Suffixesprovidebasicstructureandmeaningtowords.Theyarecalledsuffixesbecauseoftheir
placementattheendofwords.Forexample,phobiaisthesuffixforxenophobia.
TheyarecommonlyderivedfromGreekandLatinsuffixes.Forexample,thesuffixphobiaisderived
fromtheGreeksuffixphobosmeaningfearing.Learningandrecognizingthesecommonsuffixescan
helpyoudeciphermeaning.Ifyouwereunfamiliarwiththewordxenophobiabutknewthesuffix
phobia,youcouldthengathersomesortofmeaningfromthesuffixmeaning,fear.
Inmanycases,knowingthesuffixwillbeenoughtohelpyoudecipherthemeaningofawordina
sentence;inothercases,youllwanttousethedictionarytounderstandthewordfully.Ineither
instance,thisgivesapartialunderstandingofthemorecompletedefinition:Xenophobiaafearand
hatredofstrangersorforeigners(MerriamWebstersCollegiateDictionary,2007,p.1190).
Providedbelowisalistofcommonsuffixesthatyoucanremembertohelpexpandyourvocabularyand
increaseyourreadingcomprehension.
Suffix(partofspeechformed)
Meaning
Example
able(adjectives)
capableof
portable,legible
agog,agogue(nouns)
leader
demagogue,pedagogue
age(nouns)
sum,total
average,mileage
al(nouns,adjectives)
pertainingto
manical,logical
cide(nouns)
killing
patricide,infanticide,herbicide.
cidal(adjectives)
suicide,suicidal
dom(nouns)
state,rank,thatwhichbelongs freedom,wisedom
to
fy(verbs)
tomake
magnify,petrify
ant,ent(nouns,adjectives)
fullof
eloquent,verdant
ia(nouns)
act,state
amnesia,mania,democracy,
y(nouns,adjectives)
anarchy,juicy
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Suffix
ic,tic,ical,ac(adjectives)
ics(nouns)
Meaning
havingtodowith
thingshavingtodowith
Example
anthropomorphic,dramatic,
biblical,cardiac
optics,physics
ism(nouns)
ist(nouns,adjectives)
ize,ise(verbs)
ite(nouns)
logy(noun)
mony(noun)
thebeliefin,practice,doctrine
onewhobelievesin
tomake
oneconnectedwith,adherent,
descendent
scienceorbranchof
knowledge
aresultingthing,condition,or
state
resembling,likeshaped
onewhotakespartin
exaggeratedfear
pacifism,terrorism,socialism,
communism
pacifist,terrorist,socialist,
communist
harmonize,revolutionize
meteorite,cosmopolite
biology,geology,etymology,
cardiology
patrimony,ceremony
oid(adjectives,nouns)
asteroid,spheroid
or,er(nouns)
doctor,actor,teacher,driver
phobia(nouns)
agoraphobia,claustrophobia,
phobic(adjectives)
hydrophobic,photophobia,
sis(nouns)
act,state,conditionof
analysis,synthesis
ward(adjectives,adverbs)
inthedirectionof
forward,homeward
Animportantthingtonoteaboutsuffixesisthattheydeterminethattheclassofthewordstheyare
attachedto.Forexample,ifyouaddthesuffixendingizetothenounharmony,yougetharmonize,
whichisaverb.Asuffixthatchangestheclassofthewordiscalledaderivationalsuffix.
Justnoticingasuffixlikeiseorizeallowsyoutodecifiersomeofthemeaning.Forexample,youare
abletodeteminethatthesuffixizeaddedtothewordharmonycreatesaverbthatmeanstomake
harmony.
Nowthatyourefamiliarwithcommonsuffixes,werecommendthatyoucontinuebyreadingthe
AcademicCenterhandoutsBuildingVocabulary:CommonRootWordsandBuildingVocabulary:
CommonPrefixes.
Also,thehandoutsandUnderstandingDictionaryEntriesandUsingtheDictionary:WordOriginswill
helpyouinbuildingyourvocabularybyshowingyouhowtouseadictionaryandhowtouseawords
origintodevelopabasicunderstandingofaword.
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