Forming nouns with suffixes

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Forming nouns with suffixes

Lesson goals

You know how to use suffixes to create nouns from verbs, adjectives and adverbs. 

verbs + suffix: -ion / -sion/ -tion

-ion / -sion / -tion

Function: Forms nouns from verbs, indicating an action, process, or result.

Examples:

Action (from "act"): The process of doing something.

Decision (from "decide"): The act of deciding.

Creation (from "create"): The process or result of creating.

Invasion (from "invade"): The act of invading.

Note: -ion often follows verbs ending in -t or -s; -tion and -sion are variants based on how the verb ends.

verbs + suffix: -ment

-ment

Function: Forms nouns that refer to the action or result of a verb, or the state resulting from an action.

Examples:

Enjoyment (from "enjoy"): The state of enjoying something.

Achievement (from "achieve"): The result of achieving something.

Commitment (from "commit"): The state or action of committing.

Punishment (from "punish"): The act or result of punishing.

verbs + suffix: -or / -er

-or / -er

Function: Forms nouns from verbs, indicating a person or thing that performs an action.

Examples:

Actor (from "act"): A person who acts.

Instructor (from "instruct"): A person who instructs.

Worker (from "work"): A person who works.

Driver (from "drive"): A person who drives.

Note: -or and -er are similar, but -or is often used for Latin-based words, while -er is more common for Germanic-origin words.

adjectives / verbs + suffix: -ence / -ance

-ence / -ance

Function: Forms abstract nouns that often describe a state, quality, or condition. These nouns often come from adjectives or verbs.

Examples:

Existence (from "exist"): The state of existing.

Persistence (from "persist"): The quality of being persistent.

Attendance (from "attend"): The act of attending or being present.

Resistance (from "resist"): The act of resisting.

Note: Whether -ence or -ance is used often depends on the root word, and it can be tricky to predict which suffix will be applied.

adjectives / verbs + suffix: -th

-th

Function: Forms abstract nouns, often from adjectives or verbs, indicating a state or quality.

Examples:

Strength (from "strong"): The quality of being strong.

Depth (from "deep"): The state or measurement of being deep.

Width (from "wide"): The state or measurement of being wide.

Growth (from "grow"): The process of growing.

Note: This is an older suffix that is less productive in modern English, often replaced by -ness in newer words.

adjectives + suffix: -ness

 -ness

Function: Forms nouns from adjectives, indicating a state, quality, or condition. It’s one of the most common suffixes to create abstract nouns.

Examples:

Happiness (from "happy"): The state of being happy.

Sadness (from "sad"): The quality or state of being sad.

Darkness (from "dark"): The condition of being dark.

Weakness (from "weak"): The quality of being weak.

Note: -ness is versatile and widely used for forming nouns from a broad range of adjectives.

adjectives + suffix: -ity

-ity

Function: Forms abstract nouns from adjectives, indicating a state, quality, or condition.

Examples:

Electricity (from "electric"): The state or property of being electric.

Curiosity (from "curious"): The quality of being curious.

Creativity (from "creative"): The ability to create.

adjectives + suffix: -y

-y

Function: Forms abstract nouns, often from adjectives, indicating a state or condition. It can also be used to form diminutives.

Examples:

Jealousy (from "jealous"): The state of being jealous.

Difficulty (from "difficult"): The state of being difficult.

Discovery (from "discover"): The act of discovering.

Victory (from "victor"): The act or state of winning.

Note: This suffix often refers to the condition or result of something, and sometimes adds a diminutive or informal tone when applied to nouns (e.g., puppy).

nouns + suffix: -ship

-ship

Function: Forms abstract nouns that denote a state, condition, skill, or relationship.

Examples:

Friendship (from "friend"): The state of being friends.

Leadership (from "leader"): The position or skill of leading.

Citizenship (from "citizen"): The status of being a citizen.

Scholarship (from "scholar"): The state or condition of being a scholar.

Note: -ship often implies a sense of status, skill, or relationship between people.

Over to you

These puppies grow* very fast. Their ___
is amazing.

When you agree* with each other, you can say you’re in ______

Someone who acts* for a living is called an ______

They have emptied* their old house of all their belongings, which left a huge sense of _____
behind.

Tom isn’t usually very patient*. So, his _______
today surprised me.

They realised* that it wasn’t their fault. That _____
made them feel much better.

You’re fortunate that you are creative*. This job will require _____

Some people claim that dinosaurs never existed*. They deny their _____

It’s pretty easy to relate* to each other if you have something in common. That will make it easier to form a(n) _____

It is warm* in here. You can feel the _____
of the oven.

Some people claim that aliens are real*. They say that these creatures are a(n) _____

A person who creates* something, is called a(n) _____

When you correspond* with someone, the letters that you send are called _____

Some people get confused* easily. They tend to suffer from _____

Layla tends to resent* people who have wronged her at some point. She has a lot of _____
towards others.

Summary