Suffixes (mainly abstract)
-(a)cy
a state or quality
accurate – accuracy
infant – infancy
intimate – intimacy
-al
(added to verbs)
a process or state
to arrive – arrival
to survive – survival
-age
usually an action or result, a state or condition
to break – breakage
to use – usage
+ from adjectives
short – shortage
! often in words borrowed from French
marriage
-ance, -ence/ -ancy/-ency
(mainly added to adjectives: -ant –> -ance, -ent -> -ence)
important – importance
significant – significance
independent – independence
intelligent – intelligence
efficient – efficiency
frequent – frequency
expectanct -expectancy
also added to verbs:
assist – assistance
-ary, -ery, -ry
1) a group or class
greenery
jewellery
confectionery
2) a state or character
bravery
slavery
3) the art or practice of
cookery
archery
4) a place where something is made, grows, lives, etc.
bakery
orangery
-dom (non-productive!)
(added to adjectives and nouns)
free – freedom
king – kingdom
wise – wisdom
-hood
(added to nouns)
1) a state or quality
child – childhood
mother – motherhood
boy – boyhood
2) a group of people of a certain type
brother – brotherhood
priest – priesthood
3) a place
neighbourhood
-ing
(added to verbs)
to meet – a meeting
to bless – a blessing
to paint – a painting
-ion, -sion/-(a,i)tion
(added to verbs)
to act – action
to add – addition
to present – presentation
to compete – competition
There can be root changes:
to explain – explanation
to conclude – conclusion
to exclude – exclusion
to decide – decision
to describe – description
to reveal – revelation
to solve – solution, to evolve – evolution
to consume – consumption
-ism
1) an action or result
criticism
2) a state or quality
heroism
3) a system or movement
Buddhism
-(i,e)ty
(added to adjectives)
agile – agility
able – ability
active – activity
+ verbs
vary – variety
There can be phonetic changes
poor – poverty
anxious – anxiety
-ment
(added to verbs)
to agree – agreement
to confine – confinement
to pay – payment
-ness
a quality, state
(added to adjectives)
happy – happiness
dark – darkness
-ship (non-productive!)
- a quality, state
(added to nouns)
friend – friendship
leader – leadership
relation – relationship
- a status
partner – partnership
member – membership
!can also be added to verbs
to court – courtship
-th (non-productive!)
(added to adjectives, verbs)
A quality, an action or process
to grow – growth
true – truth
When derived from adjectives, nouns often change the root vowel:
long – length
deep – depth
strong – strength
wide – width
-(t)ure
(added to verbs)
to press – pressure
to mix – mixture
to please – pleasure
-y
(mainly added to verbs)
to discover – discovery
to inquire – inquiry
It can also be added to adjectives:
honest – honesty
difficult – difficulty
Note:
- The following suffixes are added to certain parts of speech:
|
verbs |
adjectives |
nouns |
|
-ance/-ence, -al, -ing, -ment, -sion/-tion, -(t)ure, -y |
-(a)cy, -ance/-ence, -dom, -(i)ty, -ness, -th, -y |
-(a)cy, -dom, -hood, -ship |
- Non-productive suffixes are those that do not build new words, such as -th, -hood, -dom
Suffixes denoting people
-(i)an
Nationality
American
Russian
– ant
A performer of an action, a job
assist – assistant
consult – consultant
-er, -or
A performer of an action, a job
To build – a builder
to send – a sender
to employ – employer
to translate – translator
to invent – inventor
(+ an instrument: cutter, calculator, timer)
-ist
A performer of the action, a job, a follower of some ideology
(from verbs and nouns)
to cycle – cyclist
physics – physicist
commune – a communist
Also a person who uses a thing
guitar – a guitarist
-ian
politics – a politician
music – musician
-ee
a person affected by an action
to employ – an employee
to train – a trainee
(sometimes can also be denote a performer of an action, e.g. a refugee)
Less common suffixes
-ade
An action, process or result in nouns of French and Spanish origin
brigade
cascade
-ique
Abstract nouns of French origin
technique
boutique
-metry
Science
geometry
-nomy
Science, activity
astronomy
-pathy
Feelings, emotions, diseases
sympathy
antipathy
Non-standard formation of nouns
advise – advice
(dis)believe – (dis)belief
breathe [briːð] – breath [breθ]
choose – a choice
defend – defence/defense (Am)
die – a death
give – a gift
know – knowledge
lose – a loss
offend – offence/offense (Am)
poor – poverty
practise – practice
pretend – pretence/pretense (Am)
prove – proof
respond – response
sell – sale
sing – a song
speak – a speech
succeed – a success
think – a thought
+
1) No change in the wordform
to purchase, v – a purchase, n
to influence, v – influence, n
to exercise, v – exercise, n
2) Change in the stress
to import, v – import, n
to increase, v – increase, n
to decrease, v – decrease, n
to impact, v – impact, n
Exercises
1. Make nouns using suffixes denoting people (-ant, -er, or, -ist, -ian, -ee) from the following words
- verbs
To teach, to act, to compose, to train, to employ, to follow, to lead, to play, to buy, to sell, to read, to direct, to sculpt, to type, to visit, to collect, to entertain;
- nouns
Science, library, piano, music, account, capital, ideal, violin, guitar, history.
2. Make abstract nouns from the following verbs using suffixes -al, -age, -ance/-ence, -ing, (i)ty, -(i)(t)ion/-sion, -ment , -(t)ure, -y
To investigate, to move, to use, to create, to judge, to marry, to confess, to meet, to depart*, to possess, to agree, to employ, to arrive, to hesitate, to treat, to approve, to suffer, to please, to discover, to construct, to protect, to improve, to disappoint, to suggest, to prosper, to propose, to perform, to appear, to refer, to exist, to complete, to preserve, to affect.
- With root changes:
to describe, to explain, to solve.
- Additional:
to fail, to leak, to seize, to break, to close, to betray, persevere.
3. Make abstract nouns from the following adjectives using suffixes -(a)cy, ance/-ence, -ancy/-ency, -(i)ty, -ness, -th, -y.
Dark, creative, patient, flexible, greedy, resistant, important, fragrant, kind, absent, happy, curious, frequent, blind, different, secure, pure, possible, good, gentle, elegant, normal, effective, innocent, warm*, intimate, difficult, safe.
- Additional:
aloof, fragile, clumsy, awkward.
4. Make non-standard nouns form the following verbs
Breathe, sell, speak, pretend, succeed, lose, think, advise, choose, practise, defend.
Insert suitable non-standard nouns in the right form.
1) I always turn to my mom for …
2) After his grandad died it took him over a year to get over this …
3) I’m delivering a … at the seminar today.
4) Other people’s … stories can give others a lot of motivation.
5) At first it was a hard … to make. But on second … I found it quite easy to opt for the other job.
6) Take a deep … and concentrate on positive …
7) Stop acting and lying. I can see through your …
8) The … of the gadget have increased significantly this year.
9) The Ministry of … is a federal executive body responsible for implementing government policy.
10) Theory is not enough. These ideas must be put into …
5.Make abstract nouns from different parts of speech
Relation, to pass, to achieve, to build, to lead, to grow, to transport, to land, wide, deep, to relax, brave, accurate, short, to entertain
+ to court
Homework (exercises)
1. Make abstract nouns from different parts of speech
- verbs
to compete, to develop, to promote, to confuse, to attend, to accuse, to illustrate, to argue, to refuse, to advertise, to invest, to prepare, to excite, to inspire, to achieve, to connect, to evaluate, to mean, to addict, to vary, to select, to suffer, to avoid, to disappear, to expose, to perform, to impress, to occupy, to pollute, to recycle, to encourage,
*with root changes
to solve, to describe, to include, to decide;
- adjectives
stupid, bold, equal, full, available, thankful, resposible, capable, major, possible, popular, willing, ready, violent, fluent, forgetful, delicate, honest, lazy, attractive, patient, certain, weak, inconvenient, extinct, wise,
+ transparent, diligent, reluctant, prudent, obese, compatible, significant, hostile.
- nouns
child, champion, brother, member.
Additional*
- teacher, actor, composer, trainer/trainee, employer/employee, follower, leader, player, buyer, seller, reader, director, sculptor, typist, visitor;
Scientist, librarian, pianist, musician, accountant, capitalist, idealist, violinist, guitarist, historian
3. darkness, creativity, patience, flexibility, greediness, resistance, importance, fragrance, kindness, absence, happiness, curiosity, frequency, blindness, difference, security, purity, possibility, goodness, gentleness, elegance
5. relationship, passage, achievement, courtship/courtesy, builder/building, leader, growth, transportation, landing, width, depth, relaxation, bravery, accuracy