What is a Suffix?
You find suffixes at the end of the root word, A suffix forms from a letter or group of letters. When you apply a suffix to the root word a new word emerges.
Suffix definition:
In English, a suffix is a letter/a group of letters attached to the end of a word to form a new word or to change the grammatical function (part of speech) of the original word. In other words, a suffix is a few letters put at the end of a word to change its meaning.
Sometimes to form a new word the spelling of the base word needs to change. For example, when you add the suffix -ion to the root word “create” you drop the -e at the end of the word. By removing the -e and adding -ion you beget the word creation.
A suffix is a type of affix which is attached to the root of a word, only this time, the letters are attached to the end of the word rather than the beginning.
Suffixes reveal the class of the word. Suffixes can denote whether a word is a noun. adjective or something else entirely. You can categorize suffixes based on the function they serve in a sentence. That is to say, you can use suffixes to transform words into adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs.
Suffix Examples
Examples of common suffixes
Word-function suffixes
1.- Verb Suffixes
- ed (mended, jumped, coughed)
- ing (running, drifting, smiling)
- en (soften, moisten, fasten)
- ize (memorize, moralize, mesmerize)
We use the verb suffix -ed to represent a past action while we use the verb suffix -ing to represent an action occurring in the present. The -er ending shows a comparison while -en reveals that something is in the process of becoming. Besides, -ize means to become or to cause something.
2.- Adjective Suffixes
- ful (grateful, beautiful, bountiful)
- less (hopeless, baseless, reckless)
- able (capable, creatable, craftable)
- ous or ious (delicious, humourous, gracious)
- ic (stoic, heroic, iconic)
- ‘ive (pensive, expensive, authoritative)
- ant (poignant, extravagant, brilliant)
- ed (mended, jumped, coughed)
- ing (running, drifting, smiling)
The ending -ful suggests being full of something while -less means without. -Able refers to things that are capable of being. In contrast. -ious or -ous suffixes suggest having qualities of the root word. Finally, -ic means related to, -ive means nature of, and -ant means being inclined to.
3.- Adverb Suffixes
- ly (bravely, stately, sparingly)
- ward (backward, forward, wayward)
- wise (pennywise, likewise, otherwise)
The adverb suffix -ly refers to how something is being done. You use the ending -ward to suggest a certain direction. Lastly, -wise references a relation to something.
4.- Noun Suffixes
- ion (fusion, revision, opinion)
- ness (roughness, darkness, awareness)
- ment (treatment, abandonment, movement)
- ity (rarity, scarcity, equality)
- er (writer, helper, driver)
- eer (engineer, volunteer, profiteer)
- ing (running, swimming, gambling)
The noun suffix -ion means action while -ness refers to a quality. -Ment reveals the result of action while -ity references a state. Use -er to show someone performing an action and -eer to show an activity being engaged in.
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