When you’re stretching your vocabulary, pay attention to the endings of new words (their suffixes) for clues to their meaning. The following table lists common suffixes and their meanings:
| Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| able/ible | capable or worthy of, fit for; tending to, causing, given to, or liable to | commendable, edible, impressionable |
| d/ed | indicates past tense of a verb | baffled, flummoxed, wasted |
| ence/ance | quality or state; an action or process | clearance, reference, remembrance |
| ing | indicates the present-perfect tense of a verb (such verbs are called gerunds) | admiring, discussing, perplexing |
| ion | act, result of an act, or state or condition | integration, obsession, possession |
| ment | an action, process, or act of a specified kind | bereavement, merriment, movement |
| s/es | indicates the plural form of a noun | analyses, arguments, results |