By origin, nouns in English are divided into primary and derivative. Primary nouns are those that have not been derived from other words. Derivative nouns are formed from other nouns, adjectives, or verbs (e.g. greatness, expectation).
In English, the following suffixes are used to form nouns for professions, categories, etc.:
-er: |
teacher |
-or: |
sailor |
-ian: |
librarian,historian |
-ent: |
student |
-ant: |
assistant |
-ist: |
artist,journalist |
-eer: |
engineer |
The following suffixes are used to form abstract nouns in English:
-dom |
freedom |
-hood |
childhood |
-ship |
friendship |
-ness |
business |
-th |
length |
-ment |
development |
-ence |
difference |
-ance |
assistance |
-ion |
attraction |
-ty |
cruelty |
-ism |
democratism |
Sample exercise on the topic from the Kabinata system:
More articles on English grammar
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