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Part of speech: Suffixes
Part of speech: suffixes
© University of Reading
There are many endings of words (known as “suffixes”) which are associated with different parts of speech. Here are some examples:
| Part of Speech | Suffixes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Nouns | -ance | appearance, performance, significance |
| -ence | dependence, existence, reference | |
| -tion | definition, distribution, organisation | |
| -sion | conclusion, dimension, tension | |
| -ment | assessment, employment, environment | |
| -ure | literature, procedure, structure | |
| -ity | clarity, identity, majority | |
| -age | advantage, package, percentage | |
| Adjectives | -ant | important, relevant, significant |
| -ent | consistent, dependent, evident | |
| -ive | effective, informative, productive | |
| -cial | beneficial, commercial, financial | |
| -tial | essential, influential, residential | |
| -ous | ambiguous, obvious, serious | |
| -ic | dramatic, economic, specific | |
| Verbs | -en | strengthen, tighten, widen |
| -olve | involve, revolve, solve | |
| -ide | coincide, decide, divide | |
| -ise | generalise, organise, revise |
It’s important to note that these are general patterns and there are many words which do not follow them. For example:
initiative (noun), mention (verb), sudden (adjective), statistic (noun), ensure (verb), wooden (adjective).
© University of Reading
This article is from the online course:
An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study
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An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study
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