S7 VOCABULARY LESSON

COMMON ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES

Teacher: Jerome Akyemvi, MA

 OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Find it easier to guess the meaning of some
adjectives by just looking at their endings.
2. Differentiate adjectives from other word groups.

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 INTRODUCTION

A suffix is a letter or a group of letters which we add to

a word to create another word. Knowledge about this
will not only help us to identify word forms but also
the meaning of these words.

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Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
reason - reasonable
tax -taxable
[NOUNS] that can or must fashion - fashionable
-able [VERBS] be (done); comfort –comfortable
having the change -changeable
quality of eat -eatable
wash -washable
horror –horrible
[NOUNS] that can or must sense-sensible
-ible [VERBS] be; having the access -accessible
quality of divide - divisible
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Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
talent –talented
having (the beard - bearded
characteristics disease -diseased
-ed [NOUNS] of); that suffers interest-interested
[VERBS] or receives bore – bored
some kind of excite -excited
feeling or effect embarrass -embarrassed
that does or interest -interesting
[NOUNS] produces some embarrass -embarrassing
-ing [VERBS] kind of feeling bore- boring
or effect amaze - amazing

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Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
full of; having sorrow - sorrowful;
the qualities success -successful
-ful [NOUNS] of; tending to peace - peaceful
[VERBS] help – helpful
forget - forgetful
without; not tree – treeless
doing, not hair -hairless
-less [NOUNS] affected by meaning -
meaningless
hope –hopeless
harm -harmless

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Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
magic – magical
verb - verbal
[NOUNS] music – musical
-al connected nation –national
with accident - accidental
environment -
environmental
connected economy –economic
[NOUNS] with, that Arab - Arabic
-ic [VERBS] performs the horrify –horrific
action specify –specific
mentioned metal - metallic
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Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
-en [NOUNS] made of; wood –wooden
looking like gold - golden
[VERBS] that is or differ – different
-ent does compete – competent
something refer – referent
concur - concurrent

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 Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
that is or does signify –significant
-ant [VERBS] something ignore –ignorant
Celebrate - celebrant
having the nature poison -poisonous;
-(i)ous [NOUN] or quality of glory -glorious;
mystery –mysterious
Caution - cautious
from the country yellow -yellowish
mentioned; Turkey –Turkish
[ADJECT [disapproving] Ireland –Irish
-ish IVES] having the nature Spain - Spanish;
[NOUNS] of, like; child -childish
fairly,
approximately 9
 Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
tending to; explode – explosive
-ive [VERB] having the describe-descriptive
nature of express-expressive
Expense - expensive
dust – dusty
rain –rainy
full of; sun –sunny
-y [NOUN] having the anger – angry
quality thirst –thirsty
of; tending silk – silky
to Hair-hairy

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Suffix Added to Meaning Examples
Belgium – Belgian
-ian [NOUNS] from, Brazil –Brazilian
typical of Shakespeare –
Shakespearian
Christ – christian
friend –friendly
having the coward –cowardly
-ly qualities of; scholar – scholarly
[NOUNS] at intervals day –daily
of month – monthly
year -yearly

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 Thank You

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