In
this series of lessons, you will learn useful spelling rules
in
English.
This lesson talks about some common English suffixes. We will talk
about how suffixes work, how they are spelled, and how they
will help you to understand
English words and how they are used in sentences.
A suffix
is a group of letters that comes at the end of a word
and has a specific meaning. There are many suffixes in English, but in
this lesson we will focus on ten of the most common.
We will look at the suffixes in groups because, in addition to their
meaning, suffixes also can tell you what part
of speech you are looking at.
The first two pictures in this article show scientists.
The first picture is probably of a physicist.
Perhaps the second picture is of a chemist,
a biologist,
or a geneticist.
Do you see the pattern? Words that end in -ist are always nouns, and
this suffix means "a person who does an action" or "a person who
believes in." There are many words with this suffix, but here is a list
of some common ones:
artist
linguist
pianist
socialist
feminist
cartoonist
dentist
humorist
specialist
2. -ment
Unfortunately, these two people are having an argument.
The suffix -ment
tells you that the word is a noun. This suffix means "action or
process."
Here are some more common words that end in -ment:
enjoyment
movement
placement
shipment
treatment
government
payment
requirement
improvement
3. -ness
His happiness
is very evident!
You will find many words in English that end in -ness.
This suffix means "state of being" or "quality."
Here are some of the most common words with this ending. Remember that
you will find many more of them, too:
business
illness
awareness
sickness
sadness
thickness
kindness
weakness
darkness
brightness
softness
4. -ship
It is important to have some strong friendships,
even if you do not have lots of friends.
The suffix -ship
always indicates a noun, and it means "state or condition of."
Here are some very common words with this suffix:
relationship
leadership
membership
ownership
championship
citizenship
fellowship
kinship
dictatorship
partnership
5. -tion
You can find lots of information
in books.
-tion
is another extremely common noun suffix. It also means "a state of
being." You will also find many words that end in slight variations of
this suffix, including, -sion,
-ition,
-ation,
or simply -ion.
However, the most common is -tion.
Here are some common words with this suffix:
information
question
education
position
action
section
decision
situation
condition
production
population
operation
Adjective suffixes
6. -able,
-ible
You can check your calendar to see when you are available.
When you see a word in English that ends in -able,
you will know that you are looking at an adjective. The suffix -able can
also appear as -ible,
and they both mean "can be done."
Here are some more common words that end in -able
or -ible:
possible
available
considerable
responsible
variable
reasonable
acceptable
suitable
visible
flexible
accessible
7. -ious,
-ous
Sometimes we see signs that warn us about dangerous
situations.
Words that end in -ious,
-ous,
or -eous are
always adjectives. These suffixes mean "full of" or "having the quality
of."
There are many words with this suffix in English. Here are some of the
most common:
various
obvious
curious
enormous
anxious
conscious
generous
ridiculous
precious
famous
mysterious
delicious
8. -less
Our dog is harmless.
He is so sweet! He would never hurt anyone.
The suffix -less
tells you that the word is an adjective and this suffix means "without."
You will find lots of words with this suffix, but here are some of the
most common:
endless
wireless
homeless
hopeless
helpless
meaningless
restless
pointless
careless
motionless
speechless
toothless
Verb suffix
9. -ize
She hopes that her children will help her organize
the living room!
When you see a word that ends in -ize,
you know that you are looking at a verb.
There are many verb suffixes in English, but this is one of the most
common. The suffix -ize
(or -ise
in British English) most often means "become."
Here are some of the most common English verbs with this suffix:
realize
recognize
emphasize
summarize
minimize
authorize
specialize
mobilize
stabilize
apologize
Adverb suffix
10. -ly
Lee worked hard all year. Now she finally
has some time to relax.
When you see a word that ends in -ly,
it is usually an adverb, but not always. The -ly
suffix means "in what way."
You will find this suffix in many adverbs, but here are some of the
most common examples:
really
exactly
usually
particularly
actually
simply
happily
sadly
especially
clearly
quickly
generally
Review
So, let's review what we have learned about common English suffixes: