Noun Suffixes

A suffix is a group of letters we put after a word to make a new word. It modifies its meaning or changes the word into a different word class.

Download “30 Common Suffixes” in PDF

The different noun suffixes

-sion

We use -sion to make nouns from certain verbs:

televise (verb) – television (noun)

The World Cup was televised to the whole world.
It is becoming more common to see 8K televisions.

revise (verb) – revision (noun)

We don’t like revising our return policy, but unfortunately, it is necessary.
Some students leave their revision until it is too late.

supervise (verb) – supervision (noun)

The manager is supervising the new workers on site.
Some supervision is needed if you want the cleaners to finish the work before the conference

-tion

We also use -tion to make nouns from certain verbs:

repeat (verb) – repetition (noun)

Would you mind repeating the directions?
Some people believe that the secret to language learning lies in repetition.

relax (verb) – relaxation (noun)

You need to learn to relax. Try relaxing Lofi music.
My idea of relaxation is being waited on hand and foot.

separate (verb) – separation (noun)

You should separate the boxes into two stacks.
It is difficult for couples to endure separation.

-ment

We also use -ment to make nouns from certain verbs and adjectives:

improve (verb) – improvement (noun)

What are you doing to improve your English?
Tom has shown slow but consistent improvement since he joined the class at the beginning of the year.

govern (verb) – government (noun)

What makes you think it is easy to govern a country?
I don’t think our government is doing everything in its power to look after us.

merry (adjective) – merriment (noun)

Mary was a merry girl until her mother passed away.
These workers lead stressful lives; they need some good merriment every now and then.

-ness

We use -ness to make nouns from certain adjectives:

happy (adjective) – happiness (noun)

Are you happy to see your friend?
The key to happiness is doing as little as possible.

lazy (adjective) – laziness (noun)

Tom is an extremely lazy boy.
Tom’s laziness is driving me crazy!

sad (adjective) – sadness (noun)

How can one comfort a sad person?
I can see the sadness in their eyes.

-ity

We use -ity to make nouns from certain adjectives:

impossible (adjective) – impossibility (noun)

It is impossible for any person to be in two places at once.
The impossibility of the situation was too much to bear.

real (adjective) – reality (noun)

This coat is made of real fur.
It is time for us to face reality.

insane (adjective) – insanity (noun)

I think people who go skydiving are insane.
I couldn’t understand what all the insanity was about.

-ence / -ance

We use both -ence and -ance to make nouns from certain adjectives and verbs:

important (adjective) – importance (noun)

It is important to take your passport when you go to the airport.

insistent (adjective) – insistence (noun)

The president is insistent that his government is doing everything it can to resolve the issue peacefully.
I went to the office party at my manager’s insistence.

disappear (verb) – disappearance (noun)

The girl disappeared on her way to school.
The parents couldn’t handle their son’s disappearance.

-ship

We -ship to make nouns from certain other nouns:

friend (noun) – friendship (noun)

Tom doesn’t have many friends.
How do you know when a friendship is real?

intern (noun) – internship (noun)

The intern couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the patient.
His internship lasted longer than that of his colleagues.

member (noun) – membership (noun)

He is a member of the local gym.
Your gym membership will automatically renew in 2 weeks if not canceled.

4 Rules to consider when adding a suffix

Some general rules to consider when adding suffixes…

1. If a word ends in -e and the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the -e.
   • Make -> making
   • Bake -> baking
2. Use the double consonant in a word with a single vowel + single consonant when adding a vowel-starting suffix.
   • Sit -> sitting
   • Pat -> patting
3. If a word ends in -y, change the “y” to “i” before adding certain suffixes.
   • Happy -> happiness
   • Lazy -> laziness
4. If suffixes start with consonants, don’t change the base word.
   • Hope -> hopeful
   • Help -> helpful

Can you have two suffixes in a word?

Yes, some words can have more than one suffix. Here are some examples.

Helplessness:

• Base word: “help”
• Suffixes: “-less” and “-ness”

Carelessly:

• Base word: “care”
• Suffixes: “-less” and “-ly”

Beautifully:

• Base word: “beauty”
• Suffixes: “-ful” and “-ly”

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