DERIVATIONAL AFFIXES AND INFLECTIONAL AFFIXES

DERIVATIONAL AFFIXES

            Not all affixes have the same function when attached to the root or base. When the affixes change the class of a root or base then they are usually called derivational affixes.

Look at the table below.

Root/base	Affix	New word
happy	-ness	happiness
quick	-ly	quickly
danger	-en	endanger

            The prefix en- and the suffixes –ness, -ly, and –en in the examples above are usually called derivational affixes because –ness changes an adjective (happy) into a noun (happiness); -ly changes an adjective (quick) into an adverb (quickly); en- changes a noun (danger) into a verb (endanger) and –en changes an adjective (wide) into a verb (widen).

►  An adverb is normally made by adding the suffix –ly to the adjective

►  An adjective can be made by adding –ful to the noun; or –ive, -ing, -ed, -able, -less to the verb

►  A verb can be made by adding –fy to the noun or; -en to the adjective

►  A noun can be made by adding –ist or –ism to the noun; -ion, -ment, -er to the verb; or –ness, -ity to the adjective

Exercise

Fill up the missing derivational paradigm:

No	Noun	Verb	Adjective	Adverb
1	danger	endanger	dangerous	dangerously
2	activeness	act	active	actively
3	success	succeed	successful	successfully
4	brightness	brighten	bright	brightly
5	hope	hope	hopeful	hopefully

Write the nouns deriving from the following verbs.

1. Marry              marriage
2. Attract             attraction
3. Debate             debate
4. Apply              application
5. Appoint           appointment
6. Try                  trial
7. Defend            defence
8. Astonish          astonishment
9. Approve          approval
10. Explode           explosion

Write the nouns deriving from the following adjectives.

1. Efficient                                                          11.  foolish
2. Frequent                                                          12.  deep
3. Permanent                                                       13.  long
4. Urgent                                                             14.  wide
5. Distant                                                             15.  Careless
6. Observant                                                        16.  hopeful
7. Silent                                                               17.  familiar
8. Lonely                                                             18.  dental
9. Useful                                                             19.  grand
10. Polite                                                               20.  simple

INFLECTIONAL AFFIXES

Some affixes when attached to the root or base do not change the part of speech of the root and they do not create new words. They only have certain grammatical functions. These affixes are called inflectional affixes.

In English we have inflectional affixes to indicate the following:

1. Plural form

-s                     book  -> books

                        pen    -> pens

-en                   ox      -> oxen

                        child -> children

2. Possession

John’s book

John and Mary’s house

3. Third singular verb marker

Mother always cooks rice

He never watches tv

4. Tense marker

He work hard yesterday (past tense)

I have repeated the lesson (past participle)

We are studying English (present progressive)

5. Pronoun

As a subject     : She is a teacher

As an object    : I met her yesterday

As possessive  : Is this bag hers? Yes, it’s her bag.