Typical Noun Suffixes/Endings

 

-er/or	P	a. used to indicate persons who do activities: to drive – driver, to teach – teacher; a shopkeeper, a music lover, to act – an actor,    to collect – collector, to edit – an editor b. also used for things which do a particular job: a projector,     a pencil- sharpener, a grater
- ee	e	Passive meaning: an employer – one who employs, an employee – one who is employed; a trainer – one who trains, a trainee – one who is trained
- ar	o	A beggar, a liar
- ian	p	A magician, an electrician, a technician
- ist	l	A typist, a capitalist, a journalist
- ant	e	An assistant
Abstract nouns from verbs;
- age[idʒ ]		Break-breakage, leak – leakage
- al		Approve – approval, arrive – arrival
- ance		Attend – attendance, perform- performance
- ation		Educate – education, organize - organization
- ery		Deliver – delivery, discover – discovery
- ment		Agree – agreement, arrange – arrangement
- sion		Collide – collision, decide – decision
- ure		Depart – departure, fail – failure
- sis		Hypnotize - hypnosis
- y		Injure - injury
Abstract noun from adjectives:
- ance		Tolerant – tolerance
- -cy		Pregnant – pregnancy
- ity		Able – ability, active – activity
- ness		Dark – darkness, happy – happiness
- ence		Independent - independence
- ment		Content – contentment
- - y		Honest – honesty
- th		Long – length, strong – strength, wide – width, deep – depth, true – truth
Abstract nouns derives from other nouns or adjectives:
- hood		Brother – brotherhood, mother – motherhood
- ship		Friend – friendship, member – membership, partner- partnership, author – authorship
- dom		King – kingdom, free- freedom

 

Exercises

      1.What do they do? Use the suffixes – ER/OR to name their activities.

Model: - a teacher

           A teacher is someone/ a person who teaches.

A driver, a doer, a maker, a reader, an examiner, a writer, an act, a collector, an employer, a theatre-goer, a music lover, a shopper, a buyer, a traveller, an editor, a visitor.

 

2. State the difference between the following.

Model: an employer – an employee

        An employer is someone who employs people, that is gives them jobs.

        An employee is a person who is employed ( be the employer)

An examiner and an examinee, a sender and an addressee, a payer and a payee.

 

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns name an idea, feeling, experience or a state rather than an object, person or particular instance.

Abstract nouns are always uncountable. – They were satisfied with the new equipment.

However, some abstract nouns also have concrete meanings. In these cases they can be countable. – Appearances can be deceptive.

-ance/ence

We add –ance/-ence to many verbs to form abstract nouns. For example, to accept – acceptance; to exist – existence.

Many adjectives which end in – ant/-ent become abstract nouns by changing “t” to “ce”:

Fragrant – fragrance; dependent – dependence

- ment

We can also add – ment to many verbs to form abstract nouns: agree – agreement. Note that many nouns ending in – ment have a concrete meaning: document, monument, ointment (мазь).

- ness

We can add – ness to many adjectives to form abstract nouns: good + ness= goodness, kind – kindness, etc.

-th

We use –th with numbers (except one, two and three) to form ordinal numbers: fourth, fifth, sixth, etc.

We also use – th to form abstract nouns which are usually connected with size or quality:

growth, warmth, length, width, breadth, etc.

Here are examples of abstract nouns using the suffixes –ane, -ence, - ment, - ness, and – th.

Acceptance Allegiance (лояльность) Annoyance Appearance Arrogance (заносчивость) Avoidance Distance Disturbance Importance Insurance Reluctance (нежелание) Resistance	Absence Affluence (изобилие) Confidence (доверие) Correspondence Defence Existence Emergence (чрезвыч. обстоятельства) Experience Intelligence (интеллект) Occurrence (инцидент) Patience (терпение) Violence (жестокость)		Advertisement (реклама) Achievement Commitment (обязательство) Embarrassment (затруднение) Employment (занятие; работа по найму) Encouragement (ободрение; поощрение) Enjoyment Entertainment Environment Fulfilment Movement Refreshment (восстановление сил)
Brightness       Loneliness       Weakness Carelessness    Sleepiness       Ugliness Emptiness        Tenderness      Tightness Greatness        Happiness       Kindness Breadth		Depth        Length          Wealth  Width Warmth Fortieth     Strength Growth     Umpteenth (энный) Health           Hundredth (сотый)

Noun + Noun

A bread knife = a knife for cutting bread A bus driver = someone who drives a bus The street lights = the lights in the street A cookery book= a book about cookery My birthday party= a party on my birthday A paper bag= a bag made of paper   Two nouns are often written as separate words, but sometimes we use a hyphen: a tea break, at the tea-table, a large teapot	A souvenir shop= a shop selling souvenirs An animal hospital= a hospital for animals A letter-box= a box for letters   The first word is normally singular. There are some exceptions: a sports club, a goods train, a clothes –brush, a sales conference
A teacup – is a cup for holding tea. I picked a cigarette packet I’ll wash the milk bottle.	A cup of tea is full of tea. Gary opened a packet of cigarettes. There’s a bottle of milk in the fridge.
We can use an-ing form with a noun: A sleeping-bag, a waiting-room, a washing-machine	We can use more than two nouns: a glass coffee-table, at Sydney Opera House, the bedroom carpet, the winter bus timetable, our Assistant Computer Technology Manager

 

Exercises

I. Can you say it a better way? Use two nouns together.

(I read an interesting article in a newspaper yesterday)

I read an interesting newspaper article yesterday

  1 Have you got any shirt made of cotton?

  …………………………………………………………………………………….

  2 Have you got a bag to carry shopping in?

    ……………………………………………………………………………………

  3 What shall I do with this bottle that had lemonade in it?

       ……………………………………………………………………………………

  4 Is there a shop that sells shoes near here?

       …………………………………………………………………………………….

   5 I’d like a table in the corner, please.

       ……………………………………………………………………………………

   6 I’ll need some boots to climb in.

        ………………………………………………………………………………………

   7 Do you operate computers?

       ……………………………………………………………………………………….

 

II. Look at the definitions and write the words.

A station from which trains leave           a train station

A bottle once containing medicine and made of glass  a glass medicine bottle

            A wall made of stone __________________________________________________________________

A centre where information is given to tourists _______________________________________________

A towel you use after having a bath _______________________________________________________

      Clothes for working in_______________________________________________________________________

A block of offices in the centre of a city ____________________________________________________

A graph showing sales ___________________________________________________________________

A card that gives you credit ______________________________________________________________

A race for horses ______________________________________________________________________

The Director of Marketing _______________________________________________________________

A tour by bicycle at the end of the week _____________________________________________________

III. Put the information before the noun: number + noun + noun. Model: a sixteen-year-old girl, a ten-hour-flight

1) a note that is worth 10 pounds______________________________________________________________

2) a language course that lasts four weeks_______________________________________________________

3) a drive that takes three hours_______________________________________________________________

4) a meal that consists of three courses__________________________________________________________

5) a holiday that lasts two weeks________________________________________________________

6) a house that was built two hundred years ago____________________________________________

7) a delay in the airport that went on for two hours____________________________________________

8) a letter that goes on for ten pages_________________________________________________________

9) a university course that takes three years___________________________________________________

10) a prison sentence of ten years___________________________________________________________

11) a hotel with five stars___________________________________________________________________

12) a speed limit of 40 miles an hour_________________________________________________________

IV. Write a new sentence according to the model.

Model: a) Our holiday lasted three weeks. It was a three-week holiday.

b) The girls were 15 years old. They were 15 year-old girls.

1) The woman was 27. She was a ....

2) The flight lasted three hours. It was a ............................................................................

3) The strike lasted four days. It was a ................................................................................

4) The book has 200 pages. It is a ... ………………………………………………………………………………

5) The boys were 10 years old. They were ........................................................................

6) The television series has 10 parts. It is ........................................................................

7) The bottle holds 2 liters. It is .......................................................................................

8) Each of the tickets cost 10 pounds. They were ...............................................................

9) The building has 10 floors. It is .......................................................................................

10) This bag of potatoes weights 5 kilos. It is .......................................................................

11) We walked for 5 miles. It was ..........................................................................................

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