English Suffixes

ENGLISH SUFFIXES
Suffixes (word-endings) come at the end of a word. They show whether the word is a verb, noun,
adjective, or adverb. Learning these word-endings can help you recognize a noun, adjective, verb,
or adverb.
Noun Suffixes
These are common endings for nouns. If you see these endings on a word, then you know it must
be a noun.
-dom
wisdom(n)
kingdom(n)
-ity
capability(n)
flexibility(n)
-ment
contentment(n)
-sion, -tion
celebration (n)
-ness
toughness (n)
-ance, -ence
assistance (n)
-er, -or
fighter (n)
actor (n)
-ist
violinist (n)
at the end of a word means:

- state or condition
- domain, position, rank
- a group with position, office, or rank
wise+dom means the state of understanding what is good, right and lasting
king+dom means the domain or area belonging to a king.
at the end of a word means condition or quality of __________.
capable+ity means the condition of being capable.
flexible+ity means the quality of being flexible.
at the end of a word means act of __________; state of __________; result of
content+ment means the state of being satisfied (content).
at the end of a word means act of __________; state of __________.
celebrate+tion means the act of celebrating
at the end of a word means state of __________.
tough+ness means the state of being tough.
at the end of a word means act of __________; state of __________; quality of
assist+ance means act of giving help.
at the end of a word means one who __________; that which __________.
fight+er means one who fights
act+or means one who acts.
at the end of a word also means one who __________; that which __________.
violin+ist means one who plays the violin.
Adjective Suffixes
These are common word endings for adjectives. If you see these ending at the end of a word, you
can be certain it is an adjective.
-ive
extensive(adj)
selective(adj)
-en
wooden (adj)
-ic
heroic (adj)
poetic (adj)
-al
financial (adj)
manual (adj)
-able
portable (adj)
pleasurable (adj)
-y
hairy (adj)
rainy (adj)
-ous
mysterious (adj)
-ful
hopeful (adj)
beautiful (adj)
-less
powerless (adj)
homeless(adj)
at the end of a word means doing or tending toward doing some action
extend+ive means doing something large in range or amount
select+ive means tending to select.
at the end of a word means made of __________.
wood+en means made of wood.
Note: When the word is an adjective, the -en means made of __________. We have seen -en at
the end of a verb. There it means to make __________.
at the end of a word means characteristic of__________; like __________.
hero+ic means characteristic of a hero.
poet+ic means characteristic of (or like) poets or poetry.
sometimes makes an adjective; when it makes an adjective it means relating to
finance+al means relating to finance. (Finance means money.)
manu+al means relating to the hand. (Manus means hand in Latin.)
at the end of a word means able __________; can __________; or giving
port+able means can be carried; able to be carried.
pleasure+able means giving pleasure.
at the end of a word means having __________.
hair+y means having hair (a lot of hair).
rain+y means having rain.
at the end of a word means full of __________; having __________.
mystery+ous means full of mystery.
at the end of a word means full of __________; having __________.
hope+ful means full of hope.
beauty+ful means full of beauty.
Note: The suffix -ful is always spelled with one l; the word full has two.
at the end of a word means without __________.
power+less means without power.
home+less means without a home.
Verb Suffixes
These are common endings for verbs. If you see these endings on a word, then the word is most
likely a verb.
-en
brighten (v)
soften (v)
-ize
publicize (v)
-ate
activate(v)
differentiate(v)
-ify or -fy
simplify(v)
at the end of a word means to make __________.

bright+en means to make bright.
soft+en means to make soft.
at the end of a word means to make __________.
public+ize means to make public or to make the public aware of.
at then end of a word means to have or be characterized by __________.
active+ate means to make active.
different+ate means to make or show a difference.
at the end of a word means to cause to become or to make.
simple+ify means to make simple or simpler.
Adverb Suffixes
This is the most common ending for an adverb. If you see this ending on a word, you can be fairly
certain that it is an adverb. However, keep in mind that not all adverbs end this way.
-ly
quickly (adv)
at the end of a word almost always makes an adverb; occasionally it will make an adjective.
quick+ly.
Exercise
Match the suffixes on the left to the explanation or function on the right
_____
-able (unable)
1) adverb making
_____
-er , -or ( teacher, doctor)
_____
-ful (useful)
_____
-ment, - ness, - ion (movement,

togetherness, information)
_____
-ively (actively)
_____
-ive (active)
_____
-ate (communicate)
7) sound or audio
_____
-phone (telephone)
8) adjective or description
word building
_____
-scope (telescope)
9) full of
2) verb making
3) can or able to do something
4) see or range
5) noun or name of something
6) job, doer

English Suffixes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

English Suffixes

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

English Suffixes

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ENGLISH SUFFIXES

at the end of a word means:

at the end of a word means to make __________.

-er , -or ( teacher, doctor)

-ment, - ness, - ion (movement,

You might also like