What are Word Forms?
The addition of prefixes and suffixes to words can change their category and function. Some suffixes are used only for nouns, and some are used for verbs. Suffixes can also impart different meanings to words. For example, ‘trainer’ and ‘training’ have the common stem ‘train’, but the suffixes ‘-er’ and ‘-ing’ impart different meanings.
Word Categories
Noun | Verb | Adjective | Adverb | ||
nation | nationalise | national | nationally | ||
human | humanise | human | humanely/ humanly | ||
beauty | beautify | beautiful | beautifully | ||
Suffixes of Nouns
Suffix | Usage | Examples | ||
-al | state | refusal, betrayal, perusal | ||
-ance, -ence, -ancy, -ency | quality or state | militancy, performance | ||
-tion | condition | condition, relation | ||
-ice | condition | malice, novice, justice | ||
-er/-or | doer | painter, trainer, actor | ||
-graph | record | telegraph, phonograph, polygraph | ||
-ism | belief | Hinduism, communism, fascism | ||
-ist | doer | pacifist, pianist, altruist | ||
-ian | someone who does | Gandhian, guardian, politician | ||
-ing | name of an activity | reading, gardening, sleeping | ||
-ity | state | continuity, annuity | ||
-logy | study | geology, neurology | ||
-ship | state of | friendship, kinship, sportsmanship | ||
-sion, -tion | process of | expansion, determination, connection | ||
-ory | place | dormitory, reformatory, laboratory | ||
-orium, -arium | place | sanitarium, aquarium, crematorium | ||
-ure | state | composure, exposure, leisure | ||
-ment | state | abandonment, refinement, entertainment | ||
-ness | state | happiness, completeness, fullness | ||
Suffixes of Verbs
Suffix | Usage Example | ||
-ing | action in continuation | hearing, yearning, making | |
-ate | Latin origin verbs | recreate, abate, mediate | |
-ed | simple past or participle form | killed, toyed, booked | |
-en | verbs formed from adjectives | broken, frozen, sunken | |
-fy | do | magnify, specify, rectify | |
-s, -es | simple present tense form | criticises, runs, laughs | |
-er | actions which have repetitive quality | blabber, snicker, mutter | |
-nt | to do | prevent, augment, content | |
-ed to do | attend, intend, pretend | ||
-ise | to make/do | revolutionise, apologise, despise | |
-ish | become or do | flourish, banish, demolish | |
-able | to make | enable, disable | |
Suffixes of Adjectives
Suffix | Meaning | Usage | ||
-able, -ible | having the quality of | flexible, available, eatable | ||
-al | related to | ventral, global, musical | ||
-ant | doing | dependent, buoyant, resilient | ||
-ic | having the quality | terrific, generic, specific | ||
-esque | like, having the quality | statuesque, picturesque | ||
-er,-est | comparative and qualities | superlative | fatter, tallest | |
-ose | full of | verbose, grandiose | ||
-ful | full of | beautiful, boastful, grateful | ||
-ing | participle form of adjective | interesting, frustrating, sleeping | ||
-istic | having the quality | realistic, artistic, surrealistic | ||
-ive | having the nature of | pensive, aggressive, massive | ||
-ous, -ious | full of | gaseous, spacious, gracious | ||
Suffixes of Adverbs
Suffix Meaning Usage | |||
-ably | with a quality | comfortably, admirably, disagreeably | |
-ibly | with a quality | audibly, horribly, negligibly | |
-s | shows time or place | backwards, always, forwards | |
-wise | shows manner or position | clockwise, otherwise, lengthwise | |
Hints
- While changing a word into a noun, add ‘by’ before it for a hint.
Word | Noun Form | |
hostile (adjective) | by | hostility |
kindly (adverb) | kindness | |
joking (verb) | joke |
- While changing a word into a verb, add ‘to’ before it for a hint.
Word | Verb Form | |
confusion (noun) | to | confuse |
regulating (participle) | regulate | |
beautifully (adverb) | beautify |
- While changing a word into an adjective, add ‘being’ before it for a hint.
Word | Adjective Form | |
creation (noun) | being | creative |
excellently (adverb) | excellent | |
freeze (verb) | frozen |
- While changing a word into an adverb, add ‘quite’ before it for a hint or add the suffix ‘-ly’ to it.
Word | Adverb Form | |
management (noun) | quite | manageably |
justify (verb) | justifiably | |
political (adjective) | politically |
Examples
- Word: Tempt (Verb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
temptation | tempting | temptingly | |
Suffix | -ion | -ing (participle) | -ly |
- Word: Fail (Verb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
failure | failing | failingly | |
Suffix | -ure | -ing (participle) | -ly |
- Word: Sad (Adjective)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
sadness | sadden | sadly | |
Suffix | -ness | -en | -ly |
- Word: Confusingly (Adverb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adjective |
|---|---|---|---|
confusion | confuse | confusing | |
Suffix | -sion | -se | -ing (participle) |
- Word: Complete (Verb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
completion | complete | completely | |
Suffix | -ion | - | -ly |
- Word: Kindness (Noun)
Part of Speech | Verb | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
- | kind | kindly | |
Suffix | - | - | -ly |
- Word: Intentional (Adjective)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
intention | intend | intentionally | |
Suffix | -ion | - | -ly |
- Word: Preventively (Adverb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adjective |
|---|---|---|---|
prevention | prevent | preventive | |
Suffix | -ion | - | -ive |
- Word: Suggestion (Noun)
Part of Speech Suffix
Verb Adjective Adverb
suggest suggestive suggestively
- -ive -ly
- Word: Admire (Verb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Adjective | Adverb | ||
admiration | admirable | admirably | |||
Suffix | -ion | -able | -ly |
- Word: Variable (Adjective)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adverb | ||
variability | vary | variably | |||
Suffix | -ity | - | -ly |
- Word: Urgently (Adverb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adjective | ||
urgency | urge | urgent | |||
Suffix | -ency | - | -ent |
- Word: Energy (Noun)
Part of Speech | Verb | Adjective | Adverb | ||
energise | energetic | energetically | |||
Suffix | -ise | -ic | -ly |
- Word: Entertain (Verb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Adjective | Adverb | ||
entertainment | entertaining | entertainingly | |||
Suffix | -ment | -ing | -ly |
- Word: Total (Adjective)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adverb | ||
totality | total | totally | |||
Suffix | -ity | - | -ly |
- Word: Gradually (Adverb)
Part of Speech | Noun | Verb | Adjective | ||
grade | grade | gradual | |||
Suffix | - | - | -al |