Adjective Suffixes
(From: http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/passive3a.html)
Forming adjectives from other word forms
Noun → Adjective word form
NOUN WORD FORM
Some adjectives are formed from nouns and others are formed from verbs. The word forms are from
Latin, Greek and other languages. There is no simple rule for adding suffixes, but there are common
patterns.
DET + NOUN (N)
The sky was a spectacle. (a very beautiful thing to see)
The sky was filled with colors.
The sunset was red.
We felt awe. (a feeling of inspiration and respect)
ADJECTIVE WORD FORM
Adding a suffix to a noun form is one way of forming an adjective. A suffix is a part added to the end
of a word to mark the word form. An adjective is often used after It is or It seems (stative verbs).
BE + ADJ
DET + MODIFIER + N
It was spectacular.¹
It was a spectacular sky.
It was colorful.
It was a colorful sky.
It looked reddish.
It was a reddish sky.
It was awesome.
It was an awesome sight.
¹It + be + adjective (predicate adjective or predicate complement) See describing "be" (ascriptive
"be").
NP –noun phrase; N – noun; Det – determiner; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective
Also see Noun Suffixes – changing adjectives to noun forms.
Common Suffixes — noun to adjective
SUFFIX
-AL
accident – accidental
brute – brutal
NOUN –
ADJECTIVE
region – regional
region – regional
custom – customary
person – personal
universe –universal
moment – momentary
caution – cautionary
honor – honorary
diet – dietary
wonder – wonderful
awe – awful
success – successful
base – basic
delight – delightful
history – historic
NOUN – ADJECTIVE
NOUN – ADJECTIVE
relating to
-ARY relating to
quality or place
compliment –
complimentary
beauty – beautiful
-FUL full of
-IC having the nature
of; caused by
skill – skillful
athlete – athletic
photograph – photographic science – scientific
rhythm– rhythmic
-ICAL having the
nature of
history – historical
magic – magical
logic – logical
practice – practical
statistic – statistical
fool – foolish
child – childish
alphabet –
alphabetical
self – selfish
sheep – sheepish
power – powerless
pink – pinkish
friend – friendless
girl – girlish
worth – worthless
use – useless
like – lifelike
home – homeless
lady – ladylike
penny – penniless
war – warlike
child – childlike
friend – friendly
bird – birdlike
cost – costly
spring – springlike
month – monthly
day – daily
poison – poisonous
order – orderly
danger – dangerous
coward – cowardly
nerve – nervous
courtesy – courteous
rain – rainy
mystery – mysterious
fun – funny
victory – victorious
dirt – dirty
mess – messy
dirt – dirty
spot – spotty
-ISH origin, nature
-LESS without
-LIKE like
-LY like
-OUS quality, nature
-Y like
Changing verbs to adjectives
Verb word form → Adjective word form
VERB WORD FORM
Some adjectives are formed by adding a suffix to the verb form. A suffix is a part added to the end of
a word to mark the word form.
VERB
They create ideas.
She is expecting a baby.
They don't permit smoking here.
They urge us to come immediately.
Today's news interests me.
ADJECTIVE WORD FORM
Adjectives commonly occur after be verbs as predicate adjectives or predicate complements.
Adjectives also occur as modifiers to nouns (pre-position and post-position)
BE + ADJECTIVE
MODIFIER TO A NOUN
They are creative.
They have creative minds.
She is an expectant mother.
We congratulated the expectant mother.
Smoking is permissible. allowed
Smoking is a permissible activity.
The matter is urgent.
This urgent matter needs your attention.
The news is interesting.
We have interesting news.
I am interested.
I am an interested reader.
Modifiers ending in -ed / -ing
Participial Modifiers -ed vs. -ing
PAST PARTICIPIAL MODIFIER -ED
The past participle modifies the noun that is the receiver of the feeling or emotion.
an amused child
The child receives the feeling of amusement.
Interested people can sign up for the class.
(The people feel interest in the subject.)
Bored speakers should find something exciting to say.
(The speaker feels boredom while speaking!)
Amused viewers enjoy the short films.
(The viewers feel the amusement.)
Overwhelmed students end up dropping a course or two . (The students feel overwhelmed.)
PRESENT PARTICIPIAL MODIFIER -ING
The present participle modifies the noun that is the source of the feeling or emotion.
an amusing ride
The ride causes amusement.
Interesting people will speak during the class.
(People cause others to feel interest.)
Boring speakers put their attendees to sleep.
(The speaker causes others to be bored.)
Amusing short films are shown at the animated film festival.
(The films cause the amusement.)
Overwhelming amounts of work are given to high school students. (The amount of work causes the
overwhelming.)
Common suffixes — verb to adjective
SUFFIX
VERB – ADJECTIVE VERB – ADJECTIVE VERB – ADJECTIVE
agree – agreeable
expand – expandable laugh – laughable
-ABLE able, can do
pass – passable
access – accessible
remark – remarkable
force – forcible
pay – payable
sense – sensible
flex – flexible
please – pleasant
permit – permissible
rely – reliant
force – forcible
ignore – ignorant
resist – resistant
vacate – vacant
comply – compliant
-IBLE able, can do
-ANT performing agent
excel – excellent
depend – dependent
confide – confident
urge – urgent
attract – attractive
differ – different
create – creative
equal – equivalent
select – selective
posses – possessive
amuse – amusing
prevent – preventive
excite – exciting
destruct – destructive
confuse – confusing
relax –relaxing
amuse – amused
surprise –surprising
excite – excited
amaze – amusing
confuse – confused
relax – relaxed
freeze – frozen
surprise – surprised
lighten – lightened
overwhelm – overwhelmed
darken – darkened
braze – brazen
shorten – shortened
widen – widened
-ENT performing agent
-IVE causing effect
-ING causing effect
-ED receiving effect
-EN receiving effect
Adjectives: Similar but Different
VERB
SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT PAIRS
It was an awesome movie. having a great quality, inspiring
AWE
It was an awful movie. having a terrible quality
We have two dependent children. needing someone for care
DEPEND
We have two dependable children. having a nature of completing promises
The laughing child was playing. having a good nature
LAUGH
The laughable car was powered with tequila. impossible to be serious about
She has light hair. a natural quality
LIGHT
She has lightened hair. an unnatural/changed quality
He is a loving son. having a quality of giving love
LOVE
He is a lovable son. having a nature of attracting love
He is selective a bout what he eats. having a quality of being choosy
SELECT
They are selling selected items. particular, carefully chosen
Select people can live there. a small number, exclusive, wealthy
He is a sensible person. reasonable [sensible]
SENSE
He is a sensitive person. easily irritated or hurt [L. sensitivus]
NOUN
SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT PAIRS
It was childish behavior (behavior). having immature behavior, negative
CHILD
It was childlike behavior. qualities like a child, positive
We are confident about winning. sure [L.confidere]
CONFIDE
The message is confidential. private [L. confident]
It is a crisp day, today. cool and dry
CRISP
It is a crispy cracker. thin and crunchy (makes a pleasant sound)
We had a fun time at the movies. amusing
FUN
We saw a funny movie. causing laughter
The general made a tactical advance. military move [L. tacticus]
TACT
He is a tactful politician. having skills handling situations [L. tactus] tact (n.) – skill in
dealing with difficult or delicate situations
Your food is tasty. having a good taste
TASTE
You are a tasteful dresser. having good judgment for fashion
He is a worthy competitor. having good value, character
WORTH
He is a worthless competitor. having no value or importance
Suffixes -ic versus –ical: Adjectives -ic and -ical
-IC
There is no particular way to know whether a word will use the -ic or the -ical ending. The suffix -ic
comes from French -ique, or Greek -ikos. and means having the nature of , or causing something.
academic, algebraic, arithmetic, artistic, athletic, catholic, domestic, dramatic, egoistic, emphatic,
energetic, fantastic, geometric, strategic, linguistic, majestic, neurotic, pathetic, pedagogic, phonetic,
public, semantic, syntactic, systematic, tragic
He buys classic cars. traditional, old style
His comic verse filled books. artistic comedy
His economic theory was proved unsound. of the science of economics
An electric motor powered the car. a particular machine
That was a/an historic moment. recorded in past history
The hysteric / hysterical woman was out of control. unable to control your behavior or emotions
The little girl played with a magic wand. of a mysterious source
He was a medic in the military. intern or doctor
He wrote in a poetic speech. imaginative, having the quality of poetry, like poetry
It's not politic to ask such questions wise
-ICAL
The -ical form is often added to a word that already has a final -ic. Such adjectives often have a
different or an additional meaning from the more basic -ic form.
alphabetical, alphanumerical, archeological, biblical, biological, chemical, chronological, critical,
cynical, ethical, grammatical, fanatical, illogical, logical, mathematical, mechanical, medical, musical,
pedagogical, physical, radical, surgical tactical, topical
We listen to classical music. from a cultural (sometimes Greek, Roman, European) source, or 18thC.
His comical verse entertained audiences. funny
He chose an economical car. inexpensive to use
Electrical equipment makes our work easier. general, mass
This is a/an historical moment. worthy of being recorded in history
The movie was hysterical. very funny, causing uncontrollable laughter
It was a magical experience. mysterious, wonderful, exciting
He did medical research. related to medicine
He wrote in a poetical manner. having the form of poetry
It was a political question. concerning government and politics
Common Mistakes: Errors and Solutions
FOCUS
His answer was logic, but I didn't
agree with him.
How can I tell if a word is an
adjective or a noun? →
My dad likes to listen to classic
music on the car radio.
Use this to refer to traditional
music (not Bach and Beethoven)
Do you know where I can buy an
economic car?
Hal is a tasty dresser.
SOLUTION
His answer was logical, but I didn't agree with him.
Tip: If you want to know if a word is an adjective, place "very"
before the word. It's very logical. (OK) / It's *very logic*. (not
OK)
My dad likes to listen to classical music on the car radio.
This book is a classic. enjoyed by generations
Use "classical music" to refer to Beethoven, Bach, Haydn, etc.
Do you know where I can buy an economical car? (money saving,
affordable, gas saving?)
Hal is a tasteful dresser.
Use tasty for food. Use tasteful for fashion sense (dresses
appropriately, has good fashion judgment).
It was a chilly, crispy day.
It was a chilly, crisp day. (dry, low humidity)
Don't shout at my son. He's a very
sensible person.
He's a very sensitive person. (easily hurt)
FORMACION DEL ADJETIVO
Puede efectuarse por adición de sufijos, separables o no:
a) A PARTIR DE UN SUSTANTIVO
hope, esperanza
grace, gracia
child, niño
rain, lluvia
gold, oro
West, oeste
friend, amigo
pleasure, placer
atom, átomo
b) A PARTIR DE UN VERBO
hopeless, desesperanzado
graceful, gracioso
childish, aniñado
rainy, lluvioso
golden, dorado, de oro
Western, occidental
friendly, amistoso
pleasurable, placentero
atomic, atómico
to eat, comer
to act, actuar
to contribute, contribuir
to work, trabajar
eatable, comestible
active, activo
contributive, contribuyente
working, que trabaja
c) A PARTIR DE OTRO ADJETIVO
blind, ciego
yellow, amarillo
practic, práctico
blindfold, a ciegas
yellowish, amarillento
practical, práctico
Los sufijos son aquellas partículas que se le agregan a una palabra (después, y no antes como los
prefijos), para de esta forma indicar en qué caso gramatical se encuentra, o modificar de alguna
manera su significad.
Un ejemplo en español: el sufijo –s, o es. al agregarlo a una palabra, le da un significado de plural ej:
carro, carros
Los sufijos en inglés más usados son los siguientes:
- able
forma adjetivos a partir de verbos. No se aplica a sustantivos. Significa able, ible :
-to reason/reasonable = razonar/razonable
-to drink/drinkable = beber/bebible (potable)
-ful
este sufijo es agregado a sustantivos para formar sustantivos y adjetivos. significan ada, ado, ido, oso :
-color/colorful = color/colorido
-wonder/wonderful = maravilla/maravilloso
-y
este sufijo es utilizado en inglés con 3 propósitos: Se añade a sustantivos para convertirlos en
adjetivos y expresar semejanza o para indicar abundancia. Y en caso de que un sustantivo finalice en e
convierte la e simplemente en y. Significa ado, oso y raramente significa able; Utilizado para obtener
el disminutivo, para el efecto si finaliza en consonante esta se repite. significa ito, ita.
noise/noisy = ruido/ruidoso
water/watery = agua/acuoso
anger/angry = enojo/enojado
- cal
Este sufijo convierte sustantivos. en adjetivos. Sustantivos terminados en c solamente agrega al.
Significa ico, ica
-medic/medical = médico/médico (a)
-alphabet/alphabetical = alfabeto/alfabético(ica)
- ous
este sufijo equivale al sufijo oso, osa del español, con el trasformamos un sustantivo en adjetivo y de
acuerdo al procedimiento siguiente :
Sustantivos terminados en r basta agregar ous; los terminados en e cambian e por ous; el terminado en
y la cambia por i y agrega ous, al sustantivo terminado en o agrega us, los terminados en on elimina la
n y se reemplaza por us.
-fury/furious = furia/furioso
-danger/dangerous = peligro/peligroso
- less
Este sufijo altera a los sustantivos para obtener adjetivos. Y es muy útil con los comparativos. Es un
sufijo tipo negación y el cual significa sin, in,.
-hope/hopeless = esperanza/sin esperanza
-worth/worthless = útil/inútil
- ish
El sufijo ish se le agrega a sustantivos para formar adjetivos y así indicar semejanza o atenuación.
Si el sustantivo termina en e cambia la e por i y se le agregas sh. Si el sustantivo finaliza en y la
conservara y se le agrega -ish. Si el sustantivo termina en consonante simplemente se le agrega ish
para obtener el adjetivo.
-boy/boyish = niño/como niño
-woman/womanish = mujer/como mujer, mujeril
Some more adjective endings:
able
al
an
ant
ar
ary
ate
ed
en
ent
etic
ful
ible
ic
ical
id
ile
ine
ish
less
like
ly
ory
ous
sive
some
tive
acceptable, available, capable, comfortable, desirable, …
abnormal, central, digital, conventional, personal, rational, …
authoritarian, bohemian, republican, urban, veteran, …
arrogant, constant, distant, dominant, pleasant, relevant, …
familiar, particular, popular, similar, regular, spectacular, …
arbitrary, contrary, elementary, involuntary, revolutionary, …
accurate, adequate, considerate, delicate, desperate, …
complicated, connected, expected, related, sacred, united, …
barren, drunken, heartbroken, open, swollen, wooden, …
absent, efficient, different, frequent, impatient, insolent, …
diabetic, energetic, genetic, magnetic, pathetic, synthetic, …
beautiful, careful, colorful, harmful, painful, successful, …
audible, compatible, convertible, credible, impossible, …
atomic, alcoholic, alergic, analytic, electronic, pacific, …
alphabetical, asymetrical, biblical, biological, chemical, …
arid, avid, candid, frigid, humid, hybrid, rapid, rigid, …
agile, docile, fertile, fragile, hostile, sterile, versatile, …
alkaline, bovine, divine, feminine, masculine, genuine, …
amateurish, childish, feverish, foolish, lavish, selfish, …
aimless, careless, fearless, flawless, friendless, harmless, …
alike, childlike, ladylike, lifelike, manlike, warlike, …
brotherly. chilly, costly, deadly, ghostly, holy, kindly, …
circulatory, compensatory, conciliatory, contradictory, …
ambiguous, anonymous, dangerous, famous, nervous, …
aggresive, adhesive, compulsive, evasive, impulsive, …
awesome, bothersome, tiresome, lonesome, gruesome, …
addictive, attractive, constructive, corrective, defective, …
EXERCISES:
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-12097.php
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=3677
http://www.autoenglish.org/FCEUse/verbs2adjectives.htm
http://www.english-grammar.at/online_exercises/adjective_adverb/kingsley-manor.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/word_formation/nouns_adjectives/index.php
http://grammar.about.com/od/sentencestructures/a/Practice-In-Using-Adjectives-Formed-FromNouns-And-Verbs.htm