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).
