Suffixes 01

In English there are suffixes (letters or syllables added to the end of words) and prefixes (letters added to the beginning of words). Adding the suffix -ly is simple. Knowing when to add a suffix is important to make a sentence grammatically correct.

Admittedly, it would be improbable if every English word could be altered by the addition of a suffix. But, suffixes are certainly very common. The previous two sentences have used several, including -ed, -ly, -able and -tion. Suffixes allow the grammatical transformation of words. For example, "transform" is a verb. By adding -ation to it, we end up with "transformation", a noun. "Admit" is a verb. By adding the suffix -ed, we get "admitted", which is an adjective. If we then add -ly, we have an adverb, "admittedly". Language is impressively adaptable in this way!

This quiz requires you to recognise which grammatical classes of words belong in the blank spaces. In order to do this, you'll need to understand how suffixes work. Good luck!

There are three quizzes on suffixes - see if you can get full marks and become a suffix expert!