I'll try to suppress my enthusiasm for suffixes in this week's post, but I hope you'll understand if I get carried away.Suffixes (Suf means "after") are added to the end of a root or existing word. Suffixes (like prefixes) are not words in their own right. They cannot stand on their own in a sentence. When typed, a hyphen typically precedes them.
Their beauty is twofold:
- they give new meaning to an existing word; and,
- they indicate certain parts of speech
For example:
Noun Suffix (Meaning) Adjective
fate, sin -ful (full of) fateful, sinful
patriot -ic (one having the character of) patriotic
sweaty -y (characterized by) sweaty
manage -able (capable of, able to be) manageable
fiction -al (relating to) fictional
child -ish (of, relating to, being) childish
manage -able (capable of, able to be) manageable
fiction -al (relating to) fictional
child -ish (of, relating to, being) childish
The suffix: -ion (pronounced shun) indicates the word's part of speech is a Noun. Words ending in
-ion, -tion, or -sion means that the given word will have in its definition in the act or process of; state or condition of. Using the word production, I can deduce that it's a noun, and that it's the process of producing. Here are a few others you can try to deduce their meanings: hydration, diversion, expansion, fusion, or orientation.
As mentioned in last week's Post (please see Word Parts ~ Prefixes), once learned, these word parts help in understanding the meaning of words you don't know. Analyzing a new word for its meaning in this way should be confirmed with your dictionary.
Consider these handy reference books available at Amazon or learn more about prefixes and suffixes on the web athttp://www.prefixsuffix.com.
Once again I ask: Are you surprised at how many words you knew?
I've enjoyed both your prefix post and this suffix post. Now on to words that are spelled the same, some even sound the same and mean 2 different things. Isn't English wonderful?
ReplyDeleteBill, thank you so much for your favorable comment! Oh, there's so much to cover in the English language, but as you said "isn't English wonderful."
DeleteThere is just no end. Using one of your examples, child, childish; then, childishly. Certainly your last two posts have prompted me to look at some words for their prefixes and suffixes. In many cases, stripping them out makes them short and simple. "Unlawfully" is just "law" after massaging.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspiration.
RB
RB, I'm glad you were able to discern the root of the word "child," and to see how that root changes the word's meaning with suffixes + learning in the process, their part of speech. Thanks for your reflective comment.
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