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Meaning & use

suffixes for adjectives

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UK/ˈsʌfɪksɪz fə ˈædʒɪktɪvz/
US/ˈsʌfɪksɪz fər ˈædʒɪktɪvz/

Meanings

  1. phrasepluraltechnical

    The endings added to nouns, verbs, or other words to form adjectives, such as -ful, -less, -able, -ive, and -ous.

    Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; talk about one ending as 'an adjective suffix' or 'a suffix for adjectives'.

    Patterns

    • a suffix for adjectives
    • form an adjective with a suffix
    • words ending in -ful/-less/-able

    In 'careful', the suffixes for adjectives turn the noun 'care' into a describing word.

    Teachers often list suffixes for adjectives such as -able, -ive, and -ous on the board.

    If you know the suffixes for adjectives, you can guess the meaning of many new words.

  2. phrasepluraltechnical

    A set of word endings taught in language classes as a way to build describing words from other parts of speech.

    Grammar: Often followed by 'include' or 'are' when you give examples: 'Suffixes for adjectives include -ful and -less.'

    Patterns

    • suffixes for adjectives include ...
    • learn/practise suffixes for adjectives

    Her grammar book has a whole chapter on suffixes for adjectives.

    We practiced suffixes for adjectives by turning 'hope' into 'hopeful' and 'hope' into 'hopeless'.

Common combinations

common suffixes for adjectives
The most common suffixes for adjectives are -ful, -less, and -able.
a list of suffixes for adjectives
The teacher gave us a list of suffixes for adjectives to memorize.
words with suffixes for adjectives
Words with suffixes for adjectives like -ous often come from Latin.
learn suffixes for adjectives
Beginners learn suffixes for adjectives before they study prefixes.

Synonyms and how they differ

adjective endings
A simpler, less technical way to say the same thing; it fits everyday explanations better than in a grammar exam.
adjectival suffixes
More formal and technical; it appears in linguistics writing rather than in class handouts.

Word family

suffix noun
A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word.
suffixation noun
The process of adding a suffix to a word.
suffixed adjective
Having a suffix attached, as in 'hopeful'.

Commonly confused: suffixes for adjectives or prefixes for adjectives? suffixes for adjectives or suffix?

suffixes for adjectives vs prefixes for adjectives

Prefixes go at the front of a word (un-, dis-, in-), while suffixes go at the end (-ful, -less); both can change meaning.

suffixes for adjectives vs suffix

A suffix is any ending; 'suffixes for adjectives' is the specific group that makes describing words.

Practice

Which ending is a suffix for adjectives?

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