Vocabulary Basics for Business [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Suffixes that Describe

Suffixes are word endings. Sometimes a suffix is several letters long, sometimes only one. Suffixes tell us more about a word; they help refine it or change it. Some suffixes tell us about the role of a word in a sentence: whether the word refers to a doer, a state of being, an action, or a description.

Some suffixes indicate that a word describes something. If we change talk to talkative, then a talkative person is someone who talks a lot. If we change respond to responsive, then a responsive politician is one who responds to our requests or opinions. Many other suffixes, like -ive, say "like the root." (One exception is -less, which indicates "lack of." Colorless indicates lack of color; careless indicates lack of caution; guiltless indicates innocence, or having no guilt.)

-ful, -most, -like

These three suffixes are probably the simplest and easiest to remember, because their meaning is straightforward. What do the adjectives with these suffixes mean in the following sentences?

Max is a cheerful payroll clerk. (full of cheer)

Earning high profits is hopeful thinking. (full of hope)

Success is uppermost in her mind. (highest)

The report is in the rightmost drawer. (most to the right)

Sophia's behavior is childlike. (like a child)

That ballet requires a snakelike motion. (like a snake)

-able, -ible

The -able and -ible endings are actually the same suffix with two spellings. The meaning is just what you might guess: "capable of." Readable and legible both mean "capable of being read." Operable means "capable of being operated or being operated on." Reversible means "capable of being reversed." If a negative prefix is part of the word, then the meaning is "not capable of." Irreversible, therefore, means "not capable of being reversed;" illegible means "not capable of being read."

The words visible, invisible, questionable, unquestionable, convertible, variable, invariable, and memorable contain roots you learned in the previous lessons. What do they mean?

-y, -ly, -ive, -ous

The suffixes -y, -ly, -ive, and -ous are among the most common word endings, though by no means the only ones, that indicate that something is being described. The suffix -ly indicates how something is done. This suffix forms adverbs, words that describe actions or states of being, rather than things. The other suffixes in this section describe people, places, or things; they form adjectives.

What do the words with these endings mean in the following sentences?