59 Expand your vocabulary: Suffixes for making verbs Many words in English can be verbs, nouns and adjectives, such as clean – to clean or a fight – to fight, but some are formed using suffixes. The suffix -en, for instance, is often used to turn adjectives or nouns describing physical characteristics into verbs. Complete the tables below with the missing words. LANGUAGE 11 a Noun Adjective Verb depth deep deepen weakness shortness width Adjective Noun Verb strong strength strengthen long threat fright Note: The suffix -en can also be added to some comparative forms such as less (to lessen) or worse (to worsen). The suffixes -ify and -ise, which come from ancient Greek, are common in English verbs. They are considered more formal and are often used in academic contexts. Verbs ending in -ify generally have nouns ending in -ification (to qualify – qualification). Verbs ending in -ise have a range of noun and adjective forms. Turn the following nouns into verbs using either -ify or -ise. b Many verbs ending in -ise can also be spelled with -ize instead, which carries over to the nouns (organize – organization). This spelling is especially common in the US. Use verbs from 11a/b in the correct form to complete the sentences below. 1 The mayor has since and withdrawn his previous remarks. 2 The union is further strikes unless their members get a substantial payrise. 3 Political support for the project as more people started protesting against it. 4 Bad harvests after the drought have the food shortage across the country. 5 It’s essential to participation in elections to give everyone a voice. Make a word family table for the following words in your notebook. Then add more examples from this page. empathy modification simplification socialisation specification supervision terror tight c 12 1 clarification 2 maximum 3 apology 4 speciality 5 criticism 6 identification 7 recognition 8 justification Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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