Suffix or in English examples. Word-forming and formative suffixes: differences

In this lesson from the section we will continue talking about noun suffixes. We have already considered These are the five suffixes.

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Now let's look at the rest of the suffixes to get a complete picture of how nouns are formed in English. If you are preparing for the exam in English in the form of the Unified State Examination, then you simply need to know them.

Total an English noun has 16 suffixes:

-er / or, -tion, -ing, -ness, -ence / ance (main list - grade 9),
-hood, -ship, -dom, -th, -t, -(i)ty, -ment, -age, -ure, -ee, -ist (extended list -11 class).

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Derivation of nouns

Noun suffixes in English

1.Suffixes -hood, -ship, -dom, by which nouns are formed from other nouns and adjectives.

noun/adj + Ʌ = noun

hood
child - childhood (child - childhood)
neighbor - neighborhood (neighbor - neighborhood)
ship
friend - friendship (friend - friendship)
champion - championship (champion - championship)
partner - partnership (partner - partnership)
dom
king - kingdom (king - kingdom)
free - freedom (free - freedom)
wise - wisdom (wise - wisdom)

2. Suffixes -th, -t, -(i)ty, by which nouns are formed from adjectives.

adj + Ʌ = noun

th(possible vowel alternation at the root of the word)
warm - warm (warm - warm)
long - length
strong-strength
wide-width
deep - depth
young - youth
t: high - height (high - height)
(i)ty
electric - electricity (electric - electricity)
possible - possibility
probable-probability

3. Suffixes -ment, -age, -ure, by which nouns are formed from verbs.

verb + Ʌ = noun

ment
state - statement (approve - statement)
develop - development
age
marry - marriage (marry - marriage, marriage)
break - breakage
ure
press - pressure (press - pressure)
please - pleasure
depart - departure

4. And separately consider the suffixes of the profession — ist and suffix -ee.

ist
biology - biologist (biology - biologist)
psychology - psychologist (psychology - psychologist)
ee
address - addressee (address - recipient / recipient)
employer - employee (employer - employee)

Total turned out 11 suffixes. To remember them, I recommend learning 11 words (the simplest ones) with these suffixes in the form of mnemonic phrases. For example, these:

1.In my childhood I made a friendship with a king of a kingdom. He had good strength and great height. “As a child, I made friends with the king of a certain kingdom. He had great strength and great stature.

2.Electricity resulted from the development of science. — Electricity was the result of the development of science.

3.The breakage was because of high pressure.— The breakdown was due to high pressure.

Suffixes of nouns in English. Exercises

Exercise 1. Read the noun and indicate the suffix with which it is formed.

EXAMPLE. performance—The noun performanc e is formed with the help of the suffix -ance.

silence, biologist, employment, humanity, modesty, settlement, feeling

Exercise 2. Find a noun in each line and translate it.

Exercise 3 Form nouns with the indicated suffixes from the stems of the underlined words and write them.

— ment:
1. The child was greatly excited when he received a big bear as a birthday present.
The child's ____________ was very great.

2. My English has improved very little for the last two months.
There is very little ___________ in my English, I am afraid.

3. The children enjoyed entertaining the guests.
They enjoyed giving an _____________ for their guests.

—tion
4. He collected a good library of books.
He had a good __________ of books.

5. The machines exhibited in the hall were very interesting to us.
The machines at the ___________ are very interesting.

6. He said he wanted to continue studying after he graduated from the institute.
He said he wanted to continue studying after….

— ance
7. The scientists had difficulty explaining how the star had disappeared.
They had difficulty in explaining the____________.of the star.

— ence
8. We were surprised to find out how different her speech had become.
We were surprised at the ________________ in her speech.

Exercise 4 Fill in the spaces with verbs formed from the given nouns in brackets.

1. He said good bye and ____________ (departure)
2. Your pronunciation has ______ wonderfully. (improvement)
3. The doctor ______________ the boy's arm carefully. (examination)

Exercise 5 Fill in the spaces with nouns formed from the given verbs in brackets.

1. This rare book is the first _____________ of Pushkin's poems. (to edit)
2. The sixth-form pupils’ English ___________was much better this year. (to perform)
3. The dancer's __________became slower and slower (to move).

Exercise 6 Form nouns from adjectives.

thirsty
hungry
shady

To check yourself, use the DICTIONARY in the lower right corner. If you click on the arrows, a dictionary window will appear and you need to enter a word that will be the answer.

For example, 1. thirsty (thirsty) - ? your option(thirst).

We enter the word thirst into the dictionary and check if it matches your option t with the one that the dictionary offers.

Exercise 7Make the right choice. Translate the offer.
1. What is the (long, length) of the corridor?
2. How (long, length) is the street?
3. He is not (strong, strength) enough to fight with John?
4. My brother can lift the box because of his (strong, strength).
5. Nelly's skirt is too (wide, width).
6. We can't get the piano through the door because of its (wide, width).
7. Is spring a (warmth, warm) season?
8. We felt the (warm, warmth) of the sun on out faces and hands.
9. We were surprised at your formal (polite, politeness).
10. We were not struck by the (white, whiteness) of the snow.

Exercise 8 Rewrite the phrases, indicating in brackets the word from which the noun is formed. Translate them.

EXAMPLE. whole-hearted devotion (devote) - wholehearted devotion

whole-hearted devotion, gloomy silence, an outstanding novelist, gathering darkness, limitless possibilities, an important addition, a noticeable improvement, complete understanding, widespread popularity, a gymnastic competition, a new acquaintance, a small settlement, an important announcement.

Exercise 9 Form nouns from these verbs using suffixes: -er/-or -ment -(a)tion -ion -age -ure -th.

to construct, to equip, to divide, to inform, to mix, to observe, to move, to break, to direct, to compete, to grow, to press, to radiate, to develop, to protect, to transport, to solve , to recognize , to measure, to fail, to vibrate, to reflect, to treat, to improve, to elect, to educate, to manage, to govern, to achieve, to imagine, to attract

Exercise 10. In put in spaces abstract nouns formed from the words given in brackets.

1. Suvorov always showed great courage and __________ . (wise)
2. The traveler had to overcome many __________. (difficult)
3. He sat resting, enjoying the ___________ of the fire. (warm)
4. He suffered from his own __________. (fool)
5. This man has extraordinary __________ . (strong)
6. The balloon floated at the _________ of one mile. (high)
7. She remembered the happy days of her __________. (young)
8. The __________ of the canal is seventy kilometres. (long)
9. Its _________ is one hundred meters. (wide)
10. When he came round he felt a strange ____________and could not stand up (weak).

So, I hope that by completing the cycle of exercises on topic "Derivation of nouns in English" do you remember 16 basic noun suffixes. But if you still have questions, write in the comments. Author, Tatyana Nabeeva

1 .Suffix -er (-or ).

1) This suffix serves to form nouns from verbs (infinitive without to + -er ,-or ). A noun with this ending denotes either a device that performs an action expressed by the verb from which it is formed, or a person performing this action. When reading such derivative words, it should be remembered that suffixes -er and -or the stress never falls, and therefore they are pronounced as a neutral sound [ə], for example:

to play (play) - a player [ə "pleɪə] player

to mix (mix) - a mixer [ə "mɪksə] mixer.

If the verb ends in e , then only the letter is attached r ,For example:

to make (produce) - a maker [ə "meɪkə] manufacturer

to use (use) - a user [ə "ju: zə] user.

It should be remembered that one often has to resort to descriptive translation of nouns that have the suffix -er ,-or ,For example:

to lift (raise) - a lifter [ə "lɪftə] lifting device

to time (set time, calculate by time) - a timer [ə "taɪmə] a device that calculates time.

2) Final letter r in words with such a suffix, it is pronounced as a connecting sound [r] only if it is followed by a word that begins with a vowel, for example:

a reader of the book [ə "ri: də r əf ðə" buk] reader of this book.

In this regard, attention should be paid to the reading of the union and [ənd]- and ,a .This union is pronounced very briefly, without stress and together, as if in one breath, with the words that it connects, for example:

a reader and a writer [ə "ri: də r ənd ə" raɪtə].

Exercise 1

A collector [əkə"lektə], a selector [əsə"lektə], a collector and a selector; a container [əkən "teɪnə], a protector [əprə" tektə], a container and a protector; an inventor [ənɪn "ventə], a reporter [ərɪ" pɔ: tə], an inventor and a reporter; a composer [əkəm "pəuzə], a producer [əprə" dju: sə], a composer and a producer.

2 .Suffix -ist .This is a very common suffix that forms nouns denoting professionals, supporters of a social or scientific direction. It can be attached to nouns and adjectives.

Task 2. Read and give Russian equivalents.

A specialist [ə"speʃəlɪst], a naturalist [ə"nætʃrəlɪst], a scientist [ə"saɪəntɪst], a chemist [ə"kemɪst], an economist, a "botanist, a "moralist.

3 .Suffix - ian .Nouns with this suffix denote nationality or rank and profession, for example: Russian ["rʌʃən] - Russian, academician [ə, kædə" mɪʃən] - academician, musician musician. Darwinian - Darwinist.

Words formed by adding a suffix -ian, can also be translated as adjectives, for example:

the Russian language ["læŋɡwɪdʒ]

Neo-Darwinian interpretation of evolution [,nɪə dɑ:"wɪnɪən ɪn,tə:prɪ"teɪʃən əv,i:və"lu:ʃən] neo-Darwinian interpretation of evolution.

Note: Please note that nouns and adjectives denoting nationality are always capitalized: English, Russian, Polish, American.

4 .Suffix -ity (spelling options -ety ,-iety ) forms abstract nouns with the meaning of state, quality, condition. Suffix -ity matches suffix -awn , for example: able (capable) - ability [ə "bɪlɪtɪ] ability; active (active) - activity [æk" tɪvɪtɪ] activity, activity; valid (valid, justified, effective) - validity effectiveness, justice, legality, validity.

5 . Suffix -ing forms nouns from verbs (§ 85), for example: to meet (meet) - meeting ["mi: tɪŋ] meeting, to proceed (continue) - proceeding practice, proceedings, works, notes (scientific society).

6 .Suffix -hood forms nouns with the meaning "state, position, quality", for example: child (child) - childhood ["tʃaɪldhud] childhood, man (male) - manhood ["mænhud] masculinity.

7 . Suffix -ment forms nouns denoting action, for example: to move (move) - movement ["mu: vmənt] - movement.

Some words with this suffix take on the meaning of a set of objects, for example: equipment [ɪ "kwɪpmənt] equipment.

8 . Suffix -ness forms nouns with the meaning "state, quality", for example: dark (dark) - darkness ["dɑ: knɪs] darkness, good (good) - goodness ["ɡudnɪs] kindness, great (great) - greatness ["ɡreɪtnɪs] greatness.

9 .Suffix -y forms abstract nouns from verbs, for example: to discover (open) - discovery discovery; to inquire (ask, find out) - inquiry [ɪn "kwaɪərɪ] question, request.

10 .Suffix -th forms nouns with a quality value, for example: true (true, truthful) - truth true, health - health.

By adding a suffix -th nouns are formed from adjectives, with the root vowel often changing, for example: long (long) - length length, deep (deep) - depth depth, strong (strong) - strength strength.

11 .Suffix -ant forms nouns with the meaning of person and substance, for example: to assist (help) - assistant [ə "sɪstənt] assistant, to serve (serve) - servant ["sə: vənt] servant, an oxidant oxidizer, solvent solvent.

12 .Suffix -age forms nouns with different meanings, for example: to break (break) - breakage ["breɪkɪdʒ] breakage; to marry (marry) - marriage ["mæ-rɪdʒ] wedding; courage ["kʌrɪdʒ] - courage, courage, courage.

13 .Suffix -ism is characteristic of many languages, for example: Darwinism ["dɑ:wɪnɪzm], romanticism, capitalism ["kæpɪtəlɪzm], vandalism ["vændəlɪzm].

14 .Suffix -ire (-ture ,-sure ).

1) First of all, you should pay attention to the pronunciation of letter combinations ture and sure .As a result of certain phonetic changes in English, the combination ture began to be perceived as a symbol. For example: culture ["kʌltʃə], future ["fju: tʃə], lecture ["lektʃə], temperature ["temprɪtʃə].

letter combination sure conveyed by the sound combination [ʃə]. For example: pressure ["preʃə], tonsure ["tɔnʃə].

If before the letter combination sure there is a vowel, then it is transmitted by the sound combination [ʒə]. For example: exposure [ɪks "pouʒə], measure ["meʒə], treasure ["treʒə], pleasure ["pleʒə].

2) Suffix -ire (-ture ,-sure ) forms nouns denoting a process, for example: to press (press) - pressure ["preʃə] pressure, to mix (mix) - mixture ["mɪkstʃə] mixing.

Many nouns formed with the help of these suffixes can have the meaning of the result of an action in the form of an object, substance, for example: mixture - mixture, mixture; fixture - fixture (detail).

15 .Suffix -ship forms nouns with the meaning of state, position or property, for example: friend (friend) - friendship ["friendʃɪp] friendship, member (member) - membership ["membəʃɪp] membership.

Task 3. Form nouns from the given verbs using suffixes -er ,-or , and translate.

Sample: to tell to tell - a teller [ə "telə] narrator.

Suffix -er: to absorb - absorb, absorb; to advise - advise, advise; to compute - calculate; to point - indicate; to produce - produce, call; to report - report, report; to design - design, design; to restore - restore, restore; to run - run; to test - check, test.

Note. Know that two nouns are formed from the verb to inform [ɪn "fɔ: m]: informer-informant,informer and informant-informant("communicator").

Suffix -or: to act - act; to correct - correct; to inspect - inspect; to invent - to invent; to operate - work, act, manage; to select - select, sort.

Task 4. Connect the given pairs of nouns with a union and .Do not forget to use the connecting sound [r] before the union and, if the word before it ends with a letter r .Translate into Russian.

Sample: a reader, a writer - a reader and a writer - a reader and a writer.

an actor, a reporter; an artist, a corrector; a designer, an inspector; a naturalist, an inventor; an adviser, an informer; a specialist, an adviser; an absorber, a selector; an operator, and separator; a chemist, a runner; a restorer, a tester; an informant, an inspector; a computer, an operator; a pointer, a selector; a scientist, a designer; a checker, a producer.

Task 5. Read and translate into Russian.

Suffix - (i )an: historian, arithmetician [ə, rɪθmə "tɪʃən], statistician [, stætɪs" tɪʃən], politician [, pɔlɪ "tɪʃən], phonetician [, fəunə" tɪʃən], librarian (library - library), tragedian (tragedy - tragedy), comedian (comedy - comedy).

Note: Pay attention to the fact that physician means doctor,doctor,a physicist ["fɪzɪsɪst] - physicist.

Suffix -ity: simplicity (simple - simple), similarity [,sɪmɪ "lærɪtɪ] (similar - similar), selectivity (to select - select), complexity (complex - complex), certainty ["sə: təntɪ] (certain - definite), relativity [ ,relə "tɪvɪtɪ] (relative - relative), conductivity [,kɔndʌk" tɪvɪtɪ] (to conduct - to conduct).

Suffix -ing: writings ["raɪtɪŋz] (to write - to write), finding ["faɪndɪŋ] (to find - to find), coming ["kʌmɪŋ] (to come - to come), going ["ɡouɪŋ] (to go - to walk), planning [ "plænɪŋ] (to plan - to plan).

Suffix -hood: fatherhood ["fɑ: ðəhud] (father - father), brotherhood ["brʌðəhud] (brother - brother), serfhood ["sə: fhud] (serf - serf, slave), neighborhood ["neɪbəhud] (neighbour - neighbor).

Suffix -menu movement ["mu: vmənt] (to move - move), equipment [ɪ" kwɪpmənt] (to equip - equip), requirement (to require - require), agreement [ə "ɡri: mənt] (to agree - agree), measurement ["meʒəmənt] (to measure - measure), development (to develop - develop), improvement [ɪm" pru: vmənt] (to improve - improve), treatment ["tri: tmənt] (to treat - interpret, process) .

Suffix -ness (basic Russian equivalent -awn ): emptiness ["emptɪnɪs] (empty - empty), weakness ["wi: knɪs] (weak - weak), usefulness ["ju: sfulnɪs] (useful - useful), readiness ["redɪnɪs] (ready - ready), effectiveness [ ɪ "fektɪvnɪs] (effective - effective).

Suffixes -y; -th; -ant; -ist; -ure: discovery (to discover - open), strength (strong - strong), truth (true - true), growth ["ɡrouθ] (to grow - grow), chemist ["kemɪst], physicist ["fɪzɪsɪst], capitalist ["kæpɪtəlɪst ], economist [ɪ"kɔnəmɪst], scientist ["saɪəntɪst] (science - science), meteorologist [,mi: tjə" rɔlədʒɪst], assistant [ə "sɪstənt], servant ["sə: vənt] (to serve - serve) , exposure (ɪks "pouʒə] (to expose - withstand (in the light), expose).

Suffix -ship: leadership ["li: dəʃɪp] (to lead - to lead), citizenship [" sɪ (:) tɪzənʃɪp] (citizen - citizen), dictatorship (dictator - dictator).

Exercise 1.Translate, paying special attention to nouns that are formed in different ways (§ 31).

Memorize: words possible and feasible["fɪ: zəbl] can be translated the same way - possible .However, know the difference: possible - possible ,likely; feasible - (physically) executable ,feasible ,possible .

1. Beggars cannot be choosers. 2. The impossibility of such a simplification is obvious. 3. Clearliness is next to godliness. 4. Death is the great leveller. 5. Idleness is the mother of all evil. 6. Overdocumentation has two dangers. 7. There are times when the weak can help the strong. 8. Two wrongs do not make a right. 9. They have the same likes and the same dislikes. 10. The capacity to select the important from the many is also necessary. 11. The difficult we can do at once the impossible may take a little time. 12. The wheres and whens are important.

Any language, including English, is never “pure”, that is, consisting only of English words. In English, as in any other language, there are many borrowed words, suffixes and prefixes from other languages. Perhaps the most common languages, the words of which are in almost all languages, are Greek and Latin. Everyone knows that the foundations of many sciences were laid by the ancient Greeks, including the foundations of grammar. They say that the Greeks gave the world a lot. Words with the endings "IST" and "IZM" entered the Russian language.

For example: ECONOMY IST, SPECIAL IST, OPTIM IST, PIAN IST, PAROD IST or PATRIOT ISM, MODERN ISM, REAL ISM, TOUR ISM, EGO ISM, DRAMAT ISM. The meanings of these words are clear to everyone, and in English they will sound about the same and have the same meanings. All these words are international.

The suffixes “IST” and “ISM” should be considered together, since they have the same semantic basis, but form nouns belonging to different groups.

The suffixes "-ISM" and "-IST" reflect the areas of human activity that can be classified as "thinking" and "creative", that is, we are talking about science and art. Physical activity can be thought of as exercise.

The suffix "ISM" forms nouns that indicate the names of various theories and teachings and are abstract.

The suffix "IST" forms nouns that indicate a person who is engaged in these areas of activity and is specific.

It is possible to conditionally divide the spheres of human activity, which are defined by "Greek" suffixes, into two groups.

1. Theories, dogmas, teachings relating to all sciences, starting with philosophy and ending with social concepts, political currents and human behavior.

2. Literature and art.

Let's take a closer look at several groups of nouns with the suffixes "-ISM" and "-IST".

There are pairs of words with suffixes - "ISM" and "IST", which are almost inseparable. The suffix "-ISM" indicates the field of activity, and the suffix "-IST" indicates a person who is a follower of any teaching of theories or dogmas, is engaged in art or literature of a certain direction, or is engaged in certain types of physical exercises. But in these nouns there is a "source", that is, a root word that has the same meaning. Sometimes the basis (root) is an independent word, and sometimes it loses its independent meaning. Such nouns coincide in sound with similar Russian translations.

I will write pairs of nouns known to many with the suffixes "-ISM" and "-IST".

SOCIAL ISM—> SOCIAL IST= socialism -> socialist;

CAPITAL ISM—> CAPITAL IST= capitalism -> capitalist;

COMMUN ISM—> COMMUN IST= communism -> communist;

IMPERIAL ISM—> IMPERIAL IST= imperialism —> imperialist

FASC ISM—> FASC IST= fascism -> fascist;

DARVIN ISM—> DARVI NIST= Darwinism —> Darwinist;

MARX ISM—> MARX IST= Marxism -> Marxist;

NATIONAL ISM—> NATIONAL IST= nationalism -> nationalist;

OPPORTUN ISM—> OPPORTUN IST= opportunism -> opportunist;

OPTIM ISM—> OPTIM IST= optimism -> optimist;

PESSIM ISM—> PESSIM IST= pessimism -> pessimism;

EGO ISM—> EGO IST= selfishness -> egoist;

ALTRU ISM—> ALTRUI IST= altruism -> altruist;

SAD ISM—> S.A.D. IST= sadism -> sadist;

IMPRESSION ISM—> IMPRESSION IST= impressionism - impressionist;

PACIF ISM—> PACIF IST= pacifism -> pacifist;

FATAL ISM—> FATAL IST= fatalism -> fatalist;

REAL ISM—> REAL IST= realism -> realist;

There are nouns with the suffix "-IST", which indicate the occupation of a person, his profession, but there is no "paired" noun with the suffix "-ISM". There is a root word, which is an independent unit, and nouns with the suffixes "-IST" do not always sound the same as their Russian counterparts.

For example:

TOUR —> TOUR IST\u003d trip, trip, tour, excursion -> tourist. traveler;

SCIENCE —> SCIENT IST= science -> scientist;

HUMOUR —> HUMOUR IST\u003d humor, joke -> humorist, joker;

ART —> ART IST= art - an artist, a master of his craft, an artist;

PHILOLOGY —> PHILOLOGY IST= philology -> philologist;

DRAMATICS —> DRAMAT IST= dramatic art -> playwright;

CHEMISTRY —> CHEM IST= chemistry -> chemist;

ECONOMICS —> ECONO MIST= economics -> economist;

BIOLOGY —> BIOLOGY IST= biology -> biologist;

BOTANY —> BOTA IST= botany -> botanist;

GEOLOGY —> GEOLOGY IST= geology -> geologist;

PHYSICS —> PHYSIC IST= physics -> physicist;

PSYCOLOGY —> PSYCOLOGY IST= psychology -> psychologist;

PSYCHIATRY —> PSYCHIATR IST= psychiatry -> psychiatrist;

ECOLOGY —> ECOLOG IST= ecology -> ecologist;

MINERALOGY —> MINERALOGY IST= mineralogy -> mineralogist;

CARTOON —> CARTOON IST= cartooncartoonist;

AGRONOMY —> AGRONOM IST= agronomy -> agronomist;

PIANO —> PIAN IST= piano, piano -> pianist;

VIOLIN —> VIOLIN IST= violin -> violinist

VIOLONCELLO —> VIOLONCELLO IST= cello -> cellist

There is a group of nouns with the suffix "-ISM", but paired with them are nouns with other suffixes or no suffixes at all.

For example:

DESPOT ISM-> DESPOT = despotism -> despot;

PATRIOT ISM-> PATRIOT = patriotism -> patriot;

DEMOCRAT ISM-> DEMOCRAT = democratism -> democrat;

RADICAL ISM—> RADICAL = radicalism —> radical;

PROFESSIONAL ISM-> PROFESSIONAL = professionalism -> professional;

SCEPTIC ISM-> SCEPTIC = skepticism -> skeptic;

PARLIAMENTAR ISM—> PARLIAMENTARIAN = parliamentarism —> parliamentarian;

HERO ISM-> HERO = heroism -> hero;

PROVINCIAL ISM-> PROVINCIAL = provincialism -> provincial;

LIBERAL ISM-> LIBERAL = liberalism -> liberal;

CONSERVAT ISM-> CONSERVATIVE = conservatism -> conservative;

From the point of view of word formation, it would be more correct to say not “English words with the ending of tion”, but words with allomorphic(that is, almost identical) suffixes "tion / ion / ation". You can distinguish them only by knowing the origin of the word, the suffix "sion" is similar to them. Words with the ending "tion" are denoting actions, processes, concepts, properties, qualities, sciences and objects.
Examples:

Sense-sensation
Collect-collection
Nominalize- nominalization
Produce-production
intention-intention

These words, in turn, can form new ones:

Nation-national
constitutional

In order to independently form one word from another, knowledge of suffixes will not be enough, so you should expand your vocabulary.

The suffix, -tion, comes from -cion, which existed in Middle English and changed later under the influence of French.

Many words with the indicated suffixes were borrowed from other languages (English, French, Latin) and turned into Russian using morphological transmission. The beginning of the word is copied letter by letter (transliteration), the suffix is changed to the Russian manner and the Russian ending is added: revolution - revolution, selection - selection. With this transition, “-tion” turns into “-tion”, and “-sion” into “-siya”. Borrowed words can also be recognized by the prefixes characteristic of foreign languages: structure - restructuring, information - disinformation.

The meaning of the word may change somewhat or remain the same. For example, in English "selection" means choice in the broad sense of the word, and in Russian the word "selection" usually means the science of breeding animal breeds and plant varieties. Knowing the meaning of similar Russian words, it is easier for a person to remember or guess the translation of English and vice versa - to understand new Russian terms. Among the borrowed words there are both widely known and familiar words, as well as terms that are found only in specialized literature or a narrow area, for example, affirmation, accommodation, extrapolation. If a word ending in "tion" occurs in a colloquial phrase or literary text, it is advisable to translate it without borrowing. If the text is about science, business, politics, technology, it is appropriate to use borrowings.

How to read

The combination of letters -tion [ʃ(ǝ)n] at the end of a word read in Russian as [shn] or [shen], the exception is the word question, where the last letters are read as [ch]. The stress in words with such suffixes falls on the last vowel before the letters “tion”. The pronunciation of a stressed vowel depends on which letter, vowel or consonant, comes before these letters.

If there is a vowel before "tion", then it has an alphabetical reading, as in an open syllable, and if it is a consonant, then the vowel before it is read briefly, as in a closed syllable. The exception is the letter i, which is pronounced as [i] in both cases.

In this article from the series "" we will consider 10 main adjective suffixes in English: -ful, -less, -ous, -al, -y, -ic, -ish, -able, -ive, -ent (10), and also devote considerable time to working out these suffixes. Word-building exercises will not only help you prepare for English exams in the form of the OGE and the Unified State Examination, but will expand your vocabulary and help develop your language guess.

Derivation of adjectives

1. Suffixes of adjectives formed from nouns

noun + Ʌ = adj

-ful (expresses the presence of quality; beautiful, colorful)
-less (expresses lack of quality: colourless, useless)
-ous (words of French origin, analogue of ful: courageous, famous)
-al (central, formal)
-y (cloudy, dirty)
-ic (poetic, domestic)
-ish (expresses nationality: Scottish, English, as well as a weak degree of quality: brownish - brownish, reddish - reddish)

The exception is the suffix -ly, since this suffix serves to form adverbs. However, there are a number of adjectives and fairly common ones that are formed using this suffix, for example: friendly(friendly), lovely(charming), lively(active, active)

2. Suffixes of adjectives formed from verbs

verb + Ʌ = adj

-able / -ible (expresses the ability to undergo the action indicated by the verb: to change - changeable (change - changeable); to eat - eatable (eat - edible)
-ive (active, talkative)
-ent/-ant (different, important)

Note that the vowel in the adjective suffix is - e nt/- a nt is the same as in the noun suffix - e nce/- a nce and vice versa, that is:

differ ent- differ ence
import ant-import ance

Suffixes of adjectives in English. Exercises

Exercise 1. Translate into Russian.

The suffix -ful means "be full of" e.g. beautiful means "be full of" beauty.

She was very grateful for our help.
She likes colorful clothes.
She is a very forgetful girl.
We are not sure that our team will win, but we are hopeful.
They lived a peaceful, happy life.
He was always as helpful as possible.

Exercise 2.1. Translate into Russian.

The suffix -less means "without" e.g. hopeless means "without" hope.

a moonless night, a cloudless sky, a noiseless machine, numberless heroes, a motherless girl, a heartless woman, a homeless cat, a leafless tree, a nameless author, a sunless room, a endless war, a lifeless body, a colorless liquid , a friendless child, a sleepless night, careless people, a doubtless victory

Exercise 2.2. Translate into English.

Cloudless sky, helpless child, silent car, countless heroes, lifeless body, carefree child, heartless woman, stray cat, tree without leaves, nameless author, room without sun, endless war, colorless liquid. It was a moonless night. He looked tired after a sleepless night.

Exercise 3

The suffix- ous means "ful of" which comes from French e.g. danger + ous = dangerous

BUT. Form adjectives from nouns and translate them.

SAMPLE nerve + ous = nervous (nerve - nervous)

fame - ..., humour - ..., courage - ..., glory (y->i) - ..., poison - ..., space (i) - ...

AT. Use the words in the sentences.

We don't know if these chemicals are ____________ to people.
She became ____________as a writer.
I like to read ___________stories.
There are a lot of _______ snakes in the jungle.
It was a _________victory.
He was a ____________soldier.
They liked the _______________rooms in their new house.

Exercise 4 -y.

A. Translate into English.

windy day, sunny weather, cloudy sky, sleepy child, dreamy girl, icy wind, healthy food

B. Form adjectives from the nouns and translate them.

SAMPLE swamp - swampy (swamp - swampy)

sand - ... , rock - ... , juice - ... , grass - ... , star(r) - ... , bone - ... , skin(n) - ..., water- ... , fog (g) - ..., swamp - ...

C. Put the adjectives from B into this sentences to make them complete.

This … land is very good for farming. Cows and sheep can feed here all the year round.
Peter, eat some more roast beef. You should eat more: you have grown so … (2 variants)!
On such … mornings it’s very difficult to drive, as you can’t see the road clearly.
These are … apples. I like them most of all.
My little brother never eats fish if it is ... .
Holidaymakers love the … beaches in the south of Australia.
Why does this coffee taste so…?
The picture shows the … mountains of Scotland.
The sky is unusually … tonight.
… places have a lot of water in all seasons.

Exercise 5 Translate into Russian the adjectives, ending with the suffix — ic.

gigantic hound, scientific expedition, domestic animal, academic year, Olympic games, thematic collection, basic knowledge

Exercise 6 Make up adjectives with the help of suffix -al and translate them.

SAMPLE music - musical (music - musical)

industry - ..., culture - ..., region - ..., tradition - ..., nature - ..., nation - ..., agriculture - ..., comic - ...

Exercise 7 Nationality suffixes

SAMPLE Britain-British

Scotland - ..., Spain - ..., Sweden - ..., Finland - ..., Denmark - ..., Poland - ..., Turkey - ...

SAMPLE

America - ..., Australia - .., Canada - ..., Hungary - ..., Belgium - ..., Egypt - ..., Italy - ..., Europe - ...

SAMPLE Japan–Japanese

China - ..., Portugal - ...

Mind: Germany-German, France-French, Holland-Dutch, Greece-Greek

Exercise 8 – able.

Suffix able has the value "can": movable means can move- can be moved (moveable)

A. Form the words with the suffix – able.

move - .., count - ..., eat - ..., drink - ..., comfort - ..., imagine - ... , break - ... , read - ... , respect - ...., forget - ..., believe - ...

B. Use the words in the sentences:

Though the cup is made of thin glass it is not ……….(break).
She thought of all names ………to guess the name of their new classmate. (imagined).
Everybody respects him. He is very…….. (respect).
I can't read the book. It is not……(read).
The nouns are divided into …………. and un…………… (count).

Exercise 9 Form the words with the suffix –ive.

create - ... , impress - ... , progress - ..., act - ... , mass - ... , impulse - ...

Exercise 10 Read the adjectives and spell the suffixes used in forming them.

SAMPLE changeable— The adjective changeabl e is formed with the help of the suffix -able.

successful, cloudless, collective, central, comic, satirical, dangerous, faultless, misty, courageous, aggressive, national, breakable

Exercise 11 Translate these combinations; say what words the adjectives are formed from.

a washable shirt, a skilful worker, democratic forces, the postal service, groundless suspicions, a humorous story, a gloomy scene, salty ham, professional interest, peaceful labor, a noiseless machine, a courageous soldier, a lucky ticket, a continental climate , a dusty road.

Exercise 12 Learn them by heart

B. Listen to the adjectives and translate them by ear.

Word formation in English (repetition)

Noun suffixes. Repetition

Exercise 13 Form nouns from these adjectives using the suffixes from the table.

able, near, distant, long, wide, strong, wise, kind, electric, short, white, probable, persistent (stubborn), dependent, insistent (persistent), indifferent (indifferent), unstable (unstable), patient, responsible, important, stupid, curious

That's all for now! I will be glad if my article is useful to you and you share the link on social networks!

Sources: exercises taken from various manuals, partially redone and modified. In particular, the textbooks "English language grades 5-11" were used, the authors Afanasyeva O.V., Mikheeva I.V.