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Adjective Suffixes
Make adjectives from other word forms
This evening, we saw a spectacular sunset. The sky reflected colors from violet to red. As the high clouds moved overhead, they created an awesome light show of changing colors.
Gradually, the colors faded to gray, and the spectacle ended in the darkness of the night sky. Bright, little stars appeared. The moon rose above the mountains with a yellowish-orange glow.
| NOUN WORD FORM |
|---|
Some adjectives are formed from nouns, others from verbs and some entered our language as adjectives. The word forms come from Middle English, Latin, Greek and other languages. There are no simple rules for adding suffixes, but there are common patterns. Below, a noun occurs as the complement to the verb. The noun after be specifies the noun. |
| PREDICATE COMPLEMENT—NOUN |
The sky was a spectacle. |
The sky was filled with colors. (Eng-Br) colour |
The color was red. (identifies the color) |
We noticed its brightness / darkness. |
We felt awe. (a feeling of inspiration and respect)
|
| ADJECTIVE WORD FORM | |
|---|---|
Adding a suffix to a noun form is one way to form an adjective. A suffix is a part added to the end of a word to mark the word form. Below, an adjective occurs as (1) the complement to the predicate (It is __ , It seems __, It appears ___) or (2) the modifier to the noun (a) ___ noun. The adjective after be describes the noun. |
|
| PREDICATE COMPLEMENT—ADJ | MODIFIER TO NOUN |
It was spectacular.¹ |
It was a spectacular sky. |
It was colorful. |
It was a colorful sky.
|
The sky was red. It looked reddish. (somewhat red) |
The red sky was beautiful. The reddish-brown soil was dry. |
The stars were bright. The night was dark. |
It was a bright star. It was a dark night. |
It was awesome.
|
It was an awesome sky. |
¹It + be + adjective (predicate adjective or predicate complement) See Specifying vs. Ascriptive "be" .
complement (N) – in grammar, it is a word, phrase or clause that is expected or required to complete the meaning of some other element in the clause
glow (N) – shine, giving off brightness The glow of candles filled the room.
gradually (Adv) – changing or moving in small degrees, bit by bit; Your face gradually changes as it ages.
reflect (V) – give back (light) A mirror reflects your image.
rose (V) – went up, the appearance on the horizon of the moon or the sun; (rise, rose, risen) See Rise vs. Raise.
spectacle (N) – anything striking or impressive to see
soil (N) – dirt, earth Pineapples grow well in reddish-brown soil.
NP –noun phrase; N – noun; Det – determiner; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective
Also see Noun Suffixes | Word Forms | Adverb Suffixes | Negative Adjective Prefixes | Color Modifiers | Dimension Adjectives
Common Adjective Suffixes I (Noun → Adjective)
| SUFFIX | NOUN – ADJECTIVE | NOUN – ADJECTIVE | NOUN – ADJECTIVE |
|---|---|---|---|
-AL relating to |
accident – accidental region – regional |
brute – brutal person – personal |
region – regional universe –universal |
-ARY relating to quality or place |
custom – customary compliment – complimentary |
moment – momentary honor – honorary |
caution – cautionary diet – dietary |
-FUL full of |
beauty – beautiful skill – skillful |
wonder – wonderful success – successful |
awe – awful delight – delightful |
-IC having the nature of; caused by |
athlete – athletic photograph – photographic |
base – basic science – scientific |
history – historic rhythm– rhythmic |
-ICAL having the nature of |
magic – magical practice – practical |
logic – logical statistic – statistical |
history – historical alphabet – alphabetical |
-ISH origin, nature |
fool – foolish sheep – sheepish |
child – childish pink – pinkish |
self – selfish girl – girlish |
-LESS without |
power – powerless use – useless |
friend – friendless home – homeless |
worth – worthless penny – penniless |
-LIKE like |
like – lifelike child – childlike |
lady – ladylike bird – birdlike |
war – warlike spring – springlike |
-LY like |
friend – friendly day – daily |
cost – costly order – orderly |
month – monthly coward – cowardly |
-OUS quality, nature |
poison – poisonous courtesy – courteous |
danger – dangerous mystery – mysterious |
nerve – nervous victory – victorious |
-Y like |
rain – rainy mess – messy |
fun – funny dirt – dirty |
dirt – dirty spot – spotty |
Adjectivalization – in linguistics, the forming of words from other categories, nouns and verbs, by suffixation. (Huddleston 1706)
Pop-Q "historic / historical"
See Noun Forms for: -al, -ance, -ence, -ery, -tion, -sion, -sure, -ment, -age, -ing, -ery, -ness, -ity, -ism, -th, -ty -y
See Negative Prefixes for : a-, dis-, il-, in-, im-, ir-, non-, un-.
Adjective Suffixes
Verbs to Adjectives
Verb Form → Adjective Form
| VERB WORD FORM |
|---|
Another way to form an adjective is to add a suffix to a verb form. The suffix is the part added to the end of a word (e.g., able, ible, ent, ant, ive, ing, ed, en) |
| 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 | |
|---|---|
An adjective occurs (1) after a be verb as a predicate complement, also called "predicate adjective", or (2) before a noun (a strange story) (3) or infrequently after a noun (something strange). |
|
| VERB COMPLEMENT | NOUN MODIFIER |
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. I am interested. |
We have interesting news. I am an interested reader. |
Also see Modifiers ending in -ed / -ing
Common Adjective Suffixes II (Verb → Adjective)
| SUFFIX | VERB – ADJECTIVE | VERB – ADJECTIVE | VERB – ADJECTIVE |
|---|---|---|---|
-ABLE able, can do |
agree – agreeable pass – passable |
expand – expandable remark – remarkable |
laugh – laughable pay – payable |
-IBLE able, can do |
access – accessible flex – flexible |
force – forcible permit – permissible |
sense – sensible force – forcible |
-ANT performing agent |
please – pleasant resist – resistant |
rely – reliant vacate – vacant |
ignore – ignorant comply – compliant |
-ENT performing agent |
excel – excellent urge – urgent |
depend – dependent differ – different |
confide – confident equal – equivalent |
-IVE causing effect |
attract – attractive posses – possessive |
create – creative prevent – preventive |
select – selective destruct – destructive |
-ING causing effect |
amuse – amusing relax –relaxing |
excite – exciting surprise –surprising |
confuse – confusing amaze – amusing |
-ED receiving effect |
amuse – amused relax – relaxed |
excite – excited surprise – surprised |
confuse – confused overwhelm – overwhelmed |
-EN receiving effect |
freeze – frozen braze – brazen |
lighten – lightened shorten – shortened |
darken – darkened widen – widened |
Also see Word Forms.
Adjectives
Similar But Different
Adjective Suffixes with Different (Antithetical) Meanings
| VERB | SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT PAIRS |
|---|---|
AWE |
It was an awesome movie. having a great quality, inspiring It was an awful movie. having a terrible quality |
CHILD |
It was childish behavior (behavior). having immature behavior, negative It was childlike behavior. qualities like a child, positive |
CONFIDE |
We are confident about winning. sure [L.confidere] The message is confidential. private [L. confident] |
CRISP |
It is a crisp day, today. cool and dry It is a crispy cracker. thin and crunchy (makes a pleasant sound) |
DEPEND |
We have two dependent children. needing someone for care We have two dependable children. having a nature of completing promises |
FUN |
We had a fun time at the movies. amusing We saw a funny movie. causing laughter |
HEALTH |
He is a healthy ninety-year-old man. possesses or enjoys good health; not sick He eats healthful or healthy food, and he exercises everyday. food that promotes good health; wholesome, curative |
LAUGH |
The laughing child was playing. having a good nature The laughable car was powered with tequila. impossible to be serious about |
LIGHT |
She has light hair. a natural quality She has lightened hair. an unnatural/changed quality |
| NOUN | SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT PAIRS |
|---|---|
LOVE |
He is a loving son. having a quality of giving love He is a lovable son. having a nature of attracting love |
RELY |
She is reliant on money from her parents. having need of She is reliable. a nature of being trustworthy, predictable |
SELECT |
He is selective a bout what he eats. having a quality of being choosy They are selling selected items. particular, carefully chosen Select people can live there. a small number, exclusive, wealthy |
SENSE |
He is a sensible person. reasonable [sensible] He is a sensitive person. easily irritated or hurt [L. sensitivus] |
RESPONSE |
The company is responsive to customers' needs. acting quickly, sympathetically The company is responsible for product safety. answerable, accountable |
TACT |
The general made a tactical advance. military move [L. tacticus] He is a tactful politician. having skills handling situations [L. tactus] tact (N) – skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations |
TASTE |
Your food is tasty. having a good taste You are a tasteful dresser. having good judgment for fashion, design or social etiquette |
WORTH |
He is a worthy competitor. having good value, character He is a worthless competitor. having no value or importance |
antithetical (Adj) — directly opposed or contrasted; opposite.
Adjective
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 |
We had a fantastic trip. extremely good, attractive, or enjoyable |
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, archaeological, 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 |
The dragon had fantastical powers. strange, unreal, magical |
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
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
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. |
Do you know where I can buy an economic car? |
Hal is a tasty dresser. |
It was a chilly, crispy day. |
Don't shout at my son. He's a very sensible person. |
| 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. / *It's very logic. |
My dad likes to listen to classical music on the car radio. |
Do you know where I can buy an economical car? (money saving, affordable, gas saving?) |
Hal is a tasteful dresser. |
It was a chilly, crisp day. (dry, low humidity) |
He's a very sensitive person. (easily hurt) |
Pop-Q "Historical"
- Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Brigham Young U, 2013, corpus.byu.edu/coca.
- Frank, Marcella. Modern English: Exercises for Non-native Speakers. Part I, Prentice-Hall, 1972.
- "List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Aug. 2016, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_roots,_suffixes_and_prefixes.
- "Spectacular Sunset." By C. Sevastopoulos, digital phtograph, own work, 6 Aug 2008.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
Practice 1
Lab Rats
Choose the adjective with the suffix that makes sense in the sentence.
- Select your response from the list.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or "Check 1-12" button.
lab rats (slang) – people who spend a lot of time working ("hanging out") in a computer lab
lounge lizards (slang) – people who hang out in a lounge-bar or student lounge.
Practice 2
Cutting Back
Read for Errors
In difficult economical times, people tend to become more practical in their daily lives. That is to say, they cut back on unnecessary activities and keep what is most logic. For example, people who are used to eating out on a daily basismay decide to eat at home a few more nights each week. Or they may choose to socialize by having people over for a home-cook dinner. Another method of saving is cutting down on visits to person care services.People may wait an extra week for haircuts or drop extra services such as pedicures and manicures. Vacations to exotic or far-away places become "stay-cations". Instead, people take car trips to less costing destinations. Memberships to sports clubs are seen as luxuries, while memberships to gyms viewed as more basically. Clothing purchases become more practical. Matching shoes to outfits is a thing of the past—unfashionable.
Whatdoes not change is surprised. People continue buying their children toysand takingthem to amusement parks. People continue purchasing the latest technologic inventions in televisions, computers, tablets and phones. This is logical because they still need entertainment and these are in-house options. People buy gourmet foods in their supermarkets, and they buy fancy-like kitchen equipment such as small electric panini grills, coffee makers with capsules, and soda makers. This is their reward for being thrifty. In short, in tough times, people change their big out-of-house luxuries to little in-house luxuries.Parents set aside their comfortable for their children's needs. Big showy expenses arein poor taste. Small, in-home expenses are in good taste.
be used to — have a habit of (doing something)
cut back, cut down (V) – have less, use less, spend less
cut out, drop (V) – do without, stop having
eat in (V) – eat at home
eat out (V) – eat at a restaurant
exotic (Adj) – foreign, unusual, interesting
expenses (N) — the spending of money
frugal (Adj) – thrifty, saving money, not wasteful
gourmet (Adj) – very good or special food
have someone over (V) – invite a person to your home
in-house (Adj) – used inside the home or made inside the business
in poor taste – judged as unsuitable, unfavorable behavior
luxury (N) – a comfort or pleasure often at extra cost; extra special
options (N) – possible choices or selections
pedicures, manicures (N) – services for the care of finger and toe nails
seen / viewed (V–passive) – are regarded, how people judge them
socialize (V) — spend time with friends
tend (V) — be likely to do something; a natural inclination
Edit for Errors
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or "Check 13-22" button.