ence

Confidence, advertence, deterrence

''

-

-ttance

Admittance

Denoting the process /act

-

-dence

Concedence

''

-

-ancy

Abundancy, dormancy, instancy

Denoting state or quality

-aticity,-ivity, -icity, -ity, -ativity, -itivity

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

-

-aticity

chromaticity

Denoting the quality/state

Verb (create, react, diffuse)

-ivity

Creativity, reactivity, diffusivity

''

-

-icity

Electricity, elasticity

''

Adjective (legal, moral, fertile)

-ity

Legality, morality, fertility

''

-

-ativity

Operativity

''

Sometimes verb (pose, add)

-itivity

Positivity, additivity, intuitivity

''

-ure, -ature

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

Verb (create, conject, gest)

-ure

Creature, conjecture, gesture

Denoting the result

Verb (sign)

-ature

Signature

''

-ment

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

Verb (abolish, accomplish, discourage)

-ment

Abolishment, accomplishment, discouragement

Denoting the state of being; act of

-ia, -a

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

-

-ia

Academia, schizophrenia

-

-

-a

Drama, diploma

-

-ification, -ication

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

-

-ification

Glorification, certification

Denoting the action, process

commune

-ication

Communication

''

-iety, -ity

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

-

-iety

notoriety

Denoting the state

-

-ity

ambiguity, simultaneity

''

-re/-er, -or/-er, -ator, -der/-ter/-dor/-tor

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

-

-re/-er

ministre

One who; person connected with

Create, invent, reject

-or/-er

Creator, inventor, rejecter

''

Verb (sign, accuse)

-ator

Signator, accusator

''

Verb (evade, decide, expand, convert)

-der/-ter/-dor/-tor

Evader, decider, expandor, convertor

''

-entary, -ician, -ist, -ificate, -osity, -rant

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Noun

Meaning

-

-entary

Documentary

-

-ician

Politician, magician, optician

A person who is involved in...

Noun (human, commune)

-ist

Humanist, communist

A person who supports...

-

-ificate

Significate, pontificate, certificate

Denoting the quality of...

-

-osity

Hediosity, nervosity, curiosity

''

-

-rant

Ministrant

-

2.2 Adjective Makers

Take a look at the tables of Latin suffixes that make adjectives.

-ic, -atic, -aturgic, -ics

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

Noun (academy, acid, alcohol, allergy)

-ic

Academic, acidic, alcoholic, allergic

Having characteristics of

-

-atic,

Dramatic, diplomatic, chromatic

''

-

-aturgic

Dramaturgic

''

-

-ics

Politics

''

-ive, -ative, -ssive, -hesive

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

Create, invent, reject

-ive,

Creative, inventive, rejective

Having characteristics of

Accuse

-ative,

Accusative

''

-

-ssive,

Concessive, admissive, successive

''

-

-hesive

Cohesive, adhesive

''

-itory, -ory, -atory

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

Verb (add)

-itory

Additory

Having characteristics of

Verb (invent, contradict)

-ory

Inventory, contradictory

''

Sometimes verb (accuse)

-atory

Mediatory, accusatory

''

-ral, -erial, -al, -inal, -ial, -tial

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

-

-ral

Ancestral

Having characteristics of

-

-erial

Ministerial, registerial

''

Noun (humor, accident, region)

-al

Humoral, accidental, regional

''

Noun (crime)

-inal

Criminal

''

Sometimes noun (mater, part)

-ial

Material, partial, maleficial

''

-

-tial

Confidential

''

-able, -ible

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

Sometimes verb (prevent)

-able

Portable, preventable

Capable or worthy of

Sometimes noun (access)

-ible

Accessible, credible

''

-ent, -herent

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

Adjective (benefic, malefic)

-ent

Beneficent, maleficent

Having characteristics of

-

-herent

Coherent, adherent

''

-ous, -ious, -inous, -itious

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

Sometimes noun (humor)

-ous

Adulterous, simultaneous, humorous

Having qualities of

Sometimes noun (labor)

-ious

Laborious, notorious

''

Noun (crime)

-inous

Criminous

''

-

-itious

Nutritious, repetitious

''

-ant, -ate, -ificant

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Adjective

Meaning

-

-ant

Pleasant, abundant, instant, dormant

Existing in a certain condition

-

-ate

Democrate, accurate

''

-

-ificant

Significant, certificant

''

2.3 Verb Makers

Now take a look at the tables of Latin suffixes making verbs.

-ize, -itivize, -atize/-atise

POS of Stems

Suffixes

POS of Outputs: Verb

Meaning

Adjective (legal, fertile, moral)

-ize

Legalize, fertilize, moralize

To make or cause to become

-

-itivize

Positivize

''

-

-atize/-atise

Dramatize, dramatise

''

Compound Suffixes

Most of the time, English suffixes are used together to make a compound suffix, such as the suffix -ly which always makes an adverb even if it is used with other suffixes like –wise, -istical, etc. Additionally, Latin suffixes can be used together to make a compound suffix. For example:

Example

Clock + -wisely (-wise +-ly) = clockwisely

English compound suffix

Create + -ional (-ion + -al) = creational

Latin compound suffix

It is noteworthy to know that English suffixes can be used with Latin suffixes like '-wardation' as –ward is English and –ation is Latin. Look:

Example

Back + -wardation (-ward + -ation) = backwardation

Notes about Suffixes

Here are some tips to remember when using suffixes:

Some suffixes have more than one meaning, such as the suffix -er.

Example

teacher, worker vs. slower, faster

The suffix -er in the two first examples indicates the performer or doer of the action, while in the last two examples, it makes a comparative adjective.

When the root of the word ends in the letter 'y' or the silent 'e' and the suffix starts with a vowel, the letter 'y' changes to 'i' and the silent 'e' is removed.

Example

crazy → craziness

crime → criminal

Warning

Be careful that some roots ending with a vowel do not change even if they are accompanied by suffixes starting with vowels, as in 'changeable' and 'loveable'. Additionally, when the suffix '-ing' is added to root words ending with '-y', it does not change the root word, such as 'copying.'

We can add different suffixes to words that end in two consecutive consonants with no change in the suffix or the root word.

Example

pump + -ing = pumping

sing + -er = singer

When the root word has more than one syllable and it ends in the letter 'l', the letter 'l' is usually doubled and then the suffix is added.

Example

travel + -er = traveller

cancel + -ed = cancelled

When the suffix '-tion' is added to a root word ending in '-be', 'b' changes to 'p' and 'e' is removed before the suffix is added.

Example

describe + -tion = description, subsribe + -tion = subscription

Comments

(1)
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David Joshua Lee Pineda
Jan 2024
Hello, again. I've asked a question on the Prefix course page, but I wanted to ask separately if the use of non-Latin root/stems can be used on Latin Suffixes. Is it or is it not possible to do so? Thanks!
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