Suffixes and Their Meaning

The suffix -ful means "full of," so adding -ful changes the root word from a noun to an adjective. For example, painful means full of pain, careful people have many cares about the tasks they work on, and a thoughtful person is full of thoughts.

What is the meaning of “eventful” in the passage below?

It was an eventful weekend. We went to the zoo, the skate park and the movies.

• In the direction of events
• Someone who does events
• without events
• full of interesting events

The suffix -ous means “full of” or “characterized by.” It changes the root word from a noun to an adjective. A rancorous man is characterized by rancor, or feelings of hatred and dislike. If a party is disastrous, disasters take place at it.

If a law is “advantageous” to dog owners, it is

• without advantages to dog owners
• full of advantages to dog owners
• the result of advantages to dog owners
• someone who gives advantages to dog owners

When used with nouns and adjectives, -y means “having the quality of.” For example, mousy means having mouse-like qualities. With verbs, the suffix means “inclined or tending to.” For example, sticky means tending to stick. Another use of -y is to form nouns from adjectives, such as jealousy from jealous.

Based on the information in the text, if a dried leaf is “papery,” it

• is darkly colored
• can only be found during fall
• feels like paper
• is made of paper

The suffixes -ion, -tion, and -sion mean “the action, result or state of.” For example,persuasion is the action of persuading. Infection is the action of infecting someone or something. Education is the action of educating someone.

If “terminate” means “to end something,” then “termination” means

• tending to end something
• without ending
• the action of ending something
• someone who ends something

The suffix -ive means “tending to” or “having the nature of.” It forms adjectives from verbs. For example, competitive means tending to compete. Elective classes are something you elect, or choose, to take.

What does the word “preventive” mean in the following sentence?

I went on a preventive visit to the dentist so that she could clean my teeth and stop me from getting any cavities.

• without preventing
• someone who prevents
• able to be prevented
• tending to prevent

The suffix -less means "without." For example, someone who is ageless is someone who doesn’t appear to age; if someone is expressionless, then they don’t have a particular expression on their face; and if a place is lawless, it doesn’t have any laws and you may want to rethink visiting there.

What does the word “defenseless” mean in the following sentence?
The town was defenseless and easily attacked.

• tending to defend
• without defenses
• the act of defending
• full of defenses

The suffix -ment means “the result or act of.” It forms nouns from verbs. For example, excitement is the result of being excited. Appeasement is the action of appeasing, or satisfying a demand. Someone harboring resentment resents, or feels bitter about, something. A secondary use of the suffix is to form nouns from adjectives, such as merriment from the adjective “merry.”

What does “banishment” mean?

• without banishing
• tending to banish
• the act of banishing someone or something
• someone who banishes

The suffix -ness means “the state or condition of.” It forms nouns from adjectives. For example, sadness is the state of being sad. If you say “please” and “thank you,” your politeness will be appreciated. Rudeness, on the other hand, is never appreciated.

What is the meaning of the word “attentiveness”?

• the state of being attentive
• someone who is attentive
• in the direction of attention
• without attention

The suffix -ward means “the direction of." For example, backward means to move back. If you are instructed to go downward, move down. If you want to go homeward, you want to go in the direction of your home.

What does the word “inward” mean in the following sentence?

“You must turn inward to find the answer,” the witch told her student.

• the result of the inside
• made of the inside
• the direction of the inside
• without the inside