* Part of Speech: A suffix can change the grammatical function of a word.
* Noun: "happy" (adjective) + "-ness" = "happiness" (noun)
* Verb: "care" (noun) + "-ful" = "careful" (adjective)
* Adjective: "slow" (adjective) + "-ly" = "slowly" (adverb)
* Meaning: Suffixes often add specific meanings to the base word.
* "-er" (agent): "teach" (verb) + "-er" = "teacher" (person who teaches)
* "-able" (capable of): "break" (verb) + "-able" = "breakable" (able to be broken)
* "-ness" (quality): "kind" (adjective) + "-ness" = "kindness" (quality of being kind)
* Pronunciation: Some suffixes can alter the pronunciation of the base word.
* "hope" (vowel sound changes with "-ful" to "hopeful")
* "nation" (stress shifts in "national")
* Spelling: Suffixes can lead to spelling changes in the base word.
* "try" (verb) + "-ing" = "trying" (doubling the final consonant)
* "hope" (verb) + "-ful" = "hopeful" (dropping the final "e")
Examples:
* "Child" (noun) + "-ish" = "childish" (adjective, with a change in meaning and part of speech)
* "Run" (verb) + "-ning" = "running" (verb, with a change in tense and spelling)
* "Happy" (adjective) + "-ly" = "happily" (adverb, with a change in part of speech and pronunciation)
Therefore, suffixes are powerful tools that can significantly modify the base word, impacting its meaning, part of speech, pronunciation, and spelling.