Easy way to Identifying Noun, Verb, Adjective and Adverb with Suffix Shortcut
A suffix is a letter or group of letters added at the end of a word which makes a new word.
words | suffix | new words |
forget, use | -ful | forgetful, useful |
state, govern | -ment | statement, government |
complicate, create | -ion | complication, creation |
The new word is most often a different word class from the original word. In the table above, the suffix -ful has changed verbs to adjectives, -ment, and -ion have changed verbs to nouns. If you see a word ending in -ment, for example, it is likely to be a noun (e.g. commitment, contentment).
Suffixes: spelling
Often, the suffix causes a spelling change to the original word. In the table above, the -e ending of complicate and create disappears when the -ion suffix is added. Other examples of spelling changes include:
beauty, duty + -ful → beautiful, dutiful (-y changes to i)
heavy, ready + -ness → heaviness, readiness (-y changes to i)
able, possible + -ity → ability, possibility (-le changes to il)
permit, omit + -ion → permission, omission (-t changes to ss)
A good learner’s dictionary will give you information on the correct spelling of words with suffixes.
Common suffixes and examples
Noun suffixes
suffix | examples of nouns |
-age | baggage, village, postage |
-al | arrival, burial, deferral |
-ance/-ence | reliance, defence, insistence |
-dom | boredom, freedom, kingdom |
-ee | employee, payee, trainee |
-er/-or | driver, writer, director |
-hood | brotherhood, childhood, neighbourhood |
-ism | capitalism, Marxism, socialism (philosophies) |
-ist | capitalist, Marxist, socialist (followers of philosophies) |
-ity/-ty | brutality, equality, cruelty |
-ment | amazement, disappointment, parliament |
-ness | happiness, kindness, usefulness |
-ry | entry, ministry, robbery |
-ship | friendship, membership, workmanship |
-sion/-tion/-xion | expression, population, complexion |