Noun Suffixes - Spelling and Explanation
| REF | SUFFIX | MEANING | SPELLING | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WB18 | -ade (1) | act, action | v = e - e + ade | escape => escapade |
| WB18 | -ade (2) | sweet drink | n + ade | lemon => lemonade |
| WB25 WB08 | -age (1) | the action or result of | v + age | break => breakage |
| WB08 | -age (2) | house or place of | n + age | orphan => orphanage |
| WB08 | -age (3) | an amount of | n + age | mile => mileage |
| WB08 | -age (4) | charge, the cost of | v + age | post => postage |
| WB08 | -al (1) | a process or state of | v = e - e + al v = y - y + ial v = r + r + al |
rehearse => rehearsal bury => burial refer => referral |
| WB07 | -(i)an (1) | a specialist in | n = c + ian n = cs - s + ian n = y - y + ian |
music => musician politics => politician history => historian |
| WB07 WB20 | -(i)an (2) | belonging to the stated place, group, or type | n = y - y + ian | Italy => Italian |
| WB25 WB22 | -ance | the action or state of | adj = ant - t + ce | fragrant => fragrance |
| WB07 | -ant (1) | someone or something that does something | v + ant | complain => complainant |
| WB18 | -ary (1) | thing belonging to or connected with, especially: place of | n + ary | diction => dictionary |
| WB18 | -ary (2) | person belonging to, connected with, or engaged in | n + ary | function => functionary |
| WB26 WB09 | -ation | another form of the suffix -ion | v = aim => am + ation v = is(z)e - e + ation v = ne - e + ation v = re - e + ation v = ve - e + ation |
exclaim => exclamation realise => realisation determine => determination explore => exploration starve => starvation |
| WB08 | -cy (1) | a state or quality | n = t - t + cy adj/n = te - te + cy adj = nt - t + cy adj/n = tic - tic + cy |
democrat => democracy private => privacy pregnant => pregnancy lunatic => lunacy |
| WB08 | -cy (2) | rank, position or occupation | n = t - t + cy | regent => regency |
| WB26 WB13 | -dom (1) | a state or condition | adj/n + dom | free => freedom |
| WB26 WB13 | -dom (2) | the rank of, an area ruled by | n + dom | king => kingdom |
| WB20 | -ean | another form of the suffix -an | n = ea + n n = e + an |
Korea => Korean Chile => Chilean |
| WB07 | -ee (1) | someone who is being treated in a particular way | v + ee | employ => employee |
| WB07 | -ee (2) | someone who is in a particular state or who is doing something | n = e + e | refuge => refugee |
| WB26 WB22 | -ence | the action or state of | adj = ent - t + ce | innocent => innocence |
| WB07 | -ent (1) | someone who does or makes a particular thing | v = e + nt | reside => resident |
| WB07 | -eer (1) | someone who does or makes a particular thing | n + eer | mountain => mountaineer |
| WB07 | -eer (2) | (often disapproving) doing an activity | n + eer | profit => profiteer |
| WB23 WB07 | -er (1) | a person that performs the action | v = m + m + er | swim => swimmer |
| WB07 | -er (2) | something that does something | v = e + r | compute => computer |
| WB07 | -er (3) | a person studying or expert in | n = y - y + er | philosophy => philosopher |
| WB07 | -er (4) | a person belonging to | n + er | London => Londoner |
| WB07 | -er (5) | a person or thing that has the thing or quality mentioned | adj + er | foreign => foreigner |
| WB08 | -ery (1) | a quality, behaviour or condition | n = e + ry | slave => slavery |
| WB08 | -ery (2) | things of a particular kind | adj = e + ry | fine => finery |
| WB08 | -ery (3) | place of doing, keeping, producing, or selling | v + ery | brew => brewery |
| WB20 | -ese | the people or language of a particular country or place | n + ese | Japan => Japanese |
| WB18 | -ess | indicating a feminine form | n + ess | host => hostess |
| WB12 | -ette | little one of the thing or class specified | n + ette | kitchen => kitchenette |
| WB22 | -ful (1) | number or quantity that fills or would fill | n + full | house => houseful |
| WB22 | -ful (2) | as much as can be carried by or contained in a particular part of the body | n + full | hand => handful |
| WB25 WB13 | -hood (1) | used to refer to a period of time or a state | n + hood | parent => parenthood |
| WB25 WB13 | -hood (2) | the people who belong to a particular group | n + hood | neighbour => neighbourhood |
| WB20 | -i | the people or language of a particular country or place | n + i | Pakistan => Pakistani |
| WB22 | -ice | act, quality, or condition | n + ice | coward => cowardice |
| WB12 | -ie | another form of the suffix -y | n + ie | bird => birdie |
| WB18 | -ine (1) | forming abstract nouns | n = e - e + ine | disciple => discipline |
| WB18 | -ine (2) | indicating a feminine form | n + ine | hero => heroine |
| WB18 | -ine (3) | used particularly in chemical terms | n + ine | plastic => plasticine |
| WB24 | -ion | the action or state of | v = ct + ion v = nt + ion v = pt + ion v = st + ion |
connect => connection prevent => prevention except => exception suggest => suggestion |
| WB26 WB13 | -ism (1) | act, practice, or process | v = ise/ize - e + m | plagiarise => plagiarism |
| WB26 WB13 | -ism (2) | the state or quality of | adj = ic - c + sm | magnetic => magnetism |
| WB13 | -ism (3) | illness caused by too much of something | n = e - e + ism | morphine => morphinism |
| WB26 WB13 | -ism (4) | the teaching, system or movement of | n + ism | vegetarian => vegetarianism |
| WB23 WB07 | -ist (1) | one that performs a (specified) action | v = e - e + ist | cycle => cyclist |
| WB07 | -ist (2) | one that makes or produces a (specified) thing | n + ist | novel => novelist |
| WB07 | -ist (3) | one that plays a musical instrument | n + ist | harp => harpist |
| WB07 | -ist (4) | someone who studies a particular subject | n = y - y + ist | geology => geologist |
| WB07 | -ist (5) | a person who believes or practises something | adj + ist | royal => royalist |
| WB09 | -ition | another form of the suffix -ion | v = se - e + ition | decompose => decomposition |
| WB22 | -ive (1) | tending to, having the nature of | v = e - e + ive v + ive |
narrate => narrative detect => detective |
| WB12 | -let | smaller things | n + let | star => starlet |
| WB12 | -ling | a small, young, or less important type of something | n + ling | prince => princeling |
| WB24 WB25 WB22 | -ment | an action or process, or its result | v + ment | develop => development |
| WB24 WB25 WB22 | -ness | the quality, state or character of | adj + ness | dry => dryness |
| WB23 WB07 | -or (1) | a person that performs the action | v + or | act => actor |
| WB07 | -or (2) | a thing that performs the action | n + or | process => processor |
| WB18 | -ory (1) | a place or thing that is used for doing something | v = ve => vat + ory v + ory |
observe => observatory deposit => depository |
| WB09 | -ption | another form of the suffix -ion | v = me - e + ption v = be - e + ption v = ceive - ive + ption |
consume => consumption prescribe => prescription conceive => conception |
| WB25 WB13 | -ship (1) | occupation and position | n + ship | professor => professorship |
| WB25 WB13 | -ship (2) | connections | n + ship | friend => friendship |
| WB25 WB13 | -ship (3) | skills and ability | n + ship | seaman => seamanship |
| WB13 | -ship (4) | boats and other vehicles | n + ship | battle => battleship |
| WB09 | -sion | another form of the suffix -ion | v = d - d + sion v = de - de + sion v = mit - t + ssion v = pel => pul + sion v = vert - t + sion |
extend => extension decide => decision admit => admission compel => compulsion divert => diversion |
| WB26 WB28 WB16 | -th (1) | the action or process of | v + th | grow => growth |
| WB09 | -tion | another form of the suffix -ion | v = duce - e + tion | produce => production |
| WB18 | -tude | a suffix appearing in abstract nouns | adj + itude v = e - e + itude |
long => longitude serve => servitude |
| WB24 WB26 WB08 | -(i)ty | the quality or state of | adj + ity | stupid => stupidity |
| WB08 | -ure (1) | act, process or result of | v + ure | fail => failure |
| WB08 | -ure (2) | office: function, body for (such) an activity | v = e - e + ture | legislate => legislature |
| WB12 | -y (1) | showing affection, dear little one | n = g + gy | dog => doggy |
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.