Forming Adjectives (noun + prefix/suffix)

Which of the following words is an adjective formed by adding a suffix to a noun?

• Quickly

• Happiness

• Poisonous

• Friend

Answer explanation

'Poisonous' is formed from the noun 'poison' and the suffix '-ous', making it an adjective. 'Quickly' is an adverb, 'happiness' is a noun, and 'friend' is a base noun without an adjective-forming suffix.

The old castle had a myster (a)   atmosphere that made everyone feel a little nervous.

• -ious
• -ic
• -al
• -y

Answer explanation

The suffix '-ious' is added to the noun 'mystery' to form the adjective 'mysterious,' meaning full of mystery. This also requires the spelling change of 'y' to 'i' before adding the suffix.

Match the noun-to-adjective pair with the change in meaning caused by the suffix.

• Becomes 'without' the quality of the noun

• Music ➞ Musical

• Becomes 'full of' the quality of the noun

• Danger ➞ Dangerous

• Becomes 'relating to' the quality of the noun

• Pain ➞ Painless

Answer explanation

The suffix '-less' means 'without' (without pain), '-ous' means 'full of' (full of danger), and '-al' means 'relating to' (relating to music).

The suffix '-ous' is used to turn a noun into an adjective, like in 'courageous'. What does '-ous' usually mean?

• Full of or having the quality of

• Without or lacking

• Able to be

• Before or in front of

Answer explanation

The suffix '-ous', as in 'joyous' or 'dangerous', means being full of or characterized by that quality. The other options describe different affixes like '-less' (without), '-able' (able to be), or 'pre-' (before).

Sort these nouns into the category of the suffix that would correctly turn them into an adjective.

Groups:

(a) Add -al

,

(b) Add -ful

,

(c) Add -ous

• Region

• Beauty

• Danger

• Glory

• Person

• Wonder

Answer explanation

Each noun correctly pairs with one of the suffixes to form a common adjective: 'regional', 'personal', 'beautiful', 'wonderful', 'dangerous', and 'glorious'.

The instructions for the project were not helpful; in fact, they were quite _____. Which adjective, formed with a prefix, best completes the sentence?

• unhelpful

• helpless

• nonhelp

• inhelpful

Answer explanation

The prefix 'un-' means 'not'. Since the instructions were 'not helpful', the adjective 'unhelpful' is the correct choice. 'Helpless' means unable to help oneself, while 'nonhelp' and 'inhelpful' are not real words.

The artist was known for her creat (a)   and origin (b)   ideas.

• -ive
• -al
• -ful
• -ous

Answer explanation

The suffix '-ive' is added to 'create' to form 'creative' (having the nature of creating). The suffix '-al' is added to 'origin' to form 'original' (relating to the origin).

To turn the noun 'fame' into an adjective, you drop the 'e' and add '-ous'. Which word correctly applies this spelling rule to the noun 'adventure'?

• adventureous

• adventurous

• adventuric

• adventuresome

Answer explanation

The correct spelling is 'adventurous'. When a noun ends in 'e', we often drop it before adding a suffix like '-ous'. 'Adventureous' is a common misspelling, and the other options use incorrect suffixes or forms.

Match the adjective to the meaning created by its prefix.

• Not violent

• Nonviolent

• Not complete

• Incomplete

• Not popular

• Unpopular

Answer explanation

The prefixes 'un-', 'non-', and 'in-' can all mean 'not'. Each adjective is correctly matched to the meaning 'not' plus its base word.

Sort these adjectives based on the meaning of their suffix.

Groups:

(a) Suffix means 'full of'

,

(b) Suffix means 'without'

• homeless

• colorful

• useless

• careful

• hopeful

• powerless

Answer explanation

The suffix '-ful' means 'full of,' so 'hopeful,' 'careful,' and 'colorful' belong in that category. The suffix '-less' means 'without,' so 'powerless,' 'homeless,' and 'useless' belong in the other.