Many words in English are formed from the same root or base word. By adding different suffixes, a range of new words can be formed.
A suffix is a letter or a group of letters that are added to the end of a word to make a new word. Generally, suffixes have a particular meaning. When a suffix is added to a base word and that base word becomes a noun, it is called a noun suffix.
Here are some rules:
- Adding a suffix usually changes the class of the word (i.e. verb to noun).
For example:
Root/Base word: Entertain (verb)
Suffix: -ment
New word: Entertainment (noun)
- Adding a suffix can mean the class of the word remains the same but the meaning of the new word changes.
For example:
Root/Base word: quest (noun)
Suffix: -ion
New word: question (noun)
- Adding a suffix can cause a spelling change.
For example:
Root/Base word: supervise
Suffix: -or
New word: supervisor
Here are some commonly used noun suffixes and what they mean:
| Suffixes forming nouns |
Meaning |
Examples |
| -ant/-ent |
someone who does something or something that has a particular function |
student, president, resident, assistant, defendant, accountant, deodorant |
| -ee |
someone who does something |
addressee, interviewee, referee, trainee, employee, refugee, trustee, lessee, retiree |
| -er, -or |
someone who does something, something that does a particular job |
writer, teacher, worker, dancer, buyer, actor, supervisor |
| -ism |
belief, behaviour, theory or act of |
journalism, criticism, vegetarianism, humanism |
| -ist |
person connected with, person with a belief in |
journalist, feminist, violinist, pianist |
| -ment |
forming abstract nouns |
government, enjoyment, management, improvement, development |
| -ness |
quality or state |
happiness, kindness, forgiveness, goodness |
| -sion, -tion |
quality or state |
discussion, excursion, population, information, communication, question |
| -ship |
quality or state |
friendship, citizenship, leadership, membership |
| -ity |
quality or state |
ability, security, similarity, curiousity |
