Adjective SUFFIXES

Adjectives: forms
Identifying adjectives
There is no general rule for making adjectives. We know they are adjectives usually
by what they do (their function) in a sentence. However, some word endings
(suffixes) are typical of adjectives.
SUFFIX Examples:
-able, -ible comfortable, readable, incredible, invisible
comical, normal, musical, industrial, presidential (connected with the

-al, -ial position or activities of a president: a presidential campaign/ candidate/
election)
-ful beautiful, harmful, peaceful, wonderful
-ic classic, economic, heroic, romantic
aeronautical(connected with the science or practice of building and flying

aircraft: an aeronautical engineer),
-ical
alphabetical, political
-ish British, childish, Irish, foolish
-ive, -ative active, alternative, creative, talkative
endless, motionless(not moving; still: She stood absolutely motionless.),

-less
priceless, timeless
-eous, - spontaneous, hideous(revolting,unpleasant,very ugly: a hideous

ious, -ous face/building/dress/crime) ambitious, anxious, dangerous, famous
-y angry, busy, wealthy, windy

Warning:
Adjectives ending in -ic and -ical often have different meanings:
The economic policy of this government has failed.
A diesel car is usually more economical than a petrol one.
See also:
 Classic ( one of the best or most important of its kind, excellent : It’s a classic)
 or classical? (a classical composer/musician/pianist)
 Historic (important or likely to be important in history)

 or historical? (connected with the past)
Forming adjectives from other words

Suffixes
Some adjectives are made from nouns and verbs by adding suffixes.
noun adjective
hero heroic
wind windy
child childish
beaut
beautiful
y
verb adjective
read readable
talk talkative
use useful
noun adjective
like likeable
I hate windy days.

San Francisco is a very hilly place.
Some words ending in -ly can be both adjectives and adverbs. These
include daily, early, monthly, weekly, nightly, yearly:
Adjective: She gets a weekly payment from her parents. (She gets money every
week.)
Adverb: I pay my rent weekly. (I pay my rent every week.)
Some words ending in -ly are only adjectives and not adverbs. These
include: costly, cowardly, deadly, friendly, likely, lonely, lovely, oily, orderly, scholarly,
silly, smelly, timely, ugly, woolly.
We enjoyed the trip to America but it was a costly holiday.
Oily fish is very healthy because it contains omega 3.
Prefixes
Prefixes such as un-, in-, im-, il- and ir- change the meaning of adjectives. Adding
these prefixes makes the meaning negative:
un- in- ir-
responsible –
fair – unfair active – inactive
irresponsible
appropriate –
happy – unhappy regular – irregular
inappropriate
sure – unsure complete – incomplete reducible – irreducible
im- il-
balance – imbalance legal – illegal

un- in- ir-
polite – impolite legible – illegible
possible –
logical – illogical
impossible
payment non-payment negation
war pre-war time (before)
terrestria extraterrestria
place (outside of/beyond)
l l
cook overcook manner (too much)
Prefixes
Grammar > Words, sentences and clauses > Word formation > Prefixes
from English Grammar Today
Prefixes are letters which we add to the beginning of a word to make a new word with a
different meaning. Prefixes can, for example, create a new word opposite in meaning to the
word the prefix is attached to. They can also make a word negative or express relations of
time, place or manner. Here are some examples:
base
prefixed word type of meaning
word
possible impossible opposite
able unable opposite/negation

base
prefixed word type of meaning
word
payment non-payment negation
war pre-war time (before)
terrestria extraterrestria
place (outside of/beyond)
l l
cook overcook manner (too much)
I’m sorry I was unable to attend the meeting.

Non-payment of fees could result in a student being asked to leave the course.
Has anyone ever really met an extraterrestrial being? (meaning a being from another planet)
The meat was overcooked and quite tasteless.
The most common prefixes
prefix meaning examples
anti- against/opposed to anti-government, anti-racist, anti-war
auto- self autobiography, automobile
de-classify, decontaminate,
de- reverse or change
demotivate
dis- reverse or remove disagree, displeasure, disqualify
down- reduce or lower downgrade, downhearted
extra- beyond extraordinary, extraterrestrial
hyper- extreme hyperactive, hypertension

il-, im-, in-,

not illegal, impossible, insecure, irregular
ir-
inter- between interactive, international
mega- very big, important megabyte, mega-deal, megaton
mid- middle midday, midnight, mid-October
mis- incorrectly, badly misaligned, mislead, misspelt
non- not non-payment, non-smoking
over- too much overcook, overcharge, overrate
out- go beyond outdo, out-perform, outrun
post- after post-election, post-war
pre- before prehistoric, pre-war
pro- in favour of pro-communist, pro-democracy
re- again reconsider, redo, rewrite
semi- half semicircle, semi-retired
sub- under, below submarine, sub-Saharan

super- above, beyond super-hero, supermodel
tele- at a distance television, telepathic
trans- across transatlantic, transfer
ultra- extremely ultra-compact, ultrasound
un- remove, reverse, not undo, unpack, unhappy
under- less than, beneath undercook, underestimate
up- make or move higher upgrade, uphill
Writing prefixes: hyphens (super-hero or supermodel)

There are no absolute rules for when to use a hyphen or when to write a prefixed word as one
whole word (see the examples in the table). A good learner’s dictionary will tell you how to
write a prefixed word.
Spelling: Prefixes and Suffixes - BBC Teach
un- or dis- The Difference Between "Un-" and "Dis-" - DAILY WRITING TIPS

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Adjectives: forms

-able, -ible comfortable, readable, incredible, invisible

comical, normal, musical, industrial, presidential (connected with the

-ful beautiful, harmful, peaceful, wonderful

-ic classic, economic, heroic, romantic

aeronautical(connected with the science or practice of building and flying

-ish British, childish, Irish, foolish

-ive, -ative active, alternative, creative, talkative

endless, motionless(not moving; still: She stood absolutely motionless.),

-eous, - spontaneous, hideous(revolting,unpleasant,very ugly: a hideous

-y angry, busy, wealthy, windy

 or classical? (a classical composer/musician/pianist)

 Historic (important or likely to be important in history)

Forming adjectives from other words

I hate windy days.

un- in- ir-

sure – unsure complete – incomplete reducible – irreducible

balance – imbalance legal – illegal

polite – impolite legible – illegible

payment non-payment negation

war pre-war time (before)

cook overcook manner (too much)

possible impossible opposite

able unable opposite/negation

payment non-payment negation

war pre-war time (before)

cook overcook manner (too much)

I’m sorry I was unable to attend the meeting.

The most common prefixes

prefix meaning examples

anti- against/opposed to anti-government, anti-racist, anti-war

auto- self autobiography, automobile

dis- reverse or remove disagree, displeasure, disqualify

down- reduce or lower downgrade, downhearted

extra- beyond extraordinary, extraterrestrial

hyper- extreme hyperactive, hypertension

il-, im-, in-,

inter- between interactive, international

mega- very big, important megabyte, mega-deal, megaton

mid- middle midday, midnight, mid-October

mis- incorrectly, badly misaligned, mislead, misspelt

non- not non-payment, non-smoking

over- too much overcook, overcharge, overrate

out- go beyond outdo, out-perform, outrun

post- after post-election, post-war

pre- before prehistoric, pre-war

pro- in favour of pro-communist, pro-democracy

re- again reconsider, redo, rewrite

semi- half semicircle, semi-retired

sub- under, below submarine, sub-Saharan

super- above, beyond super-hero, supermodel

tele- at a distance television, telepathic

trans- across transatlantic, transfer

ultra- extremely ultra-compact, ultrasound

un- remove, reverse, not undo, unpack, unhappy

under- less than, beneath undercook, underestimate

up- make or move higher upgrade, uphill

Writing prefixes: hyphens (super-hero or supermodel)

Spelling: Prefixes and Suffixes - BBC Teach