Ad
related to: suffix est er anchor chart
Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
First, prefixes and suffixes, most of which are derived from ancient Greek or classical Latin, have a droppable vowel, usually -o-. As a general rule, this vowel almost always acts as a joint-stem to connect two consonantal roots (e.g. arthr- + -o- + -logy = arthrology ), but generally, the -o- is dropped when connecting to a vowel-stem (e.g ...
In English, the comparative and superlative of many adjectives and adverbs are formed by adding the suffixes -er and -est respectively (from big, for example, bigger and biggest are formed). Basque adjectives and adverbs similarly take such suffixes, but there are three morphologically derived degrees of comparison.
The suffixes-er (the "comparative") and -est (the "superlative") are of Germanic origin and are cognate with the Latin suffixes -ior and -issimus and Ancient Greek-ῑ́ων : -īōn and -ῐστος : -istos. They are typically added to shorter words, words of Anglo-Saxon origin, and borrowed words fully assimilated into English vocabulary.
In English, the -er suffix can signify: an agent noun, e.g., "singer" a degree of comparison, e.g., "louder" Oxford "-er", a colloquial and sometimes facetious suffix prevalent at Oxford University from about 1875
The most common diminutive suffixes are -ie, -ock, -ockie (double diminutive) or the Caithness –ag (the latter from Scottish Gaelic, and perhaps reinforcing the other two before it). -ie is by far the most common suffix used. Others are -le or -er for frequentative or diminutive emphasis.
In Britain, both -re and -er spellings were common before Johnson's 1755 dictionary was published. Following this, -re became the most common usage in Britain. In the United States, following the publication of Webster's Dictionary in the early 19th century, American English became more standardized, exclusively using the -er spelling. [5]
The positive is the base form of the adjective, the comparative degree is formed with the suffix "-er", and the superlative degree is formed with the suffix "-ste" and the definite article. [5] If the base form of the adjective ends in /r/ or sometimes /l/ or /n/, then there is an obligatory /d/ inserted before the comparative suffix "-er".
A double superlative is the use of both "most" and the suffix "-est" to form the superlative of an adjective in English grammar. [1] This grammatical practice has been contested throughout the history of the English language.