Inflexional and Derivational Suffixes

[edit] Inflectional suffixes


Inflection changes grammatical properties of a word within its syntactic category. In the example:



The weather forecaster said it would clear today, but it hasn't cleared at all.

the suffix -ed inflects the root-word clear to indicate past tense.



Some inflectional suffixes in present day English:



-s third person singular present

-ed past tense

-ing progressive/continuous

-en past participle

-s plural

-en plural (irregular)

-er comparative

-est superlative

-n't negative[2]

[edit] Derivational suffixes

In the example:



"The weather forecaster said it would be clear today, but I can't see clearly at all"

the suffix -ly modifies the root-word clear from an adjective into an adverb. Derivation can also form a semantically distinct word within the same syntactic category. In this example:



"The weather forecaster said it would be a clear day today, but I think it's more like clearish!"

the suffix -ish modifies the root-word clear, changing its meaning to "clear, but not very clear".



Some derivational suffixes in present day English:



-ize/-ise

-fy

-ly

-able/-ible

-ful

-ness

-less

-ism

-ment

-ist

-al

-ish