The suffix er in English. Suffixes in English: their role in word formation

Probably each of us remembers standing at the chalk board during a lesson in the beautiful and powerful Russian language and, for some unknown reason, drawing an arc, a tick, or a square over a word. This whole entertaining process was pathetically called parsing a word into morphemes, namely: prefix, root, suffix and, of course, ending. Today we will talk about the latter, but only in English. There might be something you don't know!

Speaking purely in grammatical terms, the concept of “ending” ( ending) or the buzzword “inflection” ( inflexion) from the Latin “to bend” - to bind, refers to the variable part responsible for the process of forming different variations of the same word, to the basic form of which special elements are added. Through these manipulations, grammatical meanings are expressed, that is, the special role that a unit of speech plays in a sentence. The endings in English grammar include: possessive case (“ s); plural (- s / -es); present tense 3rd person + singular (- s); past tense (- d), (-ed) or (- t) and ending (- ing). Well, now in order.

Inflection ""s" in English

Possessive ( possessive case) we use when we need to say that something belongs to someone. This very case is formed by adding a special sign to the end of the word “ " "apostrophe and endings" - s" Below are a few examples for clarity.

Ending -s / -es / -ies in English

First, the simple present tense, known to everyone as the Present Simple. It is used when we talk about some facts or ordinary actions.
We form the present tense using the basic form of the infinitive (without the particle to). Golden Rule: third person singular ( he / she / it) just requires an ending - s / -es / -ies. For example:

Every morning Kelly eat s a sandwich with blueberry jam and peanut butter and drink s a mug of coffee for breakfast.
Every morning Kelly eats a sandwich with blueberry jam and peanut butter for breakfast and drinks a mug of coffee.

Secondly, when it is necessary to use a plural noun ( plural nouns), according to the rule for forming the plural, the ending is added to the singular form of a noun, depending on which letter is at the end - s / -es / -ies. For example:

Pumpkin, don't forget to buy 10 donut s, 5 orange s and 3 bananas s, please.
Pumpkin, please don't forget to buy 10 donuts, 5 oranges and 3 bananas.

VERB / NOUN + S	VERB/NOUN+ES	VERB / NOUN + IES
vowel + y / other cases	-ch / -sh / -s / -ss -x / -z / -o	consonant + y
to slay - he / she / it slays a gun - guns	to fuss - he / she / it fusses a coach - coaches	to ply - he / she / it plies a wherry - wherry

Ending -ed / -ied / -d / -t in English

Firstly, the ending - ed inherent correct English verbs(regular verbs), which are used in Past Simple. As you know, the simple past tense is used to state a fact or describe a series of actions that immediately followed each other in the past. Education formula: verb(without to): bombinate ( buzz) + ed = bombed(buzzed). Example in context:

James got in the old clunker, started the engine and drove off.
James got into his wreck, started the engine and drove off.

VERB+ED	VERB+IED	VERB+D	VERB+T
consonant	consonant + y	vowel	irregular forms
to yell - yelled to belong - belonged	to vary - varied to cry - cried	to whine - whine to bake - baked	to send - sent to feel - felt

Secondly, - ed also occurs in the past participle ( participle II). The participle is the golden mean, where the characteristics of a verb, adjective and adverb coexist comfortably, which answers the question “ what (c)did he do?», « Which?" For example:

The quote, present ed in the article, caught my attention.
The quote presented in the article caught my attention.

The quote " which? or " what did she do?» — presented, i.e. the action seems to have already been completed - it has already been used in the article. The participle defines the subject in a sentence, supplementing it with new facts and characteristics.

The ending -ing in English

Firstly, the ing ending is used when constructing long English tenses Continuous = Progressive. For example:

Currently, my bearded mate is playing ing PS4.
My bearded buddy is currently playing on PS4.

Here Present Continuous: auxiliary linking verb to be in the required form + infinitive of the semantic verb without to, but with the ending - ing. However, tenses that emphasize an action or state in the process also include Perfect Continuous = Perfect Progressive. For example:

A bearded mate of mine has been play ing PS4 for six hours already.
My bearded buddy has been playing on PS4 for 6 hours now.

Present Perfect Continuous: linking auxiliary verb to have in the required form + been + infinitive of the semantic verb (without to), but with the ending - ing.

Secondly, - ing also occurs in the present participle ( participle I), which answers a number of the following questions: “ Which?», « what is he doing?», « what are you doing?. Example:

That woman, chill ing on the sofa, is my future wifey.
That woman relaxing on the couch is my future wife.

We observe that the participle is formed by adding the ending - ing To basic verb form and introduces new features that are characteristic of the subject.

PARTICIPLE I
verb base + -ing
finagle + -ing = finagle ing

PARTICIPLE II
verb base + -ed
finagle + -ed = finagle ed

Thirdly, this same inflection is also used with the gerund ( gerund), a special form of the verb that behaves in a sentence as subject(subject), an object(predicate) or predicate(definition/circumstance). The gerund to some extent resembles a verbal noun, for this reason it can be translated into Russian as an infinitive, subordinate clause or noun. A few examples to illustrate:

My buddy’s favorite occupation is hang ing out with friends.
My friend's favorite pastime is hanging out with friends.

Well, to be honest, I’m not engrossed in pastel draw ing.
Well, to be honest, I'm not into pastel painting.

Types of English endings

Today we have put together the most common endings that are used everywhere in the English language. We hope that from now on you will have a complete picture of what an ending is, what it can be, when exactly and where it should be used. If there are not enough endings, then catch English suffixes for dessert. Yummy!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

If you determine that you have a noun with the endings “-ER” and “-OR”, then this is a specific noun indicating a person (profession, occupation, place of residence) or an object (tool, device, mechanism, device).

Suffix "-ER" comes from Old English and is productive. The suffix “-ER” gives the following meanings to the noun.

1. Attached to a verb and denotes a person, engaged in the type of activity indicated by the stem of the verb. This may be the name of a profession, position, rank or craft.

For example:

to BUILD = build + ER = BUILD ER= builder;

to DRIVE = drive a car, car + ER = DRIV ER= driver, driver;

to BAKE = bake bread + ER = BAK ER= baker;

to WELD = weld (metal) + ER = WELD ER= welder;

to DANCE = dance + ER = DANC ER= dancer;

to SELL = sell + ER = SELL ER= seller;

to DESIGN = to design, make sketches (clothes, shoes) + ER = DESIGN ER= designer; designer;

to COMMAND = command + ER = COMMAND ER= commander;

to PAINT = paint, paint + ER = PAINT ER= painter, artist;

to TEACH = teach, teach + ER = TEACH ER= teacher, teacher;

to WEAVE = weave + ER = WEAV ER= weaver;

to TURN = rotate, twirl + ER = TURN ER= turner;

to WEIGH = weigh + ER = WEIGH ER= weigher;

2. Attached to a verb and denotes a person, performing an action expressed by a verb. But this is not a profession, but simply an activity. Sometimes such nouns cannot be translated literally, then the translation is expressed in phrases.

For example:

to BEGIN = start + ER = BEGINN ER= beginner, beginner;

to OWN = own, possess + ER = OWN ER= owner;

to SLEEP = sleep + ER = SLEEP ER= sleeping, sleepyhead;

to EAT = eat, absorb + ER = EAT ER= eater;

Compound nouns are common.

For example:

CINEMA-GO ER= someone who often goes to the cinema, a movie lover, a moviegoer;

THEATER-GO ER= one who often goes to the theater, theatergoer, theatergoer;

NEW-COM ER= stranger, newcomer, newcomer;

EARLY-RIS ER= one who wakes up early, a “lark”.

LATE-RIS ER= one who wakes up late, “night owl”;

SCHOOL-LEAV ER= one who graduates from school, school graduate, applicant.

CHESS-PLAY ER= chess player, chess player.

STORY-TELL ER= storyteller, storyteller, inventor

WATCH-MAK ER= watchmaker;

BOOK-LOV ER= book lover;

TIME-WAST ER= someone who wastes time;

PLEASURE-SEEK ER= seeker of entertainment, seeker of pleasure;

RIGHT - HAND ER= right-handed;

LEFT - HAND ER= left-handed;

3. Points to a person living in a certain area or town.

For example:

LONDON —> LONDON ER= resident of London;

NEW-YORK —> NEW-YORK ER= New Yorker;

ISLAND —> ISLAND ER= islander, islander;

VILLAGE —> VILLAG ER= resident of a village, village;

COTTAGE —> COTTAG ER= resident of a country house;

RANCH —> RANCH ER= rancher;

SOUTHERN —> COUTHERN ER= southerner;

FOREIGN —> FOREIGN ER= foreigner;

STRANGE —> STRANG ER= stranger, foreigner;

HIGHLAND —> HIGHLAND ER= mountain dweller, mountaineer;

4. Denotes objects with the help of which the action expressed by the verb is performed. These can be tools, devices, devices, mechanisms or equipment.

For example:

to CONTAIN = contain + ER = CONTAIN ER= container;

to CONTROL = regulate, control + ER = CONTROLL ER= regulator;

to BOIL = boil, heat + ER = BOIL ER= heater, boiler;

to MIX = mix + ER = MIX ER= mixer; mixer;

to BURN = burn, burn + ER = BURN ER= burner;

to CUT = cut + ER = CUTT ER= cutter, cutting tool;

to RACE = compete in speed + ER = RAC ER= racing car;

to GRIND = grind, grind + ER = GRIND ER= coffee mill, crusher;

to EXTINGUISH = extinguish, extinguish + ER = EXTINGUISH ER= extinguisher, fire extinguisher;

to PROPEL = to actuate + ER = PROPELL ER= propeller;

to RECTIFY = correct, clear + ER = RECTIFI ER= cleaner, straightener;

to MAGNIFY = increase + ER = MAGNIFI ER= magnifying glass, magnifying glass;

The suffix “-OR” comes from Latin and is unproductive. It mainly refers to nouns related to science and technology. The suffix "-OR" gives nouns the same meaning as the suffix "-ER", except to designate a person living in a particular area.

1. Denotes a profession, craft, rank, position person.

to ACT = play theater + OR = ACT OR= actor;

to DOCTOR = to treat, to practice medicine = DOCT OR= doctor, doctor;

to DIRECT = direct + OR = DIRECT OR= manager, director;

to TRANSLATE = translate from one language to another + OR = TRANSLAT OR= translator;

to CONDUCT = accompany, lead; conduct an orchestra + OR = CONDUCT OR= conductor, conductor; the conductor of orchestra;

to PROFESS = train, teach + OR = PROFESS OR= teacher, professor;

to CONSTRUCT = construct, build + OR = CONSTRUCT OR designer, builder;

to EDIT = edit + OR = EDIT OR= editor;

to INSPECT = inspect, examine + OR = INSPECT OR= inspector, auditor;

to SAIL = sail on a ship, sail + OR = SAIL OR= sailor, sailor;

to INVENT = invent, invent + OR = INVENT OR= inventor, inventor;

to GOVERN = manage, rule + OR = GOVERN OR= manager; governor;

2. Denotes a person’s occupation expressed by a verb. But this is not related to profession or craft.

For example:

to VISIT = to visit, visit, pay a visit + OR = VISIT OR= visitor, visitor;

to NARRATE = tell, narrate + OR = NARRAT OR= narrator;

to DEMONSTRATE = demonstrate + OR = DEMONSTRAT OR= demonstrator, demonstration participant;

to CREATE = create, create + OR = CREAT OR= creator, originator, author;

to SPECULATE = reflect, speculate + OR = SPECULAT OR= thinker, speculator; one who plays on the stock exchange;

3. Denotes objects with the help of which the action expressed by the verb is performed. These can be tools, devices, mechanisms, devices.

For example:

to GENERATE = generate, generate + OR = GENERAT OR= generator;

to ELEVATE = raise + OR = ELEVAT OR= elevator;

to INDICATE = indicate, show + OR = INDICAT OR= indicator, pointer;

to PERFORATE = drill + OR = PERFORAT OR= hammer drill;

to VENTILATE = ventilate, ventilate + OR = VENTILAT OR= fan;

to PROTECT = protect + OR = PROTECT OR= protector;

to SEPARATE = separate + OR = SEPARAT OR= separator;

to CALCULATE = carry out calculations + OR = CALCULAT OR= calculator;

to RADIATE = radiate + OR = RADIAT OR= radiator;

to COMPRESS = compress + OR = COMPRESS OR= compressor;

REVERSE. By the sound of words in Russian, you can guess from which English verb they originated. There are a lot of such words in our everyday life and it would be stupid to look for them in the dictionary. Everyone knows the meaning of words such as LEADER, MANAGER, DIRECTOR, RADIATOR, BATTERY, DECORATOR, INSPECTOR, INDICATOR, CALCULATOR, SEPARATOR, MIXER, COMPUTER, PROTECTOR. Each of these words corresponds to an English verb, the meaning of which is clear without translation.

Friends, you remember that the English language is full of all sorts of tricks and subtleties. But what we’ll talk about today isn’t particularly difficult if you know the rules well.

And today we are talking about the main endings of words in the English language. English has a number of endings that play an important role in the formation of nouns, adjectives and verbs.

Unlike the Russian language, there are not many endings in the English language, there are only a few. But, since there are few of them, they are used in various cases. We will consider each of these endings today.

You all know this ending, friends. Those who study English have probably encountered it very often. We want to remind you of the most common uses of this ending.

Firstly, the ending -ing serves to form the tenses of the Present Continuous and Past Continuous verbs. For example:

Don't bother Amy. She is writ ing a letter now. - Don't bother Amy. She is writing a letter now.
Where is Tom? He is play ing the piano at the moment. - WhereVolume? He is playing the piano at the moment.
When I came home my mother was cook ing- WhenIcamehome, Mothercookeddinner.
I was so ing a shower when you called. - Itookshower, WhenYoucalled.

Present Continuous ending -ing

Secondly, -ing is used to form nouns, participles and adjectives. Eg:

To read - read ing — reading
To write - write ing — letter
To draw - draw ing — drawing
To embarrass - embarrass ing — embarrassing, difficult
To annoy - annoy ing — annoying
To bother - bother ing — bothersome

No way without -ed!

And in fact, friends, this glorious, famous ending helps us form the simple past tense. Well, you can’t do without it in the Past Simple! If it is, of course, an ordinary, regular verb. For example:

Icook ed lunchat 12.00o"clock. — I prepared lunch at 12 o’clock.
Yesterdaywecelebrity ed mysister"sbirthday. — Yesterday we celebrated my sister’s birthday.

Past tense in English ending in -ed

Also, the ending -ed is involved in the formation of participles and passive voice (Passive Voice). For example:

Our dialogue was interrupted ed by Michael. - OurdialoguewasinterruptedMichael.
These flowers are plant ed by my father. - Theseflowersplantedminefather.
Iamverytir ed afterwork. — I feel very tired after work.

Where to use the ending -er?

The ending -er is also very well known in grammar and word formation in the English language. It can often be found at the end of nouns:

Driv er- driver, chauffeur
Work er- worker
Teach er- teacher
Programm er- programmer
Dance er— dancer
Wond er- miracle

The same ending -er helps form the comparative degree of simple adjectives. Note:

Easy -easy er- light - lighter
Small -small er- small - less
Big -bigg er- big bigger
Pretty -pretty er- beautiful - more beautiful
Happy —happy er- happy - happier

Ending -

Yes, friends, as a rule, the ending -s helps us form the plural of nouns. You all know this, of course. For example:

Greeting - greeting s — greeting - greetings
Letter - letter s — letter - letters
Table - table s — table - tables
Windowwindow s — window - windows

So to speak, the “little brother” of this ending is the ending -es, which is used with certain nouns. So, if a noun in English ends in o, ss, s, tch, sh, x, then feel free to use the ending -es in the plural. In all other cases -s (except for exceptions, which you can read about on our website in the article on the plural of nouns).

Nouns ending in o, s, ss, tch, sh, x + es

So, for example:

Bus - bus es — bus - buses
Kiss - kiss es — kiss - kisses
Match - match es — match - matches
Dish - dish es — plate - plates
Potato es — potato - potatoes
Box - box es — box - boxes

Well, that's all, friends. These were the most basic, most common, and most common word endings in the English language. Having studied these rules, you can easily form new words using these endings in the English language. Your speech will become more diverse, and your vocabulary will be replenished with new lexical units. We wish you success!

When starting to learn a foreign language, we are faced with many problems, including a limited vocabulary. If you understand the principle of word formation in English, then the vocabulary can be expanded very easily. Affixation is one of the ways of forming new words on the basis of others by adding parts of a word to the beginning or end of a language unit. Suffixes are used much more often in English than prefixes. They can like create other parts of speech , so.

add a different shade of meaning

Nouns Nouns have the greatest variety of suffixes than any other part of speech in English. Often this morpheme carries a certain semantic connotation

and helps to determine that what we have in front of us is a noun. Popular suffixes-er (-or)

, as a rule, added to adjectives, gives a connotation of property or quality and corresponds to Russian -ot-, -ost, -in-: dark (dark) – darkness (darkness), fanciful (sophisticated) – fancifulness (sophistication), deep (deeply ) – deepness (depth). In modern English there are both native suffixes and those borrowed from other languages. An excellent example of the first is the suffix–ship

, with the help of which: friend (friend) – friendship (friendship), partner (companion) – partnership (company). Most suffixes (-age, -ence ) are formed by abstract nouns: to leak (leak) - leakage (leakage), silent (quiet) - silence (silence). English affix–tion often corresponds to the Russian -tion: to present (to represent) – presentation (presentation). If you add to a verb or adjective, then you can observe changes in the vowel in the root of the word: strong (strong) - strength (strength), to die (die) - death (death).

indicates that a person belongs to a profession, to an actor, and the basis is usually a verb: to build (build) - builder (builder), to invent (invent) - inventor (inventor). In addition, this suffix means belonging to a particular locality: London (London) - Londoner (resident of London). Or a weapon: to roll (roll) - roller (roller). The suffixes –er and -or are essentially synonymous, but the former is the most common in the language. –ment, borrowed in the 12th century from French, has the meaning of the result of an action: to amaze (surprise) - amazement (surprise). The same function is performed by -ade: to block (block) – blockade (blockade).

Verbs

We rarely see suffixes. Usually they themselves are the basis for the formation of words. However, such verbal morphemes still exist. For example, the suffix –fy found in the words to terrify (terrify), to signify (mean), to mystify (mystify). Verbs are also formed using –en, -ise/-ize: broad (wide) – broaden (expand), real (real) – realize (realize). The variant with the letter “s” is considered British, and the variant with “z” is considered American.

Adjectives

One of the suffixes of adjectives is –able (-ible). It gives the word the meaning of possibility, ability to do something: to work (work) - workable (worker), to translate (translate) - translatable (translatable). The suffix also indicates the presence of quality –al, which often coincides with Russian –al-: nation (nation) – national (national).

indicates that a person belongs to a profession, to an actor, and the basis is usually a verb: to build (build) - builder (builder), to invent (invent) - inventor (inventor). In addition, this suffix means belonging to a particular locality: London (London) - Londoner (resident of London). Or a weapon: to roll (roll) - roller (roller). The suffixes –er and -or are essentially synonymous, but the former is the most common in the language. -ful gives meaning to the completeness of something. For example, beauty (beauty) – beautiful (beautiful = full of beauty), tact (tact) – tactful (tactful = full of tact).

indicates that a person belongs to a profession, to an actor, and the basis is usually a verb: to build (build) - builder (builder), to invent (invent) - inventor (inventor). In addition, this suffix means belonging to a particular locality: London (London) - Londoner (resident of London). Or a weapon: to roll (roll) - roller (roller). The suffixes –er and -or are essentially synonymous, but the former is the most common in the language. -ish expresses nationality or a weak degree of quality of an object: Polland (Poland) – Pollish (Polish), girl (girl) – girlish (girlish). Often also used to indicate nationality -(i)an or –ese: Russia (Russia) – Russian (Russian), China (China) – Chinese (Chinese).

indicates that a person belongs to a profession, to an actor, and the basis is usually a verb: to build (build) - builder (builder), to invent (invent) - inventor (inventor). In addition, this suffix means belonging to a particular locality: London (London) - Londoner (resident of London). Or a weapon: to roll (roll) - roller (roller). The suffixes –er and -or are essentially synonymous, but the former is the most common in the language. -less denotes the absence of something: end (end) – endless (endless), heart (heart) – heartless (heartless).

Adverbs

Most adverbs are formed from adjectives using the suffix –ly: bad (bad) – badly (badly), regular (regular) – regularly (regularly). But there are other less productive (used) suffixes, for example, -ward in the word backward (backward).