Recently, we talked about 12 of the most commonly-used prefixes in the English language. Today, we’re going to talk about something called a ‘suffix’. Let’s do this!
A suffix is a group of letters which can be added to the end of a word. A suffix cannot be used alone, and using one will change the meaning of the word it is attached to – but in a way that is different to how prefixes change the meaning of a word. Take a look at these examples first:
- I’m trying to focus on my personal development as a student.
- Here, ‘Develop’ is the root word and –ment is the suffix. The function of ‘-ment’ is to change the root from a verb into a noun.
- Trust is an important part of a real friendship.
- In this example, ‘Friend’ is the root and –ship is the suffix. The function of ‘-ship’ is to change the root from a noun referring to a PERSON to a noun referring to a THING (the state of being friends).
- He’s very good at languages. He learnt how to speak Italian very quickly!
- Here, the root word is ‘Quick’ and –ly is the suffix. The function of ‘-ly’ is to change the adjective ‘Quick’ into an adverb. An adverb describes how an action is done, adding information to the verb.
Suffix | Changes root into | Example [+ ROOT] |
-ity | Noun | Reality [Real (Adjective)] |
-ment | Noun | Improvement [Improve (verb)] |
-ness | Noun | Happiness [Happy (adjective)] |
-ship | Noun | Internship [Intern (noun, person)] |
-ation | Noun | Motivation [Motivate (Verb)] |
-ize | Verb | Authorize [Author (noun)] |
-able/-ible | Adjective | Reliable, sensible [Rely (verb), Sense (noun)] |
-ful | Adjective | Beautiful [Beauty (noun)] |
-ive | Adjective | Sensitive [Sense (noun)] |
-ouS | Adjective | Dangerous [Danger (noun)] |
-ly | Adverb | Slowly [Slow (adjective)] |
-ally | Adverb | Accidentally [Accident (noun)] |
Curious about how well you know your suffixes? Check your skills and find out more about them using these free English lessons: