2. Suffixes

A suffix is a group of letters at the end of a word which changes the word’s meaning
and often its part of speech. Here is a list of the most common suffixes and examples
of how those suffixes are used.

-able/-ible changes a verb into an adjective meaning ‘able to be’ avoid ➔ avoidable • admire ➔ admirable • like ➔ likeable

-age changes a verb into a noun meaning ‘the action described by the verb or the result of that action’ marry ➔ marriage • break ➔ breakage • spill ➔ spillage

-aholic, -oholic makes a noun meaning ‘a person who is unable to stop doing or taking something’ a workaholic • an alcoholic

-al 1 changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘relating to’ culture ➔ cultural • nation ➔ national • nature ➔ natural 2 changes a verb into a noun meaning ‘the action described by the verb’ approve ➔ approval • remove ➔ removal

-an, -ian 1 makes a noun meaning ‘a person who does something’ historian • politician 2 makes an adjective meaning ‘belonging somewhere’ American

-ance, -ence, -ancy, -ency makes a noun meaning ‘an action, state, or quality’ performance • independence • preference

-ation, -ion changes a verb into a noun meaning ‘the process of the action described by the verb, or the result of that action’ educate ➔ education • explain ➔ explanation • connect ➔ connection

-centric makes an adjective meaning ‘having the stated thing as your main interest’ Eurocentric

-ed makes an adjective meaning, ‘having this thing
or quality’ bearded • coloured • surprised

-ee changes a verb into a noun meaning ‘someone that something is done to’ employ ➔ employee • interview➔ interviewee • train ➔ trainee

-en changes an adjective into a verb meaning ‘to become or make something become’ thick ➔ thicken • fat ➔ fatten • soft ➔ soften

-ence, -ency See -ance

-er, -or changes a verb into a noun meaning ‘the person or thing that does the activity’ dance ➔ dancer • employ ➔ employer • act ➔ actor • cook ➔ cooker (= a machine for cooking) • time ➔ timer

-esque makes an adjective meaning ‘like or in the style of someone or their work’ a Dali-esque painting • a Kafka-esque nightmare

-ful changes a noun into an adjective meaning, ‘having a particular quality’ beauty ➔ beautiful • power ➔ powerful • use ➔ useful

-hood makes a noun meaning ‘the state of being something and the time when someone is something’ childhood • motherhood

-ian See -an

-ible See -able

-ical changes a noun ending in -y or -ics into an adjective meaning ‘relating to’ history ➔ historical • politics ➔ political

-ing makes an adjective meaning ‘making someone feel something’ interest ➔ interesting • surprise ➔ surprising • shock ➔ shocking

-ion See -ation

-ise See -ize

-ish makes an adjective meaning 1 slightly a greyish colour • a smallish (= quite small) house
2 typical of or similar to a childish remark
3 approximately fiftyish (= about fifty)

-ist 1 makes a noun meaning ‘a person who does a particular activity’ artist • novelist • scientist
2 makes a noun and an adjective meaning ‘someone with a particular set of beliefs’ communist • feminist

-ive changes a verb into an adjective meaning ‘having a particular quality or effect’ attract ➔ attractive • create ➔ creative • explode ➔ explosive

-ize, -ise changes an adjective into a verb meaning ‘to make something become’ modern ➔ modernize • commercial ➔ commercialize

-less changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘without’ homeless people • a meaningless statement • a hopeless situation

-like changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘typical of or similar to’ childlike trust • a cabbagelike vegetable

-ly 1 changes an adjective into an adverb describing the way that something is done She spoke slowly • Drive safely.
2 makes an adjective and an adverb meaning ‘happening every day, night,week, etc’ a daily newspaper • We hold the meeting weekly.
3 changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘like that person or thing’ mother ➔ motherly • coward ➔ cowardly

-ment changes a verb into a noun meaning ‘ the action or process described by a verb, or its result’ develop ➔ development • disappoint ➔ disappointment

-monger makes a noun meaning ‘a person who encourages a particular activity, especially one which causes trouble’ a war-monger

-ness changes an adjective into a noun meaning the quality or condition described by the adjective sweet ➔ sweetness • happy ➔ happiness • dark ➔ darkness • ill ➔ illness

-ology makes a noun meaning ‘the study of something’ psychology (= the study of the mind) • sociology (= the study of society)

-or See -er

-ous changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘having that quality’ danger ➔ dangerous • ambition ➔ ambitious

-phile makes a noun meaning ‘enjoying or liking something’ a Francophile (= someone who loves France) • a bibliophile (= someone who loves books)

-proof makes an adjective meaning ‘protecting against, or not damaged by, a particular thing’ a bullet-proof vest • a waterproof jacket

-ridden makes an adjective meaning ‘full of something unpleasant or bad’ a guilt-ridden mother

-ship makes a noun showing involvement between people • friendship • a relationship • partnership

-speak used to form nouns to mean the special language used in a particular subject area or business computerspeak • marketingspeak

-ward, -wards makes an adverb meaning ‘towards a direction or place’ inward • forward • homeward

-wise changes a noun into an adverb meaning ‘relating to this subject’Weather-wise, the holiday was great. • How are we doing time-wise?

-y changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘having a lot of something (often something bad)’ noise ➔ noisy • dirt ➔ dirty • smell ➔ smelly

Create Date : 28 มีนาคม 2550
Last Update : 28 มีนาคม 2550 1:04:26 น.		1 comments
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