Todays Word

suf·fix

noun

/ˈsəfiks/

1.        a morpheme added at the end of a word to form a derivative, e.g., -ation, -fy, -ing, -itis.

"for the last few decades, we've appended the suffix ‘gate’ to basically any scandal"

verb

/ˈsəfiks/

1.        append (something), especially as a suffix.

"it is mandatory that ‘Limited Liability Partnership/LLP’ is suffixed to the name"

 

In English, suffixes can be broadly categorized into inflectional and derivational. Inflectional suffixes primarily change a word's grammatical function (like tense or number) without changing its core meaning, while derivational suffixes can change a word's part of speech or create a completely new word with a different meaning. Additionally, suffixes can be grouped by the word class they modify, such as noun suffixes, verb suffixes, adjective suffixes, and adverb suffixes. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

1. Inflectional Suffixes:

• These suffixes alter the grammatical form of a word, indicating things like tense, number, or possession.
• Examples include:
• -s/-es: plural nouns (e.g., cats, boxes) and third-person singular verbs (e.g., runs).
• -'s/-s': possessive nouns (e.g., John's, the cats').
• -ed: past tense verbs (e.g., walked).
• -ing: present participle/gerund (e.g., running, walking).
• -er: comparative adjectives (e.g., bigger).
• -est: superlative adjectives (e.g., biggest). 

2. Derivational Suffixes:

• These suffixes change the meaning or part of speech of a word.
• Noun Suffixes:
• -ment: (e.g., enjoyment, government).
• -ness: (e.g., happiness, kindness).
• -ion: (e.g., action, decision).
• -er/-or: (e.g., teacher, actor).
• -ist: (e.g., pianist, scientist).
• Verb Suffixes:
• -en: (e.g., broaden, soften).
• -ify: (e.g., simplify, classify).
• -ize: (e.g., legalize, modernize).
• Adjective Suffixes:
• -ful: (e.g., helpful, careful).
• -less: (e.g., fearless, endless).
• -able/-ible: (e.g., eatable, understandable).
• -ous/-ious: (e.g., joyous, ambitious).
• Adverb Suffixes:
• -ly: (e.g., quickly, slowly).
• -ward/-wards: (e.g., backward, upwards).
• -wise: (e.g., clockwise, otherwise).