UI Reading - Portland Community College



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Affix Homework 5: Verb & Adjective Suffixes

English has few verb suffixes. Knowing them will give you flexibility, because you can use them with nouns or adjectives you already know. Here is a short list of verb suffixes.

Directions: Memorize the meanings of these suffixes. Use your dictionary to look up the "new word,” and write its definition.

|Verb Suffix |Meaning |Examples |New Word and Definition: |

|1. -ate |to make, |eliminate salivate |liberate: |

| |cause to be | | |

| | | | |

|2. -en |to make, |fasten |harden: |

| |cause to be |lengthen | |

| | | | |

|3. –fy, -ify |to make, |intensify testify |amplify: |

| |cause to be | | |

| | | | |

|4. -ize |to make, |sympathize fertilize|empathize: |

| |cause to be | | |

Exercise: Try to make a verb that has the given meaning. Based on the sound, try to choose which of the 4 verb suffixes is the best choice. Just guess!

1. make part of a union

2. cause to be pink

3. to put into a category

4. to make a fossil

5. to make tight

6. make false

7. make normal

8. make zero, or “null”

9. to make short

10. make lighter

11. cause to have strong opinions

12. make domestic

Adjective Suffixes

Directions: Review this list of adjective suffixes (and one adverb suffix) and their meanings. Next, notice how the suffix affects the way you use the examples. Then, look up the “new word" in your dictionary, and write its meaning on the blank lines.

|SUFFIX |MEANING |EXAMPLES |NEW WORD AND DEFINITION |

|1. - er |comparative (of exactly |uglier |stranger: |

| |two) |taller | |

| | | | |

|2. -est |superlative |calmest |cleverest: |

| |(of more than two) |smartest | |

| | | | |

|3. -able, |able to be |durable reliable |inedible: |

|-ible | | | |

| | | | |

|4. -oid |in the form of |humanoid paranoid |android: |

| | | | |

|5. -ic |having the nature of |historic electronic |graphic: |

| | | | |

|6. -ish |having the nature of |devilish mannish |bookish: |

| | | | |

|7. -tious, |having the nature of |repetitious delicious |malicious: |

|-cious | | | |

| | | | |

|8. -ac, |having the nature of |cardiac American |insomniac: |

|-an | | | |

| | | | |

|9. - less |without, free of |worthless penniless |peerless: |

| | | | |

|10. –ful |full of |graceful fanciful |fearful: |

| 11. –y, -ly |having the nature of |worthy |humanly: |

| | |lonely | |

| | | | |

| Adverb Suffix | | |

| 12. -ly |in a certain manner |suddenly |abruptly: |

| | |quietly | |

| | |happily | |

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