Noun and adjective suffixes in English

1. for 2nd BAT students
by Pepa Mut
Suffixes

2. Definition
Suffix:
a group of letters that you add to the end of a word to make another word.
In the word 'slowly', '-ly' is a suffix.
/ˈsʌfɪks/

3. Noun suffixes
-er added to a verb is used for the person who does an activity: writer, worker, singer,... (sometimes -or, as in actor, sailor, supervisor,...)
-er/-or are also used for things which do a particular job: tin-opener, projector, ...
-er and -ee can contrast with each other, meaning "person who does something" (-er) and "person who receives or experiences the action" (-ee): employer/employee, ...
-(t)ion is used to make nouns from verbs: communication, pollution, admission, ...

4. Noun suffixes
-ist is also used for people who play musical instruments: pianist, violinist
-al is added to some verbs to make nouns: arrival, refusal,
-ness is used to make abstract nouns from adjectives: happiness, goodness, weakness
-ment is used to make abstract nouns from verbs: excitement, enjoyment
-hood is used to make abstract nouns, especially family terms, from nouns: childhood, brotherhood
-ship is used to make abstract nouns, especially status, from nouns: friendship, membership, partnership
-(i)ty is used to make abstract nouns from adjectives: honesty, loyalty

5. Adjective suffixes
-able / -ible → adjective (meaning = capable of) Example: portable, edible
-acious / -icious → adjective (meaning = full of; characterised by) Example: audacious, avaricious
-al → adjective (meaning = pertaining to; related to) Example: regional, musical
-an / -ian → adjective (meaning = related to; characterised by; nationality) Example: republican, Iranian
-ant / -ent → adjective (meaning = full of) Example: reluctant, fluent
-ary → adjective (meaning = related to; concerned with) Example: budgetary, military

6. Adjective suffixes
-ed → adjective (meaning = having; affected by; as past participle of verbs) Example: talented, excited
-en → adjective (meaning = resembling; as past participle of verbs) Example: golden, mistaken
-ern → adjective (meaning = related to; coming from; characterised by) Example: northern, eastern
-escent → adjective (meaning = becoming) Example: pubescent, evanescent
-ful → adjective (meaning = full of; having the quality of) Example: colourful, restful
-ic / -ical → adjective (meaning = pertaining to; related to) Example: mythic, historical

7. Adjective suffixes
-ing → adjective (meaning = having the quality of; as present participle of verbs) Example: interesting, moving
-ish → adjective (meaning = like; having the quality of; nationality) Example: childish, Swedish
-ive → adjective (meaning = concerned with; having the nature of) Example: attractive, quantitative
-less → adjective (meaning = without; not having) Example: careless, endless
-ly → adjective (meaning = having the quality of; recurring at intervals of) Example: brotherly, hourly

8. Adjective suffixes
-oid → adjective (meaning = like; resembling) Example: anthropoid, ovoid
-ose → adjective (meaning = full of; having the quality of) Example: verbose, bellicose
-ous → adjective (meaning = full of; characterised by) Example: courageous, mountainous
-some → adjective (meaning = having the nature of; characterised by) Example: tiresome
-worthy → adjective (meaning = deserving; suitable) Example: trustworthy, noteworthy
-y → adjective (meaning = full of; having the quality of) Example: cloudy, sleepy