Adjectivalisation Suffixes

Slide 1: Adjectivalisation Word Formation

Slide 2: -able / -ible Usually attaches to verbs “capable of being ~ed”  Laughable  Dependable  Changeable  Accessible  Divisible  Perceptible

Slide 3: -able Attached to nouns “having the stated quality or condition”  Knowledgeable  Comfortable

Slide 4: -al / -ar / -ial / -iar Usually attached to Latin, Greek, or French nouns “pertaining / related to ~” Additional Central Natural Lunar Molecular Proverbial Substantial Eventual Habitual Intellectual

Slide 5: -en Attached to nouns denoting material “made of ~” or “resembling ~”  Earthen  Wooden  Woolen  Golden  Leaden  Silken

Slide 6: -ful Attaches mainly to nouns “full of ~” or “having / displaying ~” or “causing / exciting ~” Careful Sinful Sorrowful Delightful Shameful Fearful Stressful Also attaches to verbs “prone to ~” Forgetful Resentful Fretful

Slide 7: -al / -atic / -ific / -ical / -istic Mainly attached to nouns “of, like, or connected with ~” Energetic Photographic Democratic Allergic Dogmatic Problematic Scientific Terrific Comical Classical Linguistic Euphemistic

Slide 8: -ive / -ative Attached mainly to verbs “tending to ~”  Attractive  Permissive  Coercive  Decorative  Causative

Slide 9: -less Mainly attached to nouns “without ~ / having no ~” Careless Fearless Meaningless Harmless Also attaches to verbs “that never ~s / that can’t be ~”  Tireless  Countless

Slide 10: -like Combines with nouns “resembling ~”  Childlike  Godlike  Ladylike

Slide 11: -ly Mainly attaches to nouns “like / characteristic of / befitting ~”  Friendly  Manly  Cowardly Also attaches to nouns denoting time “recurring every ~”  Daily  Weekly  Monthly  Yearly

Slide 12: -ory / -atory Usually attaches to Latinate verbs which form nouns with –ion “that ~”  Explanatory  Satisfactory  Compulsory  Obligatory

Slide 13: -ous / -eous / -ious / -atious Attaches mainly to nouns “causing or having ~”  Famous  Virtuous  Glorious  Flirtatious  Righteous  Poisonous  Courageous

Slide 14: -y / -ey Mainly attaching to nouns “full of ~” / “covered with ~” / “having the quality of ~”  Bloody  Cloudy  Dirty Attaching to verbs “inclined / apt to ~”  Sticky  Sleepy

Slide 15: Credits The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, Rodney Huddleston / Geoffrey K. Pullum Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture Compiler - Henrick Oprea