Alexander
english grammar help me please what's the diference between these 2 suffix (full, y) I got told that both meang is kinda, ful of, but when should I use each one of them, when to use (ful), and when to use(y)
Dec 19, 2014 11:19 PM
Answers · 2
1
If I am interpreting your question correctly, you are asking when to use "-ful" and when to use "-y" when constructing an adjective from a noun. Examples of adjectives ending in -ful include: helpful, thoughtful, meaningful, fanciful, etc. Examples of adjectives ending in -y include: chancy, lemony, crazy, cheesy, spicy, etc. Generally, I agree with Peachey. You need to learn word by word whether the adjective ends in -y or -ful. After all, we do NOT say helpy, thoughty, meaningy, but we DO say fancy. So you just need to know which is which. (Note "fancy" and "fanciful" have different meanings though) However, one thing I will say is that adjectives ending in -y tend to (but not always) lean toward "kind of," "sort of." For example, saying something is "lemony" means it has sort of a lemon flavor. In this sense of the word, you can more freely construct "fake words" that are readily accepted by native speakers of English, such as "cinnamony," or "orange-y." I would never really write these in formal speech, but I could use them in daily speech without much trouble. "-ful", on the other hand, does not have this "kind of" "sort of" feeling. For example, "thoughtful" does not mean "rather considerate," and "helpful" does not mean "kind of useful." Hope this answers your question!
December 20, 2014
1
Honestly, it's better just to learn the words that use these suffixes. By looking for a pattern like this, you're likely to make even more mistakes. For example, words that end in "-ful" include beautiful, helpful and thoughtful. These are adjectives. Remember that there's only one L at the end. I'm not sure what you're asking when you want to know about "-y", but the "-ly" suffix often (but not always!) means an adverb. Easily, dangerously, thoughtfully.
December 19, 2014
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