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Noun Suffixes (Nominal Suffixes)

Recognize a variety of noun forms

In Context

Our plane departed from San Francisco on time. We arrived in San Diego at 11:00 a.m. The plane landed without difficulty. A bus transported us promptly and comfortably to our hotel.

The departure of our plane from San Francisco was on time. Our arrival in San Diego was at 11:00 a.m. The landing of the plane was not difficult. The transportation by bus to our hotel was prompt and comfortable.

Verb → Noun word form

VERB WORD FORM
Nouns may be formed from verbs, adjectives or other nouns. The forms are often Latin or Greek in origin. There is no simple rule for adding suffixes, but there are patterns.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
NOUN PHRASE	VERB + PP / ADJ
Our plane	departed from San Francisco on time.
We	arrived in San Diego at 11:00 a.m.
The plane	landed without difficulty.
A bus	transported us to our hotel promptly and comfortably.

NOUN WORD FORM
Adding a suffix to a verb (base) is one way of forming a noun. A suffix is a part added to the end of a word. Examples of suffixes are listed below. Modifiers to the noun are enclosed in brackets [ ].
SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
NOUN PHRASE	"BE" VERB + PP / ADJ
The departure [of our plane from San Francisco]	was on time.
Our arrival [in San Diego]	was at 11:00 a.m.
The landing [of the plane]	was not difficult.
The transportation [by bus to the hotel]	was prompt and comfortable.

an affix — is a small unit of meaning that is added to another word to change its meaning; affixes include: prefix (before) pre-pare; infix (between) [rare in English]; and suffix (after) prepara-tion.

derive (V) — come from a source or origin; derivation (N) the formation of a word from another word or base

prompt (Adj) — on time or timely, not delayed

morpheme (N) — a small unit of meaning which is dependent upon the word to which it is added

a suffix, a morpheme (small dependent unit of meaning) placed at the end of a word, can change a word as follows: [1] word category—noun "nominalization", adjective "adjectivalization", verb "verbalization", adverb of manner -ly; [2] person (3rd per. sing.); [3] number (singular/plural); [4] tense (present/past).

(Swan 384 noun + complement ; 445.2 noun suffixes)

Verb to Noun Suffixes

SUFFIX	VERB – NOUN	VERB – NOUN	VERB – NOUN
-AL condition, quality	arrive –arrival approve – approval	deny –denial propose –proposal	refuse – refusal dismiss – dismissal
-ANCE / -ENCE action, state, condition or quality	attend –attendance accept –acceptance	prefer – preference insure – insurance	refer – reference exist –existence
-ATION / -TION action or resulting state	educate – education inform – information	eliminate – elimination declare – declaration	combine – combination immigrate – immigration
-SION action or resulting state	confuse – confusion decide – decision	divide –division revise – revision	impress – impression profess–profession
-URE action or resulting state	depart – departure erase – erasure	fail – failure enclose – enclosure	press – pressure legislate – legislature
-MENT state, act, condition	agree– agreement pay – payment	employ – employment argue – argument	punish – punishment govern – government
-AGE action, state, process	break – breakage post – postage	pack – package pass – passage	bag– baggage marry – marriage
-ING action, state, process	bless – blessing land – landing	write – writing feed – feeding	end –ending seat – seating
-ERY a business or trade, a behavior, a condition	cream – creamery slave (N) – slavery	bake –bakery brave (Adj) – bravery	brew – brewery machine (N) – machinery

SUFFIX

VERB – NOUN

-AL condition, quality

arrive –arrival

approve – approval

deny –denial

propose –proposal

refuse – refusal

dismiss – dismissal

-ANCE / -ENCE action, state, condition or quality

attend –attendance

accept –acceptance

prefer – preference

insure – insurance

refer – reference

exist –existence

-ATION / -TION action or resulting state

educate – education

inform – information

eliminate – elimination

declare – declaration

combine – combination

immigrate – immigration

-SION action or resulting state

confuse – confusion

decide – decision

divide –division

revise – revision

impress – impression

profess–profession

-URE action or resulting state

depart – departure

erase – erasure

fail – failure

enclose – enclosure

press – pressure

legislate – legislature

-MENT state, act, condition

agree– agreement

pay – payment

employ – employment

argue – argument

punish – punishment

govern – government

-AGE action, state, process

break – breakage

post – postage

pack – package

pass – passage

bag– baggage

marry – marriage

-ING action, state, process

bless – blessing

land – landing

write – writing

feed – feeding

end –ending

seat – seating

-ERY a business or trade, a behavior, a condition

cream – creamery

slave (N) – slavery

bake –bakery

brave (Adj) – bravery

brew – brewery

machine (N) – machinery

Nominalization – the forming of words from other categories , verbs and nouns, by suffixation. (Huddleston 1706)

stress – the part of the word that receives emphasis is bolded. You can also Control-click the word to access your computer's dictionary.

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Noun Forms

Nouns derived from adjectives

Adjective → Noun word form

VERB WORD FORM
Nouns may be formed from adjectives. The forms are often Latin or Greek in origin. There is no simple rule for adding suffixes, but there are patterns.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE COMPLEMENT
The passengers	were happy.
The aircraft	was safe.
The flight attendants	were polite.
Their information	is private.

NOUN WORD FORM
Adding a suffix to an adjective is another way of forming a noun. A suffix is the part added to the end of a word.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE COMPLEMENT
Their happiness	was obvious. easy to see
Safety	was important.
Politeness	is not always easy.
Privacy	is expected.

Adjective to Noun Suffixes

SUFFIX	ADJECTIVE – NOUN	ADJECTIVE – NOUN	ADJECTIVE – NOUN
-NESS state, quality, condition	happy – happiness useful – usefulness	kind – kindness truthful – truthfulness	quiet – quietness sleepy – sleepiness
-ITY state or condition	active – activity stupid – stupidity	curious – curiosity mobile – mobility	real – reality tranquil – tranquility
-ISM state, practice	ideal – idealism colonial – colonialism	human – humanism imperial – imperialism	conservative – conservatism favorite – favoritism
-TH condition	wide – width dead – death	long – length foul – filth	born (V) – birth grow (V) – growth
-Y condition	private – privacy difficult – difficulty	honest – honesty jealous – jealousy	modest – modesty
-ERY location, collective, behavior condition	brave – bravery
-TY condition	safe – safety cruel – cruelty	certain – certainty subtle – subtlety	loyal – loyalty admiral (N) – admiralty

SUFFIX

ADJECTIVE – NOUN

-NESS state, quality, condition

happy – happiness

useful – usefulness

kind – kindness

truthful – truthfulness

quiet – quietness

sleepy – sleepiness

-ITY state or condition

active – activity

stupid – stupidity

curious – curiosity

mobile – mobility

real – reality

tranquil – tranquility

-ISM state, practice

ideal – idealism

colonial – colonialism

human – humanism

imperial – imperialism

conservative – conservatism

favorite – favoritism

-TH condition

wide – width

dead – death

long – length

foul – filth

born (V) – birth

grow (V) – growth

-Y condition

private – privacy

difficult – difficulty

honest – honesty

jealous – jealousy

modest – modesty

-ERY location, collective, behavior condition

brave – bravery

-TY condition

safe – safety

cruel – cruelty

certain – certainty

subtle – subtlety

loyal – loyalty

admiral (N) – admiralty

Also see Adjective Forms for: -able, -ant, -ary, -ed, -en -ent, -ful, -ic, -ical, -less, -ing, -ive, -ish, -like, -y.

Also see Negative Prefixes for : a-, dis-, il-, in-, im-, ir-, non-, un-.

Personal Noun Forms

Personal nouns derived from other nouns

Verb → Personal Noun

VERB WORD FORM
Personal nouns may be formed from other word forms—specific verbs, adjectives and nouns.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
The company	employs workers. (V)
The man	took refuge in the US. (N)
Nature Beauty	is real. (Adj) is ideal.

NOUN WORD FORM
Specific verbs adjectives and nouns permit the addition of suffixes such as -ee, -ant or -ent, -ist, -man, -ster, -arian, and -eer. The suffix is unstressed.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
Employees (V→N)	work for the company.
The refugee (N→N)	asked for protection.
The realist (Adj→N) The idealist (Adj→N)	sees things as they are. sees things as they should be.

refuge (N) — shelter, protection from danger

Verb to Personal Noun List

SUFFIX	VERB – PERSONAL NOUN	VERB – PERSONAL NOUN	VERB– PERSONAL NOUN
-ANT / ENT person / instrument / agent	attend– attendant assist – assistant	inform – informant correspond – correspondent	preside – president reside – resident
-EE person / instrument / recipient of action	appoint – appointee attend – attendee	pay – payee trust – trustee	divorce¹ – divorcée (V/N) license – licensee (V/N)
-IST person who practices	tour – tourist	machine (V) – machinist	type – typist
-AR person who does	beg – beggar burgle – burglar	lie – liar	registrate – registrar
-ER person who does	advertise – advertiser believe – believer build – builder	buy – buyer call – caller interpret – interpreter	keep – keeper listen – listener pitch – pitcher
-OR person who does	act – actor collect – collector dictate – dictator	direct – director instruct – instructor legislate – legislator	navigate – navigator sail – sailor spectate – spectator

SUFFIX

VERB – PERSONAL NOUN

VERB– PERSONAL NOUN

-ANT / ENT person / instrument / agent

attend– attendant

assist – assistant

inform – informant

correspond – correspondent

preside – president

reside – resident

-EE person / instrument / recipient of action

appoint – appointee

attend – attendee

pay – payee

trust – trustee

divorce¹ – divorcée (V/N)

license – licensee (V/N)

-IST person who practices

tour – tourist

machine (V) – machinist

type – typist

-AR person who does

beg – beggar

burgle – burglar

lie – liar

registrate – registrar

-ER person who does

advertise – advertiser

believe – believer

build – builder

buy – buyer

call – caller

interpret – interpreter

keep – keeper

listen – listener

pitch – pitcher

-OR person who does

act – actor

collect – collector

dictate – dictator

direct – director

instruct – instructor

legislate – legislator

navigate – navigator

sail – sailor

spectate – spectator

¹divorce — end a marriage: (N) The divorce was final. (V) They will divorce.

Adjective to Personal Noun

SUFFIX	ADJ – PERSONAL NOUN	ADJ – PERSONAL NOUN	ADJ– PERSONAL NOUN
-IST person who practices	active – activist colonial – colonialist extreme – extremist	human – humanist ideal – idealist imperial – imperialist	left – leftist natural – naturalist nude – nudist
-STER person connected to	young¹ – youngster old¹ – oldster	hip — hipster

SUFFIX

ADJ – PERSONAL NOUN

ADJ– PERSONAL NOUN

-IST person who practices

active – activist

colonial – colonialist

extreme – extremist

human – humanist

ideal – idealist

imperial – imperialist

left – leftist

natural – naturalist

nude – nudist

-STER person connected to

young¹ – youngster

old¹ – oldster

hip — hipster

¹ young / old — could be an adj or a noun: (Adj) He is young not old. vs. (Group noun) The young have time, the old do not.

Noun to Personal Noun

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SUFFIX	NOUN – PERSONAL NOUN	NOUN – PERSONAL NOUN	NOUN– PERSONAL NOUN
-ARIAN holders of a particular doctrine /ər i ən/	vegetable – vegetarian discipline – disciplinarian	human – humanitarian sect – sectarian	parliament – parliamentarian
-EE person / instrument /i/	address (N/V) – addressee	refuge (N) – refugee
-ER person concern with /ər/	farm (N/V) – farmer hat – hatter	law – lawyer jewel – jeweler	prison – prisoner village – villager
-EER person concerned with /ɪər /	engine –engineer profit – profiteer	musket – musketeer racket – racketeer	auction – auctioneer mountain – mountaineer
-MAN person concerned with /mən/ or /mæn/ (if stressed)	police–policeman congress – congressman	horse – horseman fish – fisherman	fire – fireman post – postman
-IST person who practices /ist/	bicycle – bicyclist (N→N) cartoon – cartoonist (N→N)	column – columnist physics – physicist	terror – terrorist violin – violinist
-STER person connected to /stər/	game – gamester gang – gangster mob – mobster	prank – prankster song – songster trick – trickster	old¹ – oldster spin² – spinster

SUFFIX

NOUN – PERSONAL NOUN

NOUN– PERSONAL NOUN

-ARIAN holders of a particular doctrine

/ər i ən/

vegetable – vegetarian

discipline – disciplinarian

human – humanitarian

sect – sectarian

parliament – parliamentarian

-EE person / instrument

/i/

address (N/V) – addressee

refuge (N) – refugee

-ER person concern with

/ər/

farm (N/V) – farmer

hat – hatter

law – lawyer

jewel – jeweler

prison – prisoner

village – villager

-EER person concerned with

/ɪər /

engine –engineer

profit – profiteer

musket – musketeer

racket – racketeer

auction – auctioneer

mountain – mountaineer

-MAN person concerned with

/mən/ or /mæn/ (if stressed)

police–policeman

congress – congressman

horse – horseman

fish – fisherman

fire – fireman

post – postman

-IST person who practices

/ist/

bicycle – bicyclist (N→N)

cartoon – cartoonist (N→N)

column – columnist

physics – physicist

terror – terrorist

violin – violinist

-STER person connected to

/stər/

game – gamester

gang – gangster

mob – mobster

prank – prankster

song – songster

trick – trickster

old¹ – oldster

spin² – spinster

¹ young / old – could be an adj or a noun: (Adj) He is young not old. vs. (Group noun) The young have time, the old do not.

² spinster – used for a woman who has never married, "a spinner of thread"; a person who does yarn spinning

London – Londoner See Demonyms.

(Huddleston 19 5.7 Nominalizations) (Swan 384-6)

Feminine Noun Forms

Suffixes that denote females

Masculine/Neutral to Feminine

SUFFIX	MASCULINE – FEMININE	MASCULINE – FEMININE	NEUTER/MASC. – FEMININE
-ETTE feminine / diminutive (French)	brunet¹ (Adj) [Fr. masc.] – brunette (fem.)	bachelor² (N) – bachelorette major (N) – majorette	suffrage³ (N) – suffragette coque (N) [Fr. "rooster"] – coquette
-TRIX / -TRICE feminine (Latin)	aviator (N) – aviatrix dominator (N) – dominatrix administrator (N) – administratrix	executor (N) – executrix director (N) – directrice (fem.)	beatus (N) [Latin "who makes happy"] – Beatrice
-TRESS /-ESS feminine (French from -ISSA Greek)	actor (N) – actress (wait staff) master/mister(N) – mistress ( Ms.)	seducer (N) – seductress lion (N) – lioness	Melissa ("honey bee") Clarissa
-IENNE feminine (French)	comedian (N) – comedienne	equestrian (N) – equestrienne	Adrian (name masc.)– Adrienne
-ÉE feminine (French)	fiancé (Partcpl) – fiancée	divorcé (Partcpl) – divorcée

SUFFIX

MASCULINE – FEMININE

NEUTER/MASC. – FEMININE

-ETTE feminine / diminutive

(French)

brunet¹ (Adj) [Fr. masc.] – brunette (fem.)

bachelor² (N) – bachelorette

major (N) – majorette

suffrage³ (N) – suffragette

coque (N) [Fr. "rooster"] – coquette

-TRIX / -TRICE feminine

(Latin)

aviator (N) – aviatrix

dominator (N) – dominatrix

administrator (N) – administratrix

executor (N) – executrix

director (N) – directrice (fem.)

beatus (N) [Latin "who makes happy"] – Beatrice

-TRESS /-ESS feminine

(French from -ISSA Greek)

actor (N) – actress (wait staff)

master/mister(N) – mistress ( Ms.)

seducer (N) – seductress

lion (N) – lioness

Melissa ("honey bee")

Clarissa

-IENNE feminine

(French)

comedian (N) – comedienne

equestrian (N) – equestrienne

Adrian (name masc.)– Adrienne

-ÉE feminine

(French)

fiancé (Partcpl) – fiancée

divorcé (Partcpl) – divorcée

¹ brun (French) – brown; masculine hair color brunet (Fr) feminine brunette (Fr / Eng)

² bachelor (N) – a young unmarried man; a college degree

³ suffrage – the right to vote

-ISSA (Greek) – meli "honey" Melissa ("honey bee"); Clarissa (fem./diminutive of Clara)

Find word origins (etymology) on Dictionary.com.

Diminutive Noun Forms

Suffixes for smallness or affection

Standard to Diminutive

SUFFIX	STANDARD – DIMINUATIVE	STANDARD – DIMINUATIVE	STANDARD – DIMINUATIVE
-ETTE diminutive (French)	case (N) [Fr. casse] – cassette towel (N) – towelette novel (N) – novelette (novela)	vinegar (N) – vinaigrette kitchen (N) – kitchenette rouelle (FR. "wheel") – roulette rose (N) – rosette	cigar (N) – cigarette toilet (N) – toilette³ (N) (ethics) (N) [Fr.] – etiquette vine (N) [Fr.] "vigne" – vignette
-SIE / SY	foot– footsie one – onesie (one-piece baby wear)	tiny (Adj) – teensie weensie hot (Adj) – hotsy-totsy	Patricia / Pat – Patty / Patsie ? – Tootsie
-IE / Y	cook (N/V) – cookie hood (N) – hoodie lad (N) – laddie	pup (N) – puppy duck (N) – ducky mom (N) – mommy	Bob – Bobby Thomas – Tommy Susan – Susie
-LET	book (N) – booklet brace (N) – bracelet cut (N) – cutlet (small cut of meat)	out (Adv) – outlet owl (N) – owlet [alemelle "thin plate" OFr.] – omelet	tart (N) – tartlet toile (N "small cloth" Fr.) – toilet viola (N "purple flower" Lat.) – violet
-LING	change (V) – changeling (folklore– baby left by fairy) dear (Adj) – darling duck (N) – duckling	found (V) – foundling (abandoned baby) hire (V) hireling (menial or hourly worker) nest (N) – nestling	prince (N) – princeling under (Adv) – underling (subordinate)
-KIN [Dutch / German / -quin French]	pumpkin "pepon" melon (Grk.) lambkin "lamb" (1570)	munchkin Wizard of Oz (1900) bumpkin "little barrel" a simple person (M. Dutch)	napkin "nappe" little table cloth (O. Fr.) ramekin (little baking dish "ram") (M. Dutch), ramequin (Fr.)

SUFFIX

STANDARD – DIMINUATIVE

-ETTE diminutive

(French)

case (N) [Fr. casse] – cassette

towel (N) – towelette

novel (N) – novelette (novela)

vinegar (N) – vinaigrette

kitchen (N) – kitchenette

rouelle (FR. "wheel") – roulette

rose (N) – rosette

cigar (N) – cigarette

toilet (N) – toilette³ (N)

(ethics) (N) [Fr.] – etiquette

vine (N) [Fr.] "vigne" – vignette

-SIE / SY

foot– footsie

one – onesie (one-piece baby wear)

tiny (Adj) – teensie weensie

hot (Adj) – hotsy-totsy

Patricia / Pat – Patty / Patsie

? – Tootsie

-IE / Y

cook (N/V) – cookie

hood (N) – hoodie

lad (N) – laddie

pup (N) – puppy

duck (N) – ducky

mom (N) – mommy

Bob – Bobby

Thomas – Tommy

Susan – Susie

-LET

book (N) – booklet

brace (N) – bracelet

cut (N) – cutlet (small cut of meat)

out (Adv) – outlet

owl (N) – owlet

[alemelle "thin plate" OFr.] – omelet

tart (N) – tartlet

toile (N "small cloth" Fr.) – toilet

viola (N "purple flower" Lat.) – violet

-LING

change (V) – changeling (folklore– baby left by fairy)

dear (Adj) – darling

duck (N) – duckling

found (V) – foundling (abandoned baby)

hire (V) hireling (menial or hourly worker)

nest (N) – nestling

prince (N) – princeling

under (Adv) – underling (subordinate)

-KIN

[Dutch / German / -quin French]

pumpkin "pepon" melon (Grk.)

lambkin "lamb" (1570)

munchkin Wizard of Oz (1900)

bumpkin "little barrel" a simple person (M. Dutch)

napkin "nappe" little table cloth (O. Fr.)

ramekin (little baking dish "ram") (M. Dutch), ramequin (Fr.)

¹ brun (French) — brown masculine brunet (Fr) feminine brunette (Fr / Eng)

² bachelor (N) – a young unmarried man; a college degree Bachelor's degree.

³ toilette – may refer to a toilet (commode) or to the process of bathing and grooming

peponi – melon (Greek)

nape – table cloth in (Middle English)

munchkin – dwarf in Wizard of Oz

-cule — molecule, animacule, capsule

-ello / -ella — bordello, limoncello, salmonella, Ella (name)

silhouette – à la silhouette, after Etienne de Silhouette

Find word origins (etymology) Dictionary.com.

Collective Noun Forms

Collective nouns derived from other nouns

Noun → Collective Noun

NOUN WORD FORM
A collective noun may be formed from other nouns. The nouns below refer to individuals.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
A star	lives a public life.
Our partner	is Sky Airways.
A child	enjoys playtime.

COLLECTIVE NOUN WORD FORM
Some nouns permit a suffix such as -ship, -dom or -hood. These suffixes express a state, condition, or office of all the individuals within the group.
SUBJECT	PREDICATE + COMPLEMENT
Stardom	can attract too much attention.
Our partnership	has been successful.
Childhood	lasts a short time.

Noun to Collective Noun List

SUFFIX	NOUN – COLL. NOUN	NOUN – COLL. NOUN	OTHER – COLL. NOUN
-DOM state, condition, dignity, office	star – stardom fan – fandom	bore – boredom king – kingdom	free – freedom (Adj→N) wise – wisdom (Adj→N)
-SHIP state, condition, skill, office, associated with	censor – censorship partner – partnership	scholar – scholarship dealer – dealership	workman – workmanship apprentice – apprenticeship
-HOOD state, collective	brother – brotherhood widow – widowhood	neighbor – neighborhood child – childhood	live – livelihood (V→N) false – falsehood (Adj→N)
-ERY location, collective, behavior condition	slave – slavery (collective state)	machine – machinery	citizens – citizenry (collective)

-dom archdukedom, bachelordom, boredom, chiefdom, computerdom, coupledom, czardom, freedom, gangsterdom, hippiedom, kaiserdom, kingdom, princedom, serfdom, sheikdom, sheriffdom, wisdom, yuppiedom

-ship airmanship, authorship, captainship, censorship, comradeship, dealership, fellowship, kingship, kinship, lordship, mentorship, partnership, readership, scholarship, sponsorship, sponsorship, viewership, workmanship

-hood adulthood, babyhood, boyhood, brotherhood, childhood, cousinhood, falsehood, fatherhood, girlhood, knighthood, likelihood, livelihood, manhood, motherhood, nationhood, parenthood, priesthood, sisterhood, statehood, toddlerhood, widowhood, womanhood

-ery adultery, antislavery, baptistery, bewitchery, buffoonery, chancellery, demagoguery, distillery, effrontery, gendarmerie, housewifery, jackassery, lampoonery, machinery, midwifery, millinery, monastery, perfumery, presbytery, savagery, skullduggery, slavery, snobbery, thievery, tomfoolery, villager, witchery

Noun Forms

Noun forms with same verb form ("zero suffix")

Same Form—Verb → Noun

VERB
A suffix normally marks a word as an adjective, verb, or noun. A suffix is placed at the end of the word. The words below are verbs.
The pilots will attempt to take off together.
The pilots will control their aircrafts.
The aircraft will rise into the air.
The aircraft will circle in the air. (loop)

NOUN
In some cases, the same form of the word is used for the verb or the noun. The words below are nouns which are resulting states of the action of the verb.
The attempt was successful. subj NP
The pilot's control was effective. subj NP
The rise will be sharp. subj NP
The path of the aircraft will form a circle. obj NP

SUBJ NP – subject noun phrase

No suffix — also known as 'conversion' , 'zero-affixation' or 'zero-derivation'.

Same Form—Verb to Noun (primarily a verb)

arrest (V) – arrest (N)	attempt (V) – attempt (N)	bore (V) – bore (N)	cheat (V) – cheat (N)
coach (V) – coach (N)	cough (V) – cough (N)	desire (V) – desire (N)	flirt (V) – flirt (N)
go (V) – go (N)	grin (V) – grin (N)	laugh (V) – laugh (N)	read (V) – read (N)
smile (V) – smile (N)	sneak (V) – sneak (N)	spy (V) – spy (N)	whisper (V) – whisper (N)
whistle (V) – whistle (N)	win (V) – win (N)

Same Form—Noun to Verb (primarily a noun)

boss (V) – boss (N)	butcher (V) – butcher (N)	butter (V) – butter (N)	cash (V) – cash (N)
eye (V) – go (N)	finger (V) – finger (N)	fish (V) – fish (N)	gesture (V) – gesture (N)
knife (V) – knife (N)	knot (V) – knot (N)	motion (V) – motion (N)	nap (V) – nap (N)
panic (V) – panic (N)	parody (V) – parody (N)	parrot (V) – parrot (N)	queue (V) – queue (N) [Br-En]
ski (V) – ski (N)	skin (V) – skin (N)	water (V) – water (N)	zero (V) – zero (N)

(Huddleston 19 §3.1)

Stress shift → Verb to Noun

acCENT (V) – ACcent (N)	conDUCT (V) – CONduct (N)	conFLICT (V) – CONflict (N)	conTEST (V) – CONtest (N)
conVERT (V) – CONvert (N)	conVICT (V) – CONvict (N)	deCREASE (V) – DEcrease (N)	deSERT (V) – DESert¹ (N)
diGEST (V) – DIgest (N)	esCORT (V) – EScort (N)	exPORT (V) – EXport (N)	fragMENT (V) – FRAGment (N)
inSERT (V) – INsert (N)	inSULT (V) – INsult (N)	perMIT (V) – PERmit (N)	preSENT (V) – PREsent (N)
reCORD (V) – REcord (N)	reJECT (V) – REject (N)	transFER (V) – TRANSfer (N)	susPECT (V) – SUSpect (N)

¹ de-sert' [Latin (V) deserere "abandon, forsake"] → des' ert [Latin (N) desertum "a land that is abandoned"] → des-sert' [French (N) desservir "to clear the table"]. ("dessert" See Word Origin from Dictionary.com)

(Huddleston 19 §2.6)

Also see dessert vs. desert in Lesson 15 "Commonly Misspelled Words." Keys to Spelling: Sounds and Syllables, 29 Aug. 2016, www.grammar-quizzes.com/spellingsum.html. Printable 3MB PDF.

Nouns Ending in -ing

Test a word for its Noun properties

A true noun vs. verbal form [gerund-participle]

NOUN WORD FORM
A noun may end in -ing. To test if a word is a noun: (1) put an article before it or (2) a prepositional phrase after it. If not awkward sounding, then the word shares these properties belonging to nouns.
NOUN PHRASE
(1) ACCEPTS AN ARTICLE
The landing was not difficult. The landings were not difficult.
(2) IS SINGULAR OR PLURAL IN AGREEMENT
The landing / A landing is not difficult. The landings / landings are not difficult.
(3) ACCEPTS MODIFIERS
A smooth landing was not difficult. (Adj) The landing of the airplane was not difficult. (Prep Phrase) The landing that the pilot made was impressive. (Rel Cls)
(4) DOES NOT ACCEPT A NOUN PHRASE COMPLEMENT
*The landing the plane was not difficult.

GERUND WORD FORM
A verbal form called a gerund (gerund-participle) ends in -ing. If it is a gerund, it (1) will not accept an article or any modifiers and (2) will be singular in agreement. See Gerund-Participle comparison of properties.
GERUND CLAUSE
(1) DOES NOT ACCEPT AN ARTICLE
Landing the plane was not difficult. *The landing the plane was not difficult.
(2) IS ALWAYS SINGULAR IN AGREEMENT
Landing was not difficult.
(3) DOES NOT ACCEPT MODIFIERS
Smooth landing the airplane was not difficult. Landing of the airplane was not difficult. *Landing that was smooth was not difficult.
(4) MAY ACCEPT A NOUN PHRASE COMPLEMENT
Landing the plane was not difficult. (Object noun)

Also see Participle Modifiers 2 and Gerunds.

Also see Noun Properties | Noun, Verb, Gerund, Participle Properties. (Apply tests to determine if a word functions as other members in a category.)

Nouns ending with -ing

advertise (V) – advertising (N)	airbrush (V) – airbrushing (N)	beat (V) – beating (N)	bless (V) – blessing (N)
board (V) – boarding (N)	bookmark (V) – bookmarking (N)	come (V) – coming (N)	dance (V) – dancing (N)
edge (V) – edging (N)	end (V) – ending (N)	feed (V) – feeding (N)	forget (V) – forgetting (N)
forward (V) – forwarding (N)	fund (V) – funding (N)	handwrite (V) – handwriting (N)	highlight (V) – highlighting (N)
make (V) – making (N)	market (V) – marketing (N)	open (V) – opening (N)	paint (V) – painting (N)
plant (V) – planting (N)	read (V) – reading (N)	seat (V) – seating (N)	understand (V) – understanding (N)

"deverbal nouns" (Huddleston 19 5.7.2g)

If you are unsure whether a word ending in -ing is a noun, add a determiner and/or a modifier. For example, compare "landing" and "flying". Add a determiner: The landing was smooth. *The flying was smooth. Or add a modifier: The landing in Atlanta was smooth. *The flying in the airplane was smooth. [Use the flight instead.] However, we could say, "The flying of the national flag is a sign of patriotism."

*incorrect use

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

Focus and Solution

ERROR
Informal speech may include using a verb form as a noun when a true noun form exists: ~ What's the ask on that house? ~ Let's see the reveal. ~Have a listen to this. ~ Do the reboot and call me later.
Using a noun form as a modifier when a true adjective exists: ~ The education research suggests that we need to improve in math.

ERROR

Informal speech may include using a verb form as a noun when a true noun form exists:

~ What's the ask on that house?

~ Let's see the reveal.

~Have a listen to this.

~ Do the reboot and call me later.

Using a noun form as a modifier when a true adjective exists:

~ The education research suggests that we need to improve in math.

SOLUTION
This trendy usage is probably occurring as shortened form in texting. What is the asking price. / What is the question regarding that house? Let's reveal the changes. / The revelation caused a protest. Listen to this. Take a look at this. Reboot it and call me later. After rebooting, call me.
The educational research suggests that we need to improve in math. The research in education suggests that we need to improve in math.

SOLUTION

This trendy usage is probably occurring as shortened form in texting.

What is the asking price. / What is the question regarding that house?

Let's reveal the changes. / The revelation caused a protest.

Listen to this. Take a look at this.

Reboot it and call me later. After rebooting, call me.

The educational research suggests that we need to improve in math.

The research in education suggests that we need to improve in math.

Note: In many cases a noun can modify another noun, however, if there is an adjective form for a word, use it.

* Incorrect use / ~ Questionable use

Pop-Q – "The fix"

Works Cited

"50 Diminutive Suffixes (and a Cute Little Prefix)." Daily Writing Tips. 2016, dailywritingtips.com/50-diminutive-suffixes-and-a-cute-little-prefix.
Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Brigham Young U, 2013, corpus.byu.edu/coca.
"dessert". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, 29 Aug. 2016, http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dessert.
Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 21 Jun. 2015.
Frank, Marcella. Modern English: Exercises for Non-native Speakers. Part I, Prentice-Hall, 1972.
Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
"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.
Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.

Practice 1

Air Travel

Read Context

International travel requires passing through airports and that can be challenging. Making a -reserve- is mostly done online nowadays. The -seat- is first come, first served, so it is important to plan ahead. On the day of your trip, you should plan an early -arrive- to the airport. You should be there at least two hours before the -depart- of an international flight. -Process- for checking in passengers can take a long time.

An agent will ask you to show your -identify-. A security agent will ask you a few -quest- about the contents of your baggage. Then they will permit your -enter- into the secure area of the airport. Another agent will announce the -board- of the aircraft. At that time, you will walk down a long -pass- to the door of the airplane.

content – what is inside of something (bag)

process – a series of actions directed toward completing a goal

Select the noun form for each verb.

Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 1-10" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.

Making is mostly done online nowadays.

Feedback 1

is first come, first served, so it is important to plan ahead.

Feedback 2

On the day of your trip, you should plan to the airport.

Feedback 3

You should be there at least two hours before of an international flight.

Feedback 4

for checking in passengers can take a long time.

Feedback 5

An agent will ask you to show your .

Feedback 6

A security agent will ask you about the contents of your baggage.

Feedback 7

Then they will permit into the secure area of the airport.

Feedback 8

Another agent will announce of the aircraft.

Feedback 9

10.

At that time, you will walk down to the door of the airplane.

Feedback 10

Practice 3

Focusing on the Action

Read Context

It is indispensable to supervise aircraft checks. ⇒

It is important to maintain an airplane.

It is necessary to inspect the engines.

It is critical to employ good technicians.

It is essential to transport passengers safely.

It is dangerous for any part of the airplane to fail.

It is required to approve all work on the aircraft.

It is necessary to replace all worn parts.

It is logical to require safety updates.

It is reasonable to retire an aircraft after twenty years.

The supervision of aircraft is indispensable.

The… is important.

The… is necessary.

The… is critical.

The… is essential.

The… is dangerous.

The… is required.

The… is necessary.

The… is logical.

The… is reasonable.

Also see "It is" + Adjective + Infinitive

Change the focus from the speaker's opinion to the action.

Reword the sentence so that it begins with a noun clause not an it-clause.
Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 21-30" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.

21.

It is important to maintain an airplane.

Edit 21

Feedback 21

22.

It is necessary to inspect the engines.

Edit 22

Feedback 22

23.

It is critical to employ good technicians.

Edit 23

Feedback 23

24.

It is essential to transport passengers safely.

Edit 24

Feedback 24

25.

It is dangerous for any part of the airplane to fail.

Edit 25

Feedback 25

26.

It is required to approve all work on the aircraft.

Edit 26

Feedback 26

27.

It is necessary to replace all worn parts.

Edit 27

Feedback 27

28.

It is logical to require safety updates.

Edit 28

Feedback 28

29.

It is reasonable to retire an aircraft after twenty years.

Edit 29

Feedback 29

Noun Suffixes (Nominal Suffixes)

Recognize a variety of noun forms

In Context

Nouns derived from adjectives

Personal nouns derived from other nouns

Suffixes that denote females

Suffixes for smallness or affection

Collective nouns derived from other nouns

Noun forms with same verb form ("zero suffix")

Test a word for its Noun properties

Errors and Solutions

Focus and Solution

Air Travel

Read Context

Select the noun form for each verb.

Transportation in my City

Read for Errors

Change the verbs to noun forms.

Focusing on the Action

Read Context

Change the focus from the speaker's opinion to the action.