HH.3 Determine the meanings of words with suffixes
What are suffixes?
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a base word. It changes the word's meaning and often its part of speech, like turning a verb into a noun or an adjective.
- Base word: hope
- Add suffix -ful → hopeful (full of hope)
Think of a suffix like a tool that modifies a word. The base word keeps its core spelling when you add the suffix.
The suffix -ful
The suffix -ful means "full of" or "having the qualities of." It is added to nouns to form adjectives.
- joy + ful = joyful (full of joy)
- care + ful = careful (full of care)
- help + ful = helpful (full of help, giving help)
Remember, -ful always has only one 'l'. It is different from the full word "full."
The suffix -less
The suffix -less means "without" or "lacking." It is added to nouns to form adjectives.
- hope + less = hopeless (without hope)
- fear + less = fearless (without fear)
- home + less = homeless (without a home)
The suffixes -ful and -less are often opposites. For example, careful and careless have opposite meanings.
The suffix -able
The suffix -able means "capable of," "worthy of," or "can be done." It is often added to verbs to form adjectives.
- read + able = readable (can be read)
- break + able = breakable (can be broken)
- enjoy + able = enjoyable (capable of being enjoyed)
Sometimes the spelling of the base word changes slightly. For example, notice becomes noticeable (the silent 'e' is dropped).
The suffix -ment
The suffix -ment means "the act or process of," "the state of," or "the result of." It is added to verbs to form nouns.
- enjoy + ment = enjoyment (the state of enjoying)
- pay + ment = payment (the result of paying)
- govern + ment = government (the process or system of governing)
Words ending in -ment are always nouns. They often name a thing or an idea.
The suffix -ly
The suffix -ly often means "in a certain way" or "characteristic of." It is usually added to adjectives to form adverbs.
- quick + ly = quickly (in a quick way)
- brave + ly = bravely (in a brave way)
- friend + ly = friendly (characteristic of a friend)
While -ly usually makes adverbs, sometimes it makes adjectives, like friendly or lovely. The part of speech depends on how the word is used in a sentence.
The suffix -ness
The suffix -ness means "the state or quality of." It is added to adjectives to form nouns.
- kind + ness = kindness (the quality of being kind)
- dark + ness = darkness (the state of being dark)
- happy + ness = happiness (the state of being happy)
When an adjective ends in 'y', like happy, change the 'y' to an 'i' before adding -ness.
The suffix -ship
The suffix -ship means "the state or condition of," "the skill of," or "the group of." It is added to nouns to form new nouns.
- friend + ship = friendship (the state of being friends)
- leader + ship = leadership (the skill of a leader)
- member + ship = membership (the group of members or the state of being a member)
The suffix -ship often creates words that describe relationships, positions, or statuses between people.
Using words with suffixes
Understanding suffixes helps you determine the meaning of new words and use them correctly in your reading and writing.
- The fearless firefighter ran into the building. (Without fear)
- She completed the puzzle with great enjoyment. (The state of enjoying)
- He walked quietly down the hall. (In a quiet way)
- Their friendship lasted for many years. (The state of being friends)
When you see an unfamiliar word, try identifying the base word and the suffix. Use their meanings together to figure out the word's definition.