A suffix is a morpheme attached to the end of a root. There are two major categories of suffixes: inflectional and derivational.
Inflectional suffixes create grammatical changes in words, but they do not change what the words mean or what part of speech they are. For example, when -s is added to a noun, the noun becomes plural, but the meaning of the noun has not changed (dog + s = dogs). While there are fewer than ten inflectional suffixes in English, they are used extensively. Therefore, it is critical that students are familiar with them. (For a detailed chart of inflectional suffixes, see http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~raha/306a_web/EnglishInflectionalAffixes.pdf.)
Derivational suffixes, on the other hand, may change the meanings of words, the parts of speech they are, or both. Consider the word home. Home is a noun. Add the suffix -less, and we now have homeless, which means "without a place to live". This new word is an adjective, and the meaning has changed from a place to the description of a condition. While the function and meaning of the words are different, they are still related because of their shared root.
There are a large number of derivational suffixes. To be most effective, Cunningham (2009) suggests that we teach the following suffixes that change meanings:
-er, -or, -ist, -ian ("person or thing that does something")
-ful ("filled with")
-less ("without")
-able / -ible ("capable of being")
In addition, we should teach these four common suffixes which make words nouns:
-ment
-ance
-ness
-tion
Inflectional suffixes create grammatical changes in words, but they do not change what the words mean or what part of speech they are. For example, when -s is added to a noun, the noun becomes plural, but the meaning of the noun has not changed (dog + s = dogs). While there are fewer than ten inflectional suffixes in English, they are used extensively. Therefore, it is critical that students are familiar with them. (For a detailed chart of inflectional suffixes, see http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~raha/306a_web/EnglishInflectionalAffixes.pdf.)
Derivational suffixes, on the other hand, may change the meanings of words, the parts of speech they are, or both. Consider the word home. Home is a noun. Add the suffix -less, and we now have homeless, which means "without a place to live". This new word is an adjective, and the meaning has changed from a place to the description of a condition. While the function and meaning of the words are different, they are still related because of their shared root.
There are a large number of derivational suffixes. To be most effective, Cunningham (2009) suggests that we teach the following suffixes that change meanings:
-er, -or, -ist, -ian ("person or thing that does something")
-ful ("filled with")
-less ("without")
-able / -ible ("capable of being")
In addition, we should teach these four common suffixes which make words nouns:
-ment
-ance
-ness
-tion