Table of Contents
- What is the rule for word roots suffixes and prefixes?
- Does adding a prefix to a root word change the spelling?
- What are prefixes in grammar?
- How do you add a prefix and suffix in Excel?
- How do you add a suffix?
- How do you use prefix in Word?
- How do I prefix a letter in Excel?
- How do you add a suffix in Excel?
- How do you make a suffix in Excel?
- What is the formula prefix in Excel?
- What are predesigned formatted files called?
- How do you make the prefix minus in Excel?
- How do you add a prefix to 0 in Excel?
- How do you write 0001 in Excel?
- How do I convert numbers to text?
- How do I add a zero in front of a number in SQL?
File formats that are supported in Word
What is the rule for word roots suffixes and prefixes?
A word cannot end with a combining form (word root + vowel). A suffix is added at the end of the word. A combining vowel will be used if the suffix begins with a consonant. A combining vowel is generally not used if the suffix begins with a vowel (there are some exceptions to this rule).
Does adding a prefix to a root word change the spelling?
When adding a prefix to a word, the spelling of the base word never changes. For example, the prefix un- did not change the spelling of the word “happy.” And, the prefix re- would not change the spelling of the word “live” in “relive.”
What are prefixes in grammar?
A prefix is a group of letters (or an affix) that’s added to the beginning of a word. Prefixes modify the meaning of a word.
Extension | Name of file format |
---|---|
.doc | Word 97-2003 Document |
.docm | Word Macro-Enabled Document |
.docx | Word Document |
.docx | Strict Open XML Document |
How do you add a prefix and suffix in Excel?
Of course, you can add the prefix or suffix to each cell one by one….Add prefix or suffix to all cells with formulas.
Enter formulas | Results in cells |
---|---|
= Concatenate (“Food – “, A1) | Food – Apple |
=Concatenate (A1, ” – Fruit”) | Apple – Fruit |
How do you add a suffix?
Suffixes are added to the end of words to make new words. There are two types of suffixes: vowel and consonant. Vowel suffixes include endings such as -ed, -er,-es, -end, and -ing. Consonant suffixes include endings such as -s, -less, -ness, -ment, and -ly.
How do you use prefix in Word?
How to prefix a numbered list in Microsoft Word
- Enter the list items.
- Select the list.
- Click Numbering In the Paragraph group on the Home tab.
- Select the numbers.
- Right-click the selected numbers.
- In the resulting dialog, add “Flower ” to the Number Format control – enter it to the left of the existing number.
- Click OK.
How do I prefix a letter in Excel?
- Enter the function of = CONCATENATE(“X”,A1) in one cell other than A say D.
- Click the Cell D1, and drag the fill handle across the range that you want to fill. All the cells should have been added the specific prefix text.
How do you add a suffix in Excel?
To do this, place the cursor in Column C and type =Concatenate(B4,” PHD.”) and hit the enter key on the keyboard of your computer. After adding the Suffix in the first cell, you can quickly add the Suffix to all the remaining cells by dragging the formula to all the remaining cells.
How do you make a suffix in Excel?
Keyboard shortcuts for superscript and subscript in Excel
- Select one or more characters you want to format.
- Press Ctrl + 1 to open the Format Cells dialog box.
- Then press either Alt + E to select the Superscript option or Alt + B to select Subscript.
- Hit the Enter key to apply the formatting and close the dialog.
What is the formula prefix in Excel?
To signal to the spreadsheet that you’re entering an equation that needs processing, you need a prefix before the formula. The most common prefix is an equal sign (=). So if you enter “= 2 + 2,” the worksheet processes the formula and displays the result “4” in the cell.
What are predesigned formatted files called?
Excel Unit A
Question | Answer |
---|---|
In Excel, a worksheet is contained in a file called a ____. | workbook |
You can use predesigned, formatted files called ____ to create new worksheets quickly | templates |
You can use a spreadsheet to ____ by using variable values to investigate and sample different outcomes. | create what-if data scenarios |
How do you make the prefix minus in Excel?
Change positive numbers to negative with Paste Special function
- Tap number -1 in a blank cell and copy it.
- Highlight the range that you want to change, then right-click and choose Paste Special from the context menu to open the Paste Special dialog box.
How do you add a prefix to 0 in Excel?
Add a custom format to show leading zeros.
- Select the range of cells you want to add leading zeros to and open up the Format Cells dialog box. Right click and choose Format Cells.
- Go to the Number tab.
- Select Custom from the category options.
- Add a new custom format in the Type input.
- Press the OK button.
How do you write 0001 in Excel?
Steps
- Select the cell or range of cells that you want to format.
- Press Ctrl+1 to load the Format Cells dialog.
- Select the Number tab, then in the Category list, click Custom and then, in the Type box, type the number format, such as for a social security number code, or 00000 for a five-digit postal code.
How do I convert numbers to text?
Enter the formula =TEXT(C2,”0″) to the cell D2. In the formula, C2 is the address of the first cell with the numbers to convert. Copy the formula across the column using the fill handle. You will see the alignment change to left in the helper column after applying the formula.
How do I add a zero in front of a number in SQL?
6 Answers. The safest way is probably to only add zeroes when the length of the column is 1 character: UPDATE Table SET MyCol = ‘0’ + MyCol WHERE LEN(MyCol) = 1; This will cover all numbers under 10 and also ignore any that already have a leading 0.
Word styles can be tweaked to insert fixed characters before the text. Prefix anything in a certain style with your choice of characters or words. Suffixing, or adding after some text, is a lot harder.
Word’s prefix and suffix support is poor and very limited. This article shows what’s possible and workarounds for this strange omission.
Why prefix?
There are various situations where you might want to use a style to set words before a paragraph. For example, a simple Q & A with pairs of paragraphs like this:
With the preceding text in the style, it’s very easy to change the look. Use different words or abbreviation (Query, Ask, Prompt) or separator ( : – —…).
Yes, you could use Replace but that only works if the find text is only in that starting location, not anywhere else in the document.
Suffixes or text following isn’t supported by Word but you can fake it, almost. We’ll show some examples below.
- Adding … after an item
- ‘Read More’ or ‘click here’ text in links at end of excerpt.
- Whether a list (bullet or numbered) should have a fullstop/period at the end of each item. (this provokes some very heated opinions!)
Prefix/Suffix support would be great for special items like product codes, SKUs, code samples etc. With proper prefix/suffix support in character styles it would be possible to show those elements in a consistent and easily changeable way. (SKU1234) could become [SKU1234] {SKU1234} or just SKU1234 by just changing the style.
CSS prefix/suffix
Web designers know that prefix/suffix is easy with Cascading Style Sheets CSS used in most web sites. There are Pseudo-elements called :before and :after combined with the ‘content’ property that can add whatever you like as prefix or suffix.
ol li:before { content:"Question "; }
That CSS code adds the text ‘Question ’ to the start of each item in an numbered list.
If it’s possible and easy in a browser, surely it’s available in Microsoft Word? Sorry, not so much.
Prefix
There’s no direct support for prefixes in Word but it’s fairly easy to fake for paragraphs. In short, use multi-level numbering but without the numbers!
As you may know, Home | Paragraph | Multi-Level list can add text before numbers like Article, Heading, Section etc.
Make a new Multilevel list.
Number style for this level choose None.
- Number style for this level – type in the prefix text you want.
Answer could be a separate multilevel list style but it’s probably easier to make it the second level of the same list style. If you wish, change the Aligned and Text indent so it’s aligned with Question, instead of the default indenting.
That works for paragraphs but not for character styles where, arguably, prefix/suffix support is needed even more. There’s a workaround for that, which we’ll explain below for suffixes.
Suffix
Adding fixed suffix text is possible but a lot harder. Harder than it should be.
Here’s an example of where a style-based suffix would be useful. The label (Bold, Italic etc.) can have different suffixes depending on preference (space, colon, dash, em-dash).
Ideally the label text could have a Character Style with a suffix setup in the style. Since Microsoft hasn’t given us that, we have to look for workarounds.
If the suffix character or word is only in the suffix and nowhere else in the document, a simple Replace is enough.
But if the suffix is (or might be) in other parts of the document, a more complex Replace is necessary.
End of Paragraph only
One possibility is to search for the ending text plus the end of paragraph marker (^p in a find or replace). That ensures you only replace text at the end of a paragraph.
This example replaces ellipsis … with a colon but only if at the end of a paragraph.
Limit by style
Another way to limit a find/replace is by style.
For this to work, you need to apply a special style to the paragraphs or phrases that need a special suffix. Any replace can be limited to text just in that style. Choose the find and replace style using Format | Style.
This example only applies to text with the style ‘Code char’, the square closing bracket is replaced with a curly closing bracket. E.g. [Screen Cap] becomes [Screen Cap} .
VITAL! This assumes that the prefix/suffix character is ONLY used in those two positions, not in the main text formatted with that style.
That’s also a way to workaround prefix/suffix in a character style.
Adding text to character style
If there’s no prefix/suffix text already present, there’s a way to insert text before or after a character style.
Use Replace with one of the lesser used find settings: Find whole words only. Combine that with searching in a chosen style only.
Replace with uses another lesser known option: Find What Text ^& which inserts the result of the find into the replace box. If you want a prefix, add the text before e.g
Command:^&
For a suffix put it after:
^& —
If you prefer Wildcards / Regular Expressions, try this.
(<[A-Za-z]@{1,99})
Or
(<*>)
Finds whole words (letters only) or entire words in the chosen style only.
This works for single words only, as in our example above.
Finding multiple words takes more complex wildcards that find the word and extend to the start of the following text (in this case ‘Ctrl’).
Wish List
If Microsoft wanted to improve Word styles, they could start by looking at some of the features in modern CSS like pseudo elements :before :after :first-letter and :first-line. Add to that something not in CSS :first-para
Common file name extensions in Windows
Extension | Format |
---|---|
docx | Microsoft Word document |
dot | Microsoft Word template before Word 2007 |
dotx | Microsoft Word template |
eml | Email file created by Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail, and other programs |
Contents
- 1 What is the default file extension for all Word documents?
- 2 What is the file extension for Word 2010?
- 3 Which of the following extension is used for saving a file?
- 4 What is the file extension of Word 2013?
- 5 What is the file extension for Microsoft Word 2016?
- 6 What is the default file extension of MS Word 2013?
- 7 What is file extension and examples?
- 8 What are the 5 file extensions?
- 9 How do I add an extension to a file?
- 10 What is the file extension of MS Excel 2010?
- 11 What is the file extension of MS Excel 2007?
- 12 What are Microsoft extensions?
- 13 How do I open an XLA file in Office 365?
- 14 What does a file extension look like?
- 15 How do I get the file extension?
- 16 What is your extension meaning?
- 17 What is the extension of basic file?
- 18 What is a 20 file?
- 19 What are the 4 types of files?
- 20 How do I make file extensions in Windows 10?
What is the default file extension for all Word documents?
The default file extension for all Word documents is ‘. docx‘.
The default file format for Word 2010 is Office Open XML (DOCX).
Which of the following extension is used for saving a file?
A Word Document, or DOC, file is the extension that Word would save its documents. Starting in Word 2007, the . docx file format became the standard file that Microsoft Word would save files as.
What is the file extension of Word 2013?
File formats that are supported in Word
Extension | Name of file format |
---|---|
.docx | Word Document |
.docx | Strict Open XML Document |
.dot | Word 97-2003 Template |
.dotm | Word Macro-Enabled Template |
What is the file extension for Microsoft Word 2016?
docx
docx has been the default file type for Microsoft Word since the 2007 version, i.e. in Word 2007, Word 2010, Word 2013 and Word 2016.
What is the default file extension of MS Word 2013?
DOCX
The latest version of MS Word which is MS Word 2013 by default saves the documents in DOCX as well. One of the biggest advantages of DOCX file format is that it supports some additional formatting which is not possible when legacy file extension is used to save the documents.
What is file extension and examples?
A file extension (or simply “extension”) is the suffix at the end of a filename that indicates what type of file it is. For example, in the filename “myreport.It indicates the file is a text document. Some other examples include . DOCX, which is used for Microsoft Word documents, and .
What are the 5 file extensions?
In summary, the most common document file extensions are:
- DOC and DOCX.
- HTML and . HTM.
- ODT.
- PDF.
- XLS and XLSX.
- ODS.
- PPT and . PPTX.
- TXT.
How do I add an extension to a file?
How to change a file extension
- Click the file to select it, then click once more. Windows automatically selects the filename so that anything you type will replace the existing name.
- Click and drag over the extension, type the new extension and press Enter.
What is the file extension of MS Excel 2010?
File formats that use the Clipboard
Format | Extension | Clipboard type identifiers |
---|---|---|
Microsoft Excel file formats | .xls | Binary file formats for Excel versions 5.0/95 (BIFF5), Excel 97-2003 (BIFF8), and Excel 2010 (BIFF12). |
SYLK | .slk | Symbolic Link Format. |
DIF | .dif | Data Interchange Format. |
Text (tab-delimited) | .txt | Tab-separated text format. |
What is the file extension of MS Excel 2007?
xlsx
Office Excel 2007 supports the use of a new XML-based file format that Microsoft officially calls the Microsoft Office Open XML format. This new file format carries the filename extension . xlsx for Excel workbooks and . xlsm for macro-enabled workbooks.
What are Microsoft extensions?
Microsoft Edge extensions are small software programs that integrate with Edge to make surfing the internet easier, safer, and more productive. Here’s a look at finding and installing Edge extensions to personalize and enhance your web browsing experience.
How do I open an XLA file in Office 365?
How do I open an XLA file?
- Select File → Options → Add-Ins.
- In the Manage window, select Excel Add-ins → Go.
- In the Add-Ins window, select Browse.
- Find and select your XLA file. Then, click OK.
What does a file extension look like?
A file name extension is often between one and three characters and is always at the end of the file name, starting with a period.html file extension. Note. In all new versions of Microsoft Windows, by default, the file extensions are hidden, and you must have show file extensions enabled.
How do I get the file extension?
Open File Explorer; if you do not have an icon for this in the task bar; click Start, click Windows System, and then File Explorer. Click the View tab in File Explorer. Click the box next to File name extensions to see file extensions.
What is your extension meaning?
1 : the act of making something longer or greater extension of the sail. 2 : an increase in length or time. 3 : a part forming an addition or enlargement.
What is the extension of basic file?
For example, the doc extension tells your computer that the file is a Microsoft Word file.
Common Windows file extensions.
File Extension | File Type |
---|---|
.AU | Basic Audio |
.AVI | Multimedia Audio/Video |
.BAT | PC batch file |
.BMP | Windows BitMap |
What is a 20 file?
What is 20 file? 20 filename suffix is mostly used for Salt Lake City Game Music files. Salt Lake City Game Music specification was created by Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.. 20 files are supported by software applications available for devices running Windows. Files with 20 extension are categorized as Game Files files.
What are the 4 types of files?
The four common types of files are document, worksheet, database and presentation files. Connectivity is the capability of microcomputer to share information with other computers. Wireless communication using mobile devices is the beginning of wireless revolution.
How do I make file extensions in Windows 10?
Add New File Types to Windows 10 Context Menu
- The Context Menu. The Context Menu in Windows 10 represents the best way to create a new file quickly and easily.
- Create New Files in the Context Menu.
- Add New Files to the Context Menu.
- Steps to Add File Types You Want.
- Create Files and Save Time.
What is a suffix?
Suffixes are morphemes (specific groups of letters with particular semantic meaning) that are added onto the end of root words to change their meaning. Suffixes are one of the two predominant kinds of affixes—the other kind is prefixes, which come at the beginning of a root word.
There is a huge range of suffixes in English, which can be broadly categorized as either inflectional or derivational.
Inflectional and Derivational Suffixes
Suffixes are used to change the grammatical function of an existing word. Sometimes this change is minor, with the word retaining its basic meaning and word class (part of speech) but conforming to the grammatical rules required by the structure of the sentence; these are known as inflectional suffixes. More often, the addition of a suffix results in the formation of a word that is in a completely different class and shares a meaning similar to the original root word; these are called derivational suffixes.
Inflectional Suffixes
Inflection refers to the changing of a word’s spelling according to the grammatical structure of a sentence. This is often accomplished by adding a specific suffix onto the end of a root word.
These inflectional suffixes are only used to modify the grammatical meaning of a word; they do not change a word from one part of speech to another, nor do they alter the fundamental meaning of the word. For example, the suffix “-s” is used with most nouns to indicate that they are plural (i.e., more than one), as in boys and girls. The basic meanings of the root words boy and girl do not change; they’ve simply been inflected to show that the speaker is talking about more than one.
Inflectional suffixes can be used with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The tables below show all of the inflectional suffixes used with these parts of speech, as well as examples of each.
Inflectional Suffixes of Nouns
Suffix |
Grammatical Function |
Example Words |
---|---|---|
“-s” |
Changes most nouns from singular to plural. |
bank→banks car→cars pizza→pizzas toy→toys wire→wires |
“-es” |
Forms the plural for nouns ending in a sibilant sound (/s/, /z/, /ʧ/, or /ʃ/) as created by the endings “-ss,” “-z,” “-x,” “-sh,” “-ch,” or “-tch.” |
coach→coaches watch→watches dish→dishes box→boxes bus→buses kiss→two kisses waltz→waltzes |
“-en” |
Changes certain irregular nouns* from singular to plural. |
ox→oxen child→children brother→brethren |
(*There are many irregular plural forms of nouns that do not adhere to any specific spelling pattern. To learn more about these and other rules for making nouns plural, see the section on Forming Plurals.)
Inflectional Suffixes of Verbs
Suffix |
Grammatical Function |
Example Words |
---|---|---|
“-s” |
Forms the third-person singular for most verbs. |
hear→hears run→runs think→thinks write→writes |
“-es” |
Forms the third-person singular for verbs ending in a sibilant sound (/s/, /z/, /ʧ/, or /ʃ/) created by the endings “-ss,” “-z,” “-x,” “-sh,” “-ch,” or “-tch,” as well as verbs ending in a consonant + O. |
approach→approaches catch→catches do→does go→goes hush→hushes pass→passes quiz→quizzes |
“-ed” |
Forms the past simple tense and past participle of most verbs. |
ask→asked burn→burned dare→dared hope→hoped open→opened talk→talked walk→walked |
“-en” |
Forms the past participle of some irregular verbs. |
be→been drive→driven eat→eaten give→given got→gotten sink→sunken write→written |
“-ing” |
Forms the present participle and gerund of verbs. |
build→building care→caring hear→hearing pass→passing read→reading see→seeing wear→wearing |
Inflectional Suffixes of Adjectives and Adverbs
Suffix |
Grammatical Function |
Example Words |
---|---|---|
“-er” |
Forms the comparative degree for many adjectives and adverbs. |
big→bigger fast→faster* happy→happier high→higher* sad→sadder slow→slower* |
“-est” |
Forms the superlative degree for many adjectives and adverbs. |
big→biggest fast→fastest* happy→happiest high→highest* sad→saddest slow→slowest* |
(*These words function either as adjectives or adverbs, depending on their use. Those without an asterisk only function as adjectives.)
Derivational Suffixes
Unlike inflectional suffixes, derivational suffixes create a new—though related—meaning in the word that’s formed. In many cases, the word formed by the addition of a derivational suffix will belong to a completely different part of speech (or word class). Suffixes that cause a shift in word class are sometimes referred to as class-changing suffixes.
There are many, many derivational suffixes used in English—too many to list here. We’ll just look at those most commonly encountered in day-to-day writing and speech.
It’s important to note that many words in modern English feature suffixes used with Latin, Old English, or foreign-language roots. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll mostly be focusing on examples of roots that can stand alone as words (with a few notable exceptions).
Suffixes that form nouns
Derivational suffixes that create nouns most often attach to verbs and (to a lesser degree) adjectives. However, several noun suffixes are also class-maintaining, meaning they form new nouns from other existing nouns. We’ll look at some of these a little later.
Suffix |
Suffix meaning |
Attaches to |
Example words |
---|---|---|---|
“-age” |
An action, process, or its result; a thing or place used for such an action. |
verbs (Often a class-maintaining suffix, as we’ll see later.) |
append→appendage block→blockage cover→coverage dote→dotage haul→haulage pack→package seep→seepage shrink→shrinkage store→storage use→usage wreck→wreckage |
“-al” |
An action or process. |
verbs |
approve→approval betray→betrayal bury→burial deny→denial dispose→disposal propose→proposal renew→renewal reverse→reversal |
“-ance” |
An action, process, state, condition, or quality. |
verbs most adjectives ending in “-ant” |
appear→appearance arrogant→arrogance brilliant→brilliance comply→compliance deliver→deliverance endure→endurance fragrant→fragrance ignorant→ignorance perform→performance reluctant→reluctance tolerate→tolerance |
“-dom” |
A state or condition. |
adjectives (More often a class-maintaining suffix, as we’ll see later.) |
bored→boredom free→freedom wise→wisdom |
“-ee” |
A person or thing receiving the effect of an action; less commonly, a person or thing controlling or performing a passive action. |
verbs |
absent→absentee address→addressee devote→devotee employ→employee interview→interviewee nominate→nominee train→trainee trust→trustee |
“-ence” |
An action, process, state, condition, or quality. |
verbs most adjectives ending in “-ent” |
absent→absence cohere→coherence defer→deference evident→evidence exist→existence intelligent→intelligence lenient→lenience occur→occurrence patient→patience persist→persistence revere→reverence silent→silence transfer→transference |
“-er” |
A person or thing performing or capable of a particular action. |
verbs |
bake→baker compose→composer cook→cooker defend→defender employ→employer interview→interviewer keep→keeper teach→teacher write→writer |
“-ery” |
The act, process, or practice of doing something, or a place for such. |
verbs |
bake→bakery bribe→bribery debauch→debauchery distill→distillery hatch→hatchery mock→mockery rob→robbery trick→trickery |
“-ication” |
A state, condition, action, process, or practice, or the result thereof. |
verbs ending in “-fy” |
amplify→amplification clarify→clarification dignify→dignification falsify→falsifiication glorify→glorification identify→identification justify→justification modify→modification quantify→quantification simplify→simplification unify→unification |
“-ism” |
1. An action, process, or practice. 2. A state, condition, or quality. 3. A doctrine, theory, or set of guiding principles. |
1. verbs 2 & 3. adjectives |
active→activism antagonize→antagonism baptize→baptism criticize→criticism colloquial→colloquialism exorcize→exorciism feminine→feminism liberal→liberalism metabolize→metabolism modern→modernism pacific→pacifism |
“-ist” |
One who performs a particular action, process, or practice. |
verbs (More often a class-maintaining suffix, as we’ll see later.) |
antagonize→antagonist cycle→cyclist exorcize→exorcicist lobby→lobbyist theorize→theorist |
“-(i)ty” (The i is dropped if the preceding vowel sound is or becomes unstressed.) |
A state, condition, trait, or quality. |
adjectives |
able→ability certain→certainty cruel→cruelty dual→duality equal→equality feminine→femininity frail→frailty hilarious→hilarity masculine→masculinity mature→maturity plural→plurality pure→purity secure→security |
“-ment” |
An action or process, or the result thereof. |
verbs |
adjust→adjustment bereave→bereavement contain→containment disappoint→disappointment employ→employment fulfill→fulfillment judge→judgment move→movement place→placement resent→resentment treat→treatment |
“-ness” |
A state, condition, trait, or measurement thereof. |
adjectives |
alert→alertness cold→coldness dark→darkness exact→exactness fierce→fierceness happy→happiness kind→kindness like→likeness selfish→selfishness useful→usefulness |
“-or” |
A person or thing controlling or performing an action. |
verbs |
act→actor communicate→communicator direct→director educate→educator invest→investor profess→professor sail→sailor survive→survivor translate→translator |
“-sion” |
A state, condition, action, process, or practice, or the result thereof. |
verbs |
admit→admission allude→allusion compel→compulsion convert→conversion decide→decision divert→diversion emit→emission extend→extension impress→impression invade→invasion invert→inversion obsess→obsession propel→propulsion seclude→seclusion suspend→suspension transmit→transmission |
“-tion” |
A state, condition, action, process, or practice, or the result thereof. |
verbs |
act→action affect→affection communicate→communication complete→completion direct→direction educate→education evolve→evolution inscribe→inscription interrupt→interruption misconceive→misconception resolve→resolution subscribe→subscription translate→translation |
Nouns formed from other nouns
As we mentioned already, many suffixes attach to existing nouns to create another noun with a new meaning. Because the words remain nouns, these suffixes are known as class-maintaining suffixes. (We looked at some of these already—they can be either class maintaining or class changing, depending on the root word that the suffix attaches to.)
Here are some of the most common:
Suffix |
Suffix meaning |
Example words |
---|---|---|
“-age” |
1. A collection or group; a mass or amount. 2. A status, relationship, or connection. 3. A condition or state of being. 4. A place of residence. 4. A rate or measurement of. |
acre→acreage bag→baggage baron→baronage bond→bondage cube→cubage floor→floorage foot→footage front→frontage hermit→hermitage mile→mileage orphan→orphanage pasture→pasturage percent→percentage sewer→sewerage vicar→vicarage watt→wattage |
“-(e)ry” (The e is usually dropped if the preceding vowel sound is or becomes unstressed.) |
1. A group, collection, category, or class of things. 2. A state or condition of being. 3. The characteristic qualities, actions, or behavior. 4. A practice or occupation. |
ancestor→ancestry buffoon→buffoonery circuit→circuitry crock→crockery dentist→dentistry image→imagery peasant→peasantry pedant→pedantry prude→prudery scene→scenery snob→snobbery zealot→zealotry |
“-ist” |
1. One who produces, practices, plays, operates, or is otherwise connected to a specific thing or activity. 2. One who follows or adheres to a certain doctrine, theory, or set of guiding principles. 3. One who specializes in a specific field of study. |
activism→activist anthropology→anthropologist art→artist bass→bassist biology→biologist Calvinism→Calvinist capitalism→capitalist feminism→feminist guitar→guitarist modernism→modernist novel→novelist pacifism→pacifist pharmacy→pharmacist piano→pianist psychiatry→psychiatrist racism→racist romanticism→romanticist science→scientist zoology→zoologist |
“-dom” |
1. A state, quality, or condition. 2. A specified domain or jurisdiction. 3. A particular rank or position. |
duke→dukedom earl→earldom chief→chiefdom Christian→Christendom fan→fandom king→kingdom martyr→martyrdom prince→princedom star→stardom |
“-hood” |
1. A state, quality, or condition. 2. A group sharing a state, quality, or condition. |
adult→adulthood boy→boyhood brother→brotherhood child→childhood father→fatherhood girl→girlhood knight→knighthood man→manhood mother→motherhood parent→parenthood sister→sisterhood woman→womanhood |
“-ship” |
1. A state, quality, or condition. 2. A particular rank, status, or position, or the time spent in such a position. 3. Skill, craft, or artistry employed in a particular profession or practice. |
apprentice→apprenticeship champion→championship citizen→citizenship craftsman→craftsmanship dealer→dealership dean→deanship friend→friendship leader→leadership penman→penmanship professor→professorship scholar→scholarship sponsor→sponsorship workman→workmanship |
“-(o)logy”
Another common suffix used to form nouns is the ending “-logy” (or “-ology” when following certain consonant sounds), which produces the meaning “a branch or field of knowledge, science, theory, or study.”
This suffix usually does not attach to pre-existing English roots; instead, it more often connects to Greek or Latin roots. For example:
Root |
Root Meaning |
+ -(o)logy |
New Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
astro- |
star, celestial body, or outer space |
astrology |
Originally meaning “the science of the heavenly bodies,” astrology now refers to the study of the positions and motions of planets, stars, and the moon in the belief that they influence human decisions and characteristics. |
bio- |
life |
biology |
The science of life and living animals. |
cardio- |
pertaining to the heart |
cardiology |
The scientific study of the structures, functions, and disorders of the heart. |
geo- |
earth (generally) or Earth (specifically) |
geology |
The scientific study of the origin and structures of the Earth. |
ideo- |
of or pertaining to ideas |
ideology |
A set of doctrines or beliefs that are held by an individual or shared by members of a social group. |
neuro- |
of or pertaining to a nerve or the nervous system |
neurology |
The scientific study of the structures, functions, and disorders of the nervous system. |
psych- |
mind, spirit, soul |
psychology |
The science and study of mental and behavioral processes. |
theo- |
God or gods |
theology |
The study of the divine and of religious truths. |
zoo-* |
animal, living being |
zoology |
The study of animals, including their physiology, development, and classification. |
(*The root zoo- is a combining form derived from the Greek word zoion. The English word zoo is actually a shortening of the term zoological garden.)
Because the meaning of “-(o)logy” is so well established, it is sometimes attached to existing English words to create new terms that follow the pattern established by the Greek and Latin roots. For instance:
- anesthesia→anesthesiology
- climate→climatology
- criminal→criminology
- icon→iconology
- music→musicology
- radiation→radiology
- reflex→reflexology
However, this combination is much less common than the use of Greek or Latin roots.
Suffixes that form verbs
Derivational suffixes that create verbs attach to nouns and adjectives.
Suffix |
Suffix meaning |
Attaches to |
Example words |
---|---|---|---|
“-en” |
1. To become or cause to become. 2. To come or cause to have. |
1. adjectives 2. nouns |
black→blacken broad→broaden cheap→cheapen fright→frighten hard→harden heart→hearten length→lengthen red→redden sharp→sharpen sick→sicken strength→strengthen |
“-ify” |
To make or cause to become. |
adjectives, nouns |
ample→amplify beauty→beautify clear→clarify diverse→diversify dignity→dignify glory→glorify just→justify pure→purify null→nullify simple→simplify type→typify |
“-ize” |
To become or cause to become; to do or make that to which the suffix is attached. |
adjectives, nouns |
accessory→accessorize apology→apologize capital→capitalize civil→civilize economy→economize empathy→empathize fertile→fertilize industrial→industrialize legal→legalize human→humanize standard→standardize theory→theorize union→unionize |
“-ise” vs. “-ize”
In American English, the suffix “-ize” is used to change nouns and adjectives into verbs, as we have just seen, and it also appears in verbs that do not have standalone root words. British English, however, predominantly uses the synonymous suffix “-ise.” For more information on this difference in spelling, go to the section on American English vs. British English.
“-ate”
There is also another common suffix that results in the creation of verbs: “-ate.” However, while this ending does occasionally attach to pre-existing nouns or adjectives (meaning “to act on, cause to become or be modified, or furnish with”), it is much more likely to appear in verbs that come from the past participles of Latin verbs. Even many words that look like they come directly from nouns or adjectives are in fact derived from Latin. For example:
Formed from nouns and adjectives |
Formed from Latin verbs |
---|---|
active→activate caffeine→caffeinate caliber→calibrate hyphen→hyphenate pollen→pollinate |
abbreviate→from Latin abbreviatus accentuate→from Latin accentuatus circulate→from Latin circulatus domesticate→from Latin domesticatus duplicate→from Latin duplicatus educate→from Latin educatus elongate→from Latin elongatus habituate→from Latin habituatus insulate→from Latin insulatus migrate→from Latin migratus notate→from Latin notatus separate→from Latin separatus translate→from Latin translatus |
Suffixes that form adjectives
Derivational suffixes that create adjectives usually attach to nouns. Much less often, they attach to verbs.
Suffix |
Suffix meaning |
Attaches to |
Example words |
---|---|---|---|
“-able” |
Possible; capable of; suitable for. |
verbs |
adore→adorable break→breakable debate→debatable do→doable excite→excitable live→livable manage→manageable read→readable stop→stoppable |
“-al” |
Having the characteristics of or relating to. |
nouns |
artifice→artificial bride→bridal brute→brutal center→central emotion→emotional form→formal logic→logical music→musical politics→political space→spatial tide→tidal |
“-en” |
Made of or resembling. |
nouns |
ash→ashen earth→earthen flax→flaxen gold→golden lead→leaden wax→waxen wood→wooden |
“-ful” |
1. Full of; characterized by. 2. Tending or able to. |
1. nouns 2. verbs |
beauty→beautiful care→careful delight→delightful forget→forgetful grace→graceful joy→joyful law→lawful mourn→mournful play→playful respect→respectful waste→wasteful |
“-ible” |
Possible; capable of; suitable for. |
verbs |
access→accessible collapse→collapsible digest→digestible divide→divisible eat→edible flex→flexible omit→omissible perceive→perceptible receive→receptible sense→sensible suggest→suggestible |
“-ic” |
Having the characteristics of or relating to. |
nouns |
acid→acidic base→basic comedy→comedic galaxy→galactic hero→heroic irony→ironic magnet→magnetic myth→mythic nostalgia→nostalgic poetry→poetic rhythm→rhythmic system→systemic |
“-ical” |
Having the characteristics of or relating to. |
nouns |
acid→atomical biology→biological comedy→comical history→historical myth→mythical philosophy→philosophical type→typical whimsy→whimsical |
“-ish” |
1. Typical of, similar to, or related to. 2. Of or associated with (a particular nationality, region, or language). 3. Inclined to or preoccupied with. |
nouns |
book→bookish boy→boyish Britain→British child→childish clown→clownish Denmark→Danish fiend→fiendish girl→girlish nightmare→nightmarish prude→prudish self→selfish Spain→Spanish Sweden→Swedish |
“-less” |
Lacking; deprived of; without. |
nouns |
aim→aimless blame→blameless color→colorless doubt→doubtless home→homeless hope→hopeless limit→limitless need→needless point→pointless rest→restless self→selfless time→timeless use→useless |
“-ly” |
1. Similar to or characteristic of. 2. Occurring at such intervals of time. |
nouns |
brother→brotherly coward→cowardly day→daily elder→elderly friend→friendly heaven→heavenly hour→hourly like→likely love→lovely month→monthly miser→miserly order→orderly scholar→scholarly year→yearly |
“-ous” |
Possessing; characterized by; full of. |
nouns |
advantage→advantageous caution→cautious disaster→disastrous fame→famous glamor→glamorous joy→joyous malice→malicious nutrition→nutritious religion→religious pretense→pretentious poison→poisonous suspicion→suspicious |
“-y” |
1. Characterized by; consisting or having the quality of; filled with. 2. Tending or inclined to. |
1. nouns 2. verbs |
bulk→bulky class→classy dream→dreamy ease→easy leak→leaky mess→messy rain→rainy rope→ropy shine→shiny smell→smelly wimp→wimpy |
Suffixes that form adverbs
By far the most common and well-known suffix that creates adverbs by attaching to adjectives is “-ly.” However, there are two others derivational suffixes that form adverbs: “-ways/-wise” and “-ward.”
Suffix |
Suffix meaning |
Attaches to |
Example words |
---|---|---|---|
“-ly” |
1. In a certain or specified manner. 2. At that interval of time. |
1. adjectives 2. nouns (units of time) |
abrupt→abruptly artistic→artistically calm→calmly day→daily daring→daringly double→doubly easy→easily extreme→extremely full→fully happy→happily hour→hourly lucky→luckily majestic→majestically month→monthly practical→practically probable→probably quiet→quietly right→rightly smart→smartly true→truly whole→wholly year→yearly |
“-ways/-wise” (“-wise” is much more common, especially in American English, except with the root side, which almost always becomes sideways) |
1. In a specified manner, direction, or position. 2. With reference or in regard to. (sometimes hyphenated) |
nouns, adjectives |
clock→clockwise business→businesswise edge→edgewise (occasionally: edgeways) health→health-wise length→lengthwise (occasionally: lengthways) like→likewise other→otherwise side→sideways weather→weather-wise |
“-ward” |
In a specified direction or position. |
nouns, adjectives, adverbs |
back→backward down→downward east→eastward fore→forward front→frontward home→homeward north→northward on→onward south→southward to→toward west→westward |
Spelling changes
Finally, it’s worth pointing out how the spelling of many words becomes slightly altered when a suffix is added. Even though these changes can at times seem haphazard, there are actually several guidelines we can follow to determine how a word’s spelling might change if a suffix is added. Go to the section on Spelling Conventions with Suffixes to learn more.
Chapter Sub-sections
- Commonly Confused Suffixes
- Spelling Conventions with Suffixes
Suffixes: What Are They?
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Suffixes are “word parts” that can alter many different components of a word. Because of that, it’s vital to know how to use them correctly. We’ll show you how.
What’s a Suffix?
A suffix is a letter or a group of letters that are added to the end of a word. It can change its meaning or grammatical properties. For example, the suffix “-al” can change nouns into adjectives, and “-s” can change nouns from singular to plural.
- Music → Musical
- Phone → Phones
First Things First: What’s an Affix?
To thoroughly understand what suffixes are, you must first be familiar with affixes.
Consider these the alchemists of the spelling and vocabulary world. Affixes are basically “word parts” (morphemes) that are added to the base of a word and have the power to completely alter its meaning or word form.
The two major types of affixes in English are prefixes and suffixes. This blog post will focus on suffixes and tell you what they are, go over the different types, and provide examples.
What Is a Suffix?
A suffix is a type of affix that is found at the end of a word. A suffix can be just one letter or a group of letters.
joyful
joyless
joys
In the examples above, “-ful,” “-less,” and “-s” are suffixes. All of these suffixes serve a different purpose and uniquely change the word. Here are some more examples of suffixes and their meanings:
“-able” means “capable of being” → debatable
“-ful” means “full of” → wonderful
“-hood” means “state or condition of” → puppyhood
“-less” means “without” → defenseless
“-ment” means “action or process of” → encouragement
“-ship” means “state or condition of” → friendship
“-tion” means “action or process of” → hospitalization
“-ity” means “state or quality of” → clarity
“-ize” means “to make or become” → accessorize
This is just a brief list of English suffixes. There are many of them, and each adds to words in different ways. There are different categories of suffixes, though, which we’ll explore below.
What’s the Difference Between a Prefix and a Suffix?
While a suffix is found at the end of a word (e.g., relationship), a prefix is found at the beginning of a word (e.g., disinfect). A few more examples of prefixes include:
- “anti-” (which means “against or opposed to”): Antiviral
- “pre-” (which means “before”): Prerequisite
- “un-” (which means “not or opposite of”): Unstable
Types of Suffixes
In English, there are two different types of suffixes: inflectional suffixes and derivational suffixes.
Inflectional Suffixes
Inflectional suffixes are suffixes that change the grammatical properties of a word, including function, tense, mood, aspect, and more. They do not, however, change the word’s basic meaning or part of speech.
Suffix |
Change Made |
Example |
“-ed” |
Changes a verb to past tense |
Walk vs. Walked |
“-en” |
Changes a verb to past participle (irregular) |
Take vs. (had) Taken |
“-er” |
Creates a comparative degree in adjectives and adverbs |
Slow vs. Slower |
“-ing” |
Changes a verb to past participle and gerund |
Dance vs. Dancing |
“-(e)s” |
Changes noun from singular to plural |
Cat vs. Cats |
“-est” |
Creates a superlative degree in adjectives and adverbs |
Slow vs. Slowest |
“-(e)s” |
Changes a verb to its third-person present |
Make vs. Makes |
Derivational Suffixes
Derivational suffixes, on the other hand, can create a new word with a different meaning and part of speech. For example, adding “-ly” to “slow” changes it from an adjective to an adverb.
There are two types of derivational suffixes: class-changing derivation and class-maintaining derivation. Those that are class-maintaining create a new word but maintain the part of speech. Here are examples of derivational suffixes and what category they fall under:
Suffix |
Changes Made |
Example |
“-able/-ible” |
Verbs → Adjectives |
Tolerate vs. Tolerable |
“-ant” |
Verbs → Nouns |
Ignore vs. Ignorant |
“-ess” |
Word remains a noun |
Actor vs. Actress |
“-hood” |
Word remains a noun |
Neighbor vs. Neighborhood |
“-ity” |
Adjectives → Nouns |
Absurd vs. Absurdity |
“-like” |
Nouns → Adjectives |
Child vs. Childlike |
“-ness» |
Adjectives → Nouns |
Dark vs. Darkness |
-tion/-ion/-ation |
Verbs → Nouns |
Imagine vs. Imagination |
Keep in mind that roots of a word can have more than one suffix. For instance, the word playfulness has the suffixes “-ful” and “-ness.”
Suffix Rules: Understanding and Using Them Correctly
Please be aware that you can’t just add a suffix to any word. Using suffixes correctly requires a thorough comprehension of their rules and guidelines.
For example, when you’re adding a suffix that starts with a vowel to a word that ends in a final silent “-e,” the final “-e” should be dropped.
imagine + “-able” = imaginable
exercise + “-ing” = exercising
Or, when adding a suffix to a word that ends in a consonant plus “y,” change the “y” to an “i” in most cases.
try + “-ed” = tried
busy + “-ily” = busily
These are just two of the many rules behind using suffixes. Luckily, LanguageTool can ensure proper spelling and use of suffixes. This advanced writing assistant goes beyond checking for errors and also analyzes your text thoroughly to make stylistic recommendations and enhance your writing completely.
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