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HOW SUFFIXES MODIFY THE ROOT

The suffix ‘ent’ means: one who or something which. In the examples below the words relate to a condition or state of a person or thing.

 

1.

someone showing great kindness [benevolent]

ben ...ent

2.

someone who is abundant in body [corpus]

cor...ent

3.

someone who is very drunk [crapulentus]

cra...ent

4.

something which can be eaten [esculentus]

esc...ent

5.

something very dirty or foul [faeculentus]

fec...ent

6.

someone who is very pompous [flatulentus]

fla...ent

7.

something having a woolly appearance [floccus]

flo...ent

8.

someone who is very dishonest [fraudulentus]

fra...ent

9.

someone who is very lazy [indolens]

ind...ent

10.

someone who is very impertinent [insolens]

ins...ent

11.

someone who is a bad influence [malevolens]

mal...ent

12.

life characterised by show of wealth [opulentus]

opu...ent

13.

something that is full of pus [purulentus]

pur...ent

14.

something having a strong scent [redolens]

red...ent

15.

someone in a state of sleep [somnōlentus]

som...ent

16.

plant with fleshy leaves and stems [succulentus]

suc...ent

17.

someone displaying great anger [truculentus]

tru...ent

18.

something that is full of violence [turbulentus]

tur...ent

19.

someone showing emotional intensity [violentus]

vio...ent

20.

something that is very infectious [virulentus]

vir...ent

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Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several hundred words in English end in ‘ful’. The suffix ‘ful’ means: full of. In the examples below the words relate to a condition or state of a person or thing.

artful awful

beautiful blissful

boastful bountiful

brimful cheerful

colourful deceitful

delightful distasteful

doleful doubtful

dreadful faithful

fanciful fateful

grateful mournful

mouthful painful

peaceful playful

plentiful powerful

pushful resentful

restful rightful

rueful scornful

shameful skilful

sorrowful spiteful

stressful tactful

tasteful thankful

thoughtful truthful

uneventful unfaithful

ungrateful unmindful

unsuccessful useful

vengeful wasteful

watchful wilful

wishful wistful

woeful wonderful

worshipful wrathful

wrongful zestful

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has.

foeticide fratricide
fungicide genocide
germicide herbicide
homicide infanticide
insecticide parricide
patricide pesticide
suicide tyrannicide
uxoricide vermicide

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several thousand words in English end in ‘ist’.

abolitionist abortionist
absolutist activist
acupuncturist Africanist
agist agriculturist
agronomist alarmist
algebraist altruist

anaesthetist anarchist
anatomist andrologist
antagonist anthologist
anthropologist apologist
archeologist archivist

arsonist artist
atheist audiologist
bacteriologist canoeist
capitalist cardiologist
cartoonist cellist
centralist chauvinist
chiropodist dramatist

ecologist economist

educationist egoist
egotist extremist

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several thousand words in English end in ‘ness’.

abjectness abrasiveness
abruptness absentmindedness
absoluteness abstemiousness

accurateness acquisitiveness
acridness acuteness
adroitness affableness
agelessness aggressiveness
alertness alikeness
allusiveness aloofness
ambiguousness elusiveness

erroneousness expansiveness

expectedness faintheartedness

fairness faithlessness

gentleness giddiness
meanness godliness

greatness gregariousness

grimness grossness

grumpiness manliness

meagreness mildness

mindfulness mirthfulness

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several thousand words in English end in ‘er’.

adjuster attester
blaster boaster
broadcaster chorister

detester jester

prankster songster

While words like ‘seamstress’ and ‘waitress’ are still in use, many other words that once denoted the female gender are now falling into disuse. An author, for example, can now be either male or female. Be extremely wary, therefore, about using the suffixes –ess and –trix to show gender. While many women regard such words as hampering the equality of the sexes, the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary have gone even further in pointing out that agent words reflecting the female gender are obsolete.

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several hundred words in English end in ‘ology’

astrology bacteriology

biology biotechnology

cardiology climatology

cosmology criminology

dendrology ecology

entomology epidemiology
epistemology gynaecology

geology histology

hydrology meteorology

mythology neurology

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several hundred words in English end in ‘osis’

acidosis adenosis
adiposis alkalosis
aluminosis amebiosis
arteriosclerosis cirrhosis

cyanosis dermatosis

fibrosis halitosis

keratosis melanosis

nephrosis neurosis

psychosis sclerosis

thrombosis tuberculosis

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several hundred words in English end in ‘ism’

absenteeism alcoholism

altruism anarchism

antagonism astigmatism

atheism barbarism

capitalism collectivism

colloquialism colonialism

conservatism constitutionalism

consumerism criticism

cronyism despotism

dynamism egoism

empiricism escapism

euphemism existentialism

extremism factionalism

fanaticism fascism

fatalism favouritism

federalism feminism

feudalism futurism

heroism humanism

idealism jingoism

nepotism optimism

Study the words below and determine how the suffix in each instance influences the meaning that the word has. More than several hundred words in English end in ‘ity’

ability activity

actuality adversity

agility atrocity

austerity barbarity

brevity brutality

capability civility

complexity curiosity

diversity equality

falsity fertility

generosity hostility

 

 

 

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Last modified: October 14, 2007