Ultimate word success - Peterson's 2009

Day 6 Master Suffixes
Part II Find Out That New Words Equal the Sum of Their Parts

A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word or root to change the word’s meaning. Suffixes determine a word’s part of speech—whether it is used as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.

How Suffixes Work

1. Suffixes Are Added to the End of Roots to Create Many Words.

In the same way that prefixes are placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning, suffixes are placed at the end to change a word’s meaning. Here are some examples:

2. Suffixes Are Always Attached to Words Without a Break.

Even though you may have seen the suffix written with a hyphen (as in -eous, -ion, -ment), the suffix is attached without a hyphen. The following chart shows some examples:

3. Suffixes Are Different Lengths.

As with prefixes, suffixes can be as short as one letter or far longer. The following chart shows some examples:

4. Suffixes Can Affect How a Word Functions in a Sentence.

Unlike prefixes, suffixes can create a word’s part of speech. For example, adding a suffix can change a word from a verb to an adjective, as in risk to risky.

Adjective

The following suffixes show that a word is an adjective (word that describes):

Noun

The following suffixes show that a word is a noun (person, place, or thing):

Verb

The following suffixes show that a word is a verb (action or state of being):

If you know a word’s part of speech, you can figure out how it is being used—even if you don’t know its meaning. Study the following examples:

5. Suffixes Can Change a Word’s Tense (or Time).

For instance, adding -d or -ed makes a present-tense verb into a past-tense verb, as the following chart shows:

6. Adding a Suffix to the End of a Word Changes the Word’s Meaning.

For example: kitchen becomes kitchenette, the diminutive.

Just as knowing a small number of prefixes and roots can help you figure out many unfamiliar words, so knowing a few everyday suffixes can help you decode many test-worthy words.

Time for Fun: Word-Find Puzzle

Remember what you learned on Day 3 about using mnemonics and puzzles to help you make new test-worthy words part of your everyday vocabulary? Time to practice what you learned! There are fifteen words hidden in this word-find puzzle. (See the word list below.) Some of the words have already been covered in this chapter, but others are new. To complete the puzzle, locate and circle all the words. The words may be written forward, backward, or upside down. The answers appear on here. Good luck!

Word List

1. capacious: large, roomy

2. cataract: a waterfall

3. epithet: a word or phrase describing a person; a derogatory word or phrase used to show contempt

4. besmirched: to soil; make filthy

5. exacerbated: to make worse

6. denude: to strip bare

7. misnomer: a wrong name or designation

8. embellish: to decorate or make beautiful

9. prolix: needlessly prolonged or drawn out

10. expunged: to rub out; obliterate

11. extradited: to give up a suspect from one state or nation to another

12. vacillation: indecision

13. promulgated: publish or disseminate widely

14. abstemious: moderate, sober

15. allegation: assertion, claim

Understand Suffixes That Describe State of Being

Below are twelve suffixes that describe a state of being. How many more words can you think of that end with these suffixes that describe a state of being?

It’s Your Turn: Suffixes and Meanings

Assess what you’ve learned about suffixes that describe a state of being by completing the following chart. For each word, first write the suffix and its meaning. Then, use what you’ve learned about suffixes to define each word. Don’t hesitate to look back at what you just learned or to use a dictionary. The answers appear on here.

Explore Suffixes That Indicate Occupations

A lawyer is someone who deals with the law; a buyer is someone who buys items. Below are ten suffixes that indicate a person who is something, does something, or deals with something.

Get the Gist of -ist

Many useful words have been formed with the suffix -ist. Often, these words describe hobbies or careers. The following chart shows the most test-worthy of these words:

Seventh-Inning Stretch: Word-Definition Match #1

Match the word to its definition. If you wish, underline the suffix in each word to help you remember how they are used. Write your answers in the space provided. The answers appear on here.

Study Suffixes That Show Resemblance

Below are twelve suffixes that all mean “resembling, like, or of.” Study them and the examples. Then, complete the activity that follows to help you incorporate these words and suffixes into your daily vocabulary.

Time for Fun: True or False

In the space provided, write T if the definition is true and F if it is false. Use what you learned about suffixes that mean “resembling, like, or of” to help you figure out what each word means. The answers appear on here.

Seventh-Inning Stretch: Multiple-Choice #1

How good are you at using suffixes to decipher words? Find out by completing the following self-test. Each of the following words ends with a suffix. Use what you already know about suffixes to see how many of these words you can decode. Select the correct meaning for each of the following boldfaced words. Write the letter of your choice in the space provided. The answers appear on here.

______ 1. culinary

(A) cute; attractive

(B) picky

(C) dealing with cooking

(D) dealing with cue balls

(E) obdurate

______ 2. insignificance

(A) momentous

(B) sign; insignia

(C) consequential

(D) unimportant

(E) officiousness

______ 3. palatial

(A) luxurious

(B) incomplete

(C) roof of the mouth

(D) paradigm

(E) precocious

______ 4. seditious

(A) rebellious

(B) cooperative

(C) mutual

(D) perspicacious

(E) polygamous

______ 5. intransigent

(A) not traveling

(B) insolvent

(C) close-minded

(D) prolific

(E) surfeited

______ 6. erudite

(A) ruddy-skinned

(B) pencil lead

(C) synergistic

(D) intransigent

(E) learned

______ 7. apothecary

(A) pharmacist

(B) quack

(C) heavy burden

(D) demagogue

(E) misanthrope

______ 8. partisan

(A) windmill

(B) section

(C) supporter

(D) cadaver

(E) demigod

______ 9. preponderance

(A) minority

(B) immaturity

(C) overweight

(D) valediction

(E) majority

______ 10. mercenary

(A) generous

(B) avaricious

(C) docile

(D) dogmatic

(E) perfunctory

Discover Suffixes That Show Amount

Below are ten suffixes that show quantity. Some of these suffixes were discussed earlier in this chapter in different context. This was done on purpose because repetition makes it easier for you to remember crucial test-worthy words and concepts.

Master Twelve Useful Suffixes

Let’s finish with some important suffixes that crop up in many of the test-worthy words you will encounter in your academic career.

Seventh-Inning Stretch: Word-Definition Match #2

Match each word in the first column to its definition in the second column. If you wish, underline the suffix in each word to help you remember how it is used. Write your answers in the space provided. The answers appear on here.

Seventh-Inning Stretch: Multiple-Choice #2

How about one final activity to tie it together? Select the correct meaning for each of the following boldfaced words. Use what you learned about suffixes as well as all the other vocabulary techniques you have mastered so far. Circle your choice. The answers appear on here.

1. The murder scene can only be described as a carnage.

(A) confusion

(B) cluttered area

(C) holy area

(D) epigram

(E) massacre

2. The drunk’s clownish actions embarrassed his family.

(A) amusing

(B) admirable

(C) foolish

(D) humorous

(E) long-winded

3. The lawyer functioned as an intermediary between the warring couple.

(A) junta

(B) friend

(C) confidant

(D) mediator

(E) jetsam

4. Some people think that acne is chromosomal.

(A) genetic

(B) judicious

(C) conjugal

(D) abnormal

(E) contagious

5. The new college president kicked off his appointment with a big convocation.

(A) speech

(B) gathering

(C) rejoinder

(D) lexicon

(E) levee

6. The preacher had an annoying habit of proselytizing at inappropriate moments.

(A) eating

(B) attempting to convert people to his way of thinking

(C) trying to sleep

(D) elucidating

(E) malingering

7. Children hate to be castigated in front of their friends.

(A) praised

(B) rebuked

(C) out in a cast

(D) mercurial

(E) morbid

8. There was no doubt who was culpable for the mistake.

(A) able to cope

(B) out of control

(C) impenitent

(D) implacable

(E) liable

9. The florist placed flowers, moss, and stones in the terrarium.

(A) a shallow pool

(B) case

(C) an environment for plants and land animals

(D) an environment for extinct creatures

(E) back room

10. After treatment, the former alcoholic was happy to be abstinent.

(A) conical

(B) stubborn

(C) intoxicated

(D) sober

(E) lachrymose

Answers and Explanations

Word-Find Puzzle (here)

Suffixes and Meanings (here)

Word-Definition Match #1 (here)

1. e

2. c

3. h

4. j

5. d

6. i

7. a

8. f

9. b

10. g

True or False (here)

1. T

2. T

3. F

4. T

5. F

6. T

7. T

8. F

9. T

10. T

11. F

12. F

Multiple-Choice #1 (here)

1. C

2. D

3. A

4. A

5. C

6. E

7. A

8. C

9. E

10. B

Word-Definition Match #2 (here)

1. d

2. f

3. m

4. k

5. i

6. c

7. j

8. o

9. h

10. b

11. e

12. l

13. a

14. n

15. g

Multiple-Choice #2 (here)

1. E

2. C

3. D

4. A

5. B

6. B

7. B

8. E

9. C

10. D