SUFFIXES:

Hay dos clases de sufijos en inglés:

1. Inflectional (gramaticalmente): por ejemplo, cambiando de singular a plural (dog

/ dogs) o cambiando de tiempo presente a pasado (walk / walked). En este caso,
el significado básico de la palabra no varía.
2. Derivational. Añadiendo el sufijo el significado de la forma original cambia.
(Teach / Teacher = Enseñar / Profesor o Care / Careful = Cuidar / Cuidadoso).

Ahora vamos a entrar en detalle en cada tipo de sufijo en inglés.

INFLECTIONAL SUFFIXES

Como hemos dicho antes, en estos casos no se cambia el significado original de la

palabra. Hay muy pocos tipos, pero son muy frecuentes.

Suffix Grammatical change Original word Suffixed word

-s Dog Dogs

-es Bus Buses

plural

-ies Berry Berries

-en plural (irregular) Ox Oxen

-s 3rd person singular present Like He likes

-ed past tense & past participle work He worked

 Suffix Grammatical change Original word Suffixed word

He has worked

-en past participle (irregular) Eat He has eaten

-ing continuous / progressive Sleep He is sleeping

-er comparative Big Bigger

-est superlative Big The biggest

-n’t negative contraction Do Don’t

DERIVATIONAL SUFFIXES

En este caso, añadiendo un sufijo en inglés el significado varía, aunque este cambio de
significado está relacionado con el antiguo significado.

Podemos añadir más de un sufijo, por ejemplo:

derive (verb) + ation → derivation (noun) + al → derivational (adjective)

Hay varios centenares de sufijos derivados, te presentamos algunos de los más comunes
divididos en cuatro bloques: nombres, adjetivos, adverbios y verbos.
NOUN SUFFIXES

Suffix Meaning Example

-acy state or quality privacy, fallacy, delicacy

marriage, package, baggage,

-age action, state, process
passage

-al act or process of arrival, refusal, recital

maintenance, eminence,
ance,
state or quality of
assistance
-ence

-dom place or state of being freedom, kingdom, boredom

engaged in something, volunteer, engineer,

-eer
associated with something mountaineer
Suffix Meaning Example

-er,
one or thing who/that performs teacher, narrator,

-or
the action of the verb investigator

a business or trade, a behavior, a

-ery robbery, bribery, bakery
condition

parenthood, motherhood,
-hood family terms
childhood

celebration, opinion,
-ion the action or process of
decision

communism, narcissism,
-ism doctrine, belief
scepticism

-ist a person who practises chemist, physicist, violinist

Suffix Meaning Example

-ity,

quality of ability, equality, probability

-ty

- development,
condition of
ment encouragement, argument

sadness, awareness,
-ness state of being
kindness

-tion,
alteration, depression,
state of being
-sion
tension

friendship, partnership,
-ship position held
membership

-th state or quality strength, warmth, growth

 Suffix Meaning Example

-ty condition difficulty, cruelty, loyalty

-ure action or the resulting state failure, pressure, departure

ADJECTIVAL SUFFIXES

Suffix Meaning Examples

-able,
adaptable, incredible,
capable of being
-ible
predictable

emotional, natural,
-al having the form or character of
accidental

-ant inclined to or tending to vigilant, brilliant, reliant

Suffix Meaning Examples

military, dietary,
-ary of or relating to
momentary

- picturesque, statuesque,
in a manner of or resembling
esque burlesque

grateful, beautiful,
-ful notable for, full of
wonderful

-ic,

pertaining to musical, iconic, organic

-ical

-ious,
humorous, fabulous,
characterised by
-ous
jealous
Suffix Meaning Examples

childish, snobbish,
-ish having the quality of
sheepish

expensive, expressive,
-ive having the nature of
attentive

-less without endless, fearless, homeless

-like like childlike, lifelike, ladylike

having the qualities of, recurring

-ly brotherly, hourly
at intervals of

-y characterised by nerdy, fruity, tasty

ADVERB SUFFIXES

Suffix Meaning Examples

in what manner something is being

-ly bravely, simply, lately
done

- in relation to direction in space o backward, awkward,

ward time afterward

in the manner of direction of / clockwise, lengthwise,

-wise
referring to or speaking of otherwise, likewise

VERB SUFFIXES

Suffix Meaning Examples

-ate become accommodate, considerate, cooperate

-en become strengthen, awaken, shorten

 Suffix Meaning Examples

-ify,

make or become classify, clarify, simplify

-fy

-ise,

become socialise, finalise, advertise

-ize (US)

Regla 1

Añade un sufijo consonántico directamente a la palabra base: Wonder + ful = wonderful

Regla 2

Comprueba la palabra base antes de agregar un sufijo con vocal.

Si la palabra base termina con dos consonantes, simplemente añade el sufijo: Teach +
er = teacher

Si la palabra base tiene solo 1 sílaba, una única vocal y una consonante final, entonces
dobla la consonante final antes de añadir el sufijo: Big + er = bigger

Si la palabra base termina con una E silenciosa, elimina la E antes de añadir el sufijo con
vocal:

Love + ed = loved

Regla 3

Si la palabra base termina con una Y, cambia la Y por una I antes de añadir el sufijo:

Heavy + ness = heaviness, Beauty + ful = beautiful