Cover of the textbook Cutting Edge Upper-Intermediate - Student's Book

Answer for exercise Grammar 1

The solution for exercise Grammar 1 in chapter 02 - Language focus 2 of Cutting Edge Upper-Intermediate - Student's Book by Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor and Jonathan Bygrave

Question

  1. Look at the noun suffixes in the table below. Add at least one example of each noun suffix in exercise 1 and exercise 4a. Then add one example of your own for each suffix.
  2. Which three suffixes are usually used for people?

Answer

a)

-ness

  • loneliness
  • happiness
  • kindness
  • madness
  • -ness is probably the most common noun suffix in English, and one which English native speakers may add to almost anything to form a noun (often colloquially).

-ion / -sion / -tion / -ation

  • exhaustion
  • stimulation
  • religion
  • confusion
  • competition

-ity / -iety / -y

  • security
  • variety
  • family
  • curiosity
  • anxiety

-ment

  • excitement
  • unemployment
  • disappointment
  • improvement

-ance / -ence

  • confidence
  • allowance
  • independence
  • patience

-our / -iour

  • behaviour
  • colour
  • saviour

-ism

  • criticism
  • racism
  • communism
  • capitalism
  • -ism usually refers to an ideology or way of thinking.

-age

  • marriage
  • average
  • courage
  • -age is usually used with abstract nouns.

-ship

  • friendship
  • relationship
  • membership
  • citizenship

-er

  • employer
  • teacher
  • driver
  • cleaner
  • -er is used for people, as the 'doer' of an action.

-ee

  • employee
  • trainee
  • interviewee
  • -ee describes someone who 'receives' an action or service.

-ist

  • non-conformist
  • artist
  • capitalist

b)

  • -er
  • -ee
  • -ist