Adjective Suffixes - Spelling and Explanation
| REF | SUFFIX | MEANING | SPELLING | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WB30 WB03 | -able | possibility, having certain qualities | v + able v = e - e + able v = ce + able v = ge + able v = y - y + iable |
depend => dependable value => valuable notice => noticeable change => changeable rely => reliable |
| WB30 | -al (2) | connected with | n + al | nation => national |
| WB19 | -(i)an (3) | from, typical of | n + (i)an | Tibet => Tibetan |
| WB06 | -ant (2) | someone or something that does something | v + ant v = y - y + iant v = e - e + ant |
expect => expectant rely => reliant ignore => ignorant |
| WB06 | -ary (3) | connected with | n + ary | fragment => fragmentary |
| WB29 | -(e)d | having the characteristics of | n + ed | talent => talented |
| WB19 | -en (1) | made of a particular material or substance | n + en | gold => golden |
| WB06 | -ent (2) | someone or something that does something | v + ent | differ => different |
| WB21 | -esque | having a particular quality | n = e - e + esque | picture => picturesque |
| WB19 | -fold | of a particular number of kinds | n + fold | ten => tenfold |
| WB29 WB04 | -ful (3) | having the qualities of, full of | v + ful | forget => forgetful |
| WB05 | -ial | typical of | n + ial | dictator => dictatorial |
| WB03 | -ible | possibility, having certain qualities | v + ible v = e - e + ible v = mit => miss + ible |
corrupt => corruptible collapse => collapsible permit => permissible |
| WB05 | -ic (1) | connected with | n = dy - y + ic n = ete - e + ic n = esis - sis + tic n = osis - sis + tic n = pathy - y + ic |
parody => parodic athlete => athletic genesis => genetic hypnosis => hypnotic psychopathy => psychopathic |
| WB05 | -ic (2) | that performs the action mentioned | n = ist + ic | opportunist => opportunistic |
| WB05 | -ical | related to | n = ology - y + ical n = ic + al |
archaeology => archaeological music => musical |
| WB19 | -ish (1) | typical of or like a particular type of person | n + ish | baby => babyish |
| WB19 | -ish (2) | the ending of some adjectives that show disapproval | n + ish | red => reddish |
| WB30 WB06 | -ive (2) | doing or tending to do something specified | v + ive v = nd - d + sive v = de - de + sive |
attract => attractive defend => defensive include => inclusive |
| WB30 WB04 | -less (1) | lacking something | n + less | speech => speechless |
| WB04 | -less (2) | exceeding a category | n + less | price => priceless |
| WB15 | -like | resembling or characteristic of | n + like | lady => ladylike |
| WB06 | -ly (1) | having the qualities of | n + ly | mother => motherly |
| WB06 | -ly (2) | happening at regular periods of time | n + ly | month => monthly |
| WB29 WB06 | -(i)ous | describes something that has a particular quality | n + ous n = e - e + ous n = ion => ious n = y - y + ious |
danger => dangerous fame => famous nutrition => nutritious harmony => harmonious |
| WB19 | -ory | describes something that does a particular thing | n + ory | audit => auditory |
| WB15 | -some (1) | attributes and characteristics | n + some | burden => burdensome |
| WB15 | -some (2) | causing an emotion | n + some | trouble => troublesome |
| WB21 | -th (2) | in ordinal numbers | n + th | fifteen => fifteenth |
| WB21 | -ular | relating to something | n = le => ul + ar | angle => angular |
| WB15 | -ward | towards a particular direction or place | n + ward | home => homeward |
| WB21 | -wise | in the manner or direction of | n + wise | clock => clockwise |
| WB15 | -worthy (1) | deserving, or suitable for, the thing mentioned | n + worthy | news => newsworthy |
| WB15 | -worthy (2) | fit or safe for | n + worthy | sea => seaworthy |
| WB29 WB19 | -y | characteristics | n + y | dust => dusty |
WB24 - FCE VOCABULARY SECTION
WB24 - ADVANCED VOCABULARY SECTION
n - noun | v - verb | adj - adjective
Example #1: n = cs - a noun that ends in cs
Example #2: v = pel - a verb that ends in pel
Example #3: politics => politician | n = cs - s + ian | 'politics' ends in cs, the s is dropped and replaced with the suffix ian.
Example #4: compel => compulsion | v = pel => pul + sion | 'compel' ends in pel, the pel is replaced with pul and the suffix sion is added.
Example #5: act => actor | v + or | add the suffix to the base form of the verb.