SUFFIX IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR
In linguistics, a suffix is a morpheme that is added to the end of a word to modify its meaning or to create a new word. Suffixes can indicate grammatical information such as tense, number, case, or degree, as well as semantic information such as the quality or action associated with the word. For example, in the word "happily," the suffix "-ly" is added to the adjective "happy" to create an adverb, indicating how the action is being performed. In the word "runner," the suffix "-er" is added to the verb "run" to create a noun, indicating the person or thing performing the action. Suffixes are an important part of many languages and are used extensively to create new words and to modify the meanings of existing ones.
Some common suffixes and their meanings:
- -able/-ible: capable of being (e.g. readable, flexible)
- -al: relating to (e.g. personal, cultural)
- -ance/-ence: state or quality of being (e.g. importance, dependence)
- -ation: action or process of (e.g. adaptation, conversation)
- -dom: state or quality of being (e.g. freedom, kingdom)
- -en: made of or caused to be (e.g. wooden, deepen)
- -er/-or: person or thing that does (e.g. teacher, actor)
- -ful: full of (e.g. joyful, hopeful)
- -ic: relating to (e.g. economic, historic)
- -ify: to make (e.g. simplify, intensify)
- -ish: somewhat or resembling (e.g. childish, reddish)
- -ism: doctrine or belief (e.g. socialism, feminism)
- -ist: person who does or believes (e.g. artist, scientist)
- -ity/-ty: state or quality of being (e.g. beauty, prosperity)
- -ize/-ise: to make or become (e.g. organize, realize)
Note: This list is not exhaustive and there are many more suffixes in the English language.