Common suffixes change nouns to adjectives

Common Suffixes—noun to adjective
SUFFIX NOUN – ADJECTIVE NOUN – ADJECTIVE NOUN – ADJECTIVE
-AL relating to accident – accidental brute – brutal region – regional

region – regional person – personal universe –universal
-ARY relating to quality or place custom – customary moment – momentary caution – cautionary
compliment – complimentary honor – honorary diet – dietary
-FUL full of beauty – beautiful true – truthful awe – awful

skill – skillful success – successful delight – delightful
-IC having the nature of; caused by athlete – athletic base – basic history – historic
photograph – photographic science – scientific rhythm– rhythmic
-ICAL having the nature of magic – magical logic – logical history – historical
practice – practical statistic – statistical alphabet – alphabetical
-ISH origin, nature fool – foolish child – childish self – selfish

sheep – sheepish pink – pinkish girl – girlish
-LESS without power – powerless friend – friendless worth – worthless

use – useless home – homeless harm – harmless
-LIKE like like – lifelike lady – ladylike war – warlike

child – childlike bird – birdlike spring – springlike
-LY like friend – friendly cost – costly month – monthly

day – daily lone – lonely coward – cowardly
-OUS quality, nature poison – poisonous danger – dangerous nerve – nervous

courtesy – courteous mystery – mysterious victory – victorious
-Y like rain – rainy fun – funny dirt – dirty

mess – messy dirt – dirty spot – spotty
1
Common suffixes—verb to adjective
SUFFIX VERB – ADJECTIVE VERB – ADJECTIVE VERB – ADJECTIVE
-ABLE able, can do agree – agreeable adore – adorable laugh – laughable

pass – passable remark – remarkable pay – payable
-IBLE able, can do access – accessible force – forcible sense – sensible

flex – flexible permit – permissible force – forcible
-ANT performing agent please – pleasant rely – reliant ignore – ignorant

resist – resistant vacate – vacant comply – compliant
-ENT performing agent excel – excellent depend – dependent confide – confident

urge – urgent differ – different equal – equivalent
-IVE causing effect attract – attractive create – creative select – selective

posses – possessive act – active destruct – destructive
-ING causing effect amuse – amusing excite – exciting confuse – confusing

relax –relaxing surprise –surprising amaze – amusing
-ED receiving effect amuse – amused excite – excited confuse – confused

relax – relaxed surprise – surprised overwhelm – overwhelmed
-EN receiving effect freeze – frozen lighten – lightened darken – darkened

braze – brazen shorten – shortened widen – widened
2
EXERCISES:
1. Use the correct suffix to complete the adjectives in these sentences:
-ful -less -able -ive -ic -ly -ible
1. Your brother was very (coward) ……………………………………… . He ran away immediately.
2. That snake looks dangerous, but it's totally (harm) …………………………….. . Don't worry!
3. To work as an acrobat in the circus, you have to be very (flex) ………………………………...
4. Oh, look at those (adore)………………………………. puppies. Can I have one?
5. He's always running about; he is very (athlete) ………………………………… . He'll be in the Olympics one day.
6. What a (beauty)……………………………….. painting. Do you know who painted it?
7. We need a full and (truth)…………………………… account of what happened, Jennifer. Tell us everything.
8. These animals sleep during the day and are then (act)……………………………… during the night.
9. It must be very (lone) …………………………………living on this mountain without any neighbours.
10. Betty is a very (create) ………………………………….. little girl, always painting or drawing or something like that.

Common suffixes change nouns to adjectives

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Common suffixes change nouns to adjectives

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Common Suffixes—noun to adjective

SUFFIX NOUN – ADJECTIVE NOUN – ADJECTIVE NOUN – ADJECTIVE

-AL relating to accident – accidental brute – brutal region – regional

-FUL full of beauty – beautiful true – truthful awe – awful

-ISH origin, nature fool – foolish child – childish self – selfish

-LESS without power – powerless friend – friendless worth – worthless

-LIKE like like – lifelike lady – ladylike war – warlike

-LY like friend – friendly cost – costly month – monthly

-OUS quality, nature poison – poisonous danger – dangerous nerve – nervous

-Y like rain – rainy fun – funny dirt – dirty

SUFFIX VERB – ADJECTIVE VERB – ADJECTIVE VERB – ADJECTIVE

-ABLE able, can do agree – agreeable adore – adorable laugh – laughable

-IBLE able, can do access – accessible force – forcible sense – sensible

-ANT performing agent please – pleasant rely – reliant ignore – ignorant

-ENT performing agent excel – excellent depend – dependent confide – confident

-IVE causing effect attract – attractive create – creative select – selective

-ING causing effect amuse – amusing excite – exciting confuse – confusing

-ED receiving effect amuse – amused excite – excited confuse – confused

-EN receiving effect freeze – frozen lighten – lightened darken – darkened

1. Use the correct suffix to complete the adjectives in these sentences:

-ful -less -able -ive -ic -ly -ible

1. Your brother was very (coward) ……………………………………… . He ran away immediately.

3. To work as an acrobat in the circus, you have to be very (flex) ………………………………...

4. Oh, look at those (adore)………………………………. puppies. Can I have one?

6. What a (beauty)……………………………….. painting. Do you know who painted it?

9. It must be very (lone) …………………………………living on this mountain without any neighbours.

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