ESL Inventory

Adjective Suffixes: Examples & Exercises

Adjective suffixes are endings we add to words to make adjectives. They help us describe people, things, and situations. These endings can change the meaning of a word. On this page, you will learn about common adjective suffixes, -ed and -ing adjectives, and nationality suffixes.

Go to Exercises -ed / -ing
Go to Exercises – suffixes

Adjective Suffixes and Examples

SuffixMeaningExamplesSentence Example
-able/-iblecapable of, able to bemanageable, reversible, edible.This dish was edible but didn’t look delicious.
-ousfull ofdangerous, courageous, gracious.He made a courageous decision to help her.
-fulfull ofhopeful, powerful, useful.Her hopeful attitude inspired the team.
-lesswithouthopeless, fearless, homeless.The fearless cat climbed the tallest tree.
-ichaving the nature ofscientific, artistic, historic.The artistic painting got everyone’s attention.
-ivehaving the nature ofcreative, active, explosive.She has a very creative way of thinking.
-alpertaining tomagical, natural, personal.The forest had a magical glow at sunset.
-ishhaving the characteristics ofchildish, foolish.His childish behavior annoyed his friends.
-lyhaving the qualities offriendly, deadly, brotherly.She has a friendly smile that makes people happy.
-yfull of, characterized bymessy, sunny, dirty, thirsty.The kitchen was messy after the party.
-enmade ofwooden, golden, silken.The wooden chair was so beautiful.
-arrelating tocircular, muscular, popular.The gymnast had a muscular build.
-esquein the style ofpicturesque, grotesque, statuesque.The village had a picturesque view of the mountains.

-ly: adjective or adverb?

Most words ending in -ly are adverbs, but some common -ly words are adjectives. If the word describes a noun, it’s an adjective. If it describes how something happens, it’s an adverb.

SuffixFunctionExample
-ly (adverb)mannerHe quickly got to the station.
-ly (adjective)qualityHe is friendly.

Common adjectives ending in -ly

AdjectiveMeaning
friendlykind
lonelyalone
livelyfull of energy
lovelybeautiful / pleasant
sillyfoolish
uglyunattractive
costlyexpensive
deadlyfatal

Note: Many -ly adjectives do NOT have an adverb form. Instead, we say ‘in a + adjective + way‘. Examples:

friendly -> in a friendly way

lively -> in a lively way

Exercises Adjective Suffixes

EXERCISE: Adjective Suffixes

Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.

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The new leader is both powerful and ___________.

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Her _______ mind always finds unique solutions to problems.

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The treasure chest was filled with ________  coins.

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The singer is incredibly ______ among teenagers.

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A gymnast must be extremely _______ to perform well.

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The gallery displayed many _______ creations by local artists.

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The joke was too ___________ for the audience.

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He approached the challenge with a ______ attitude.

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Despite the setbacks, she remains _______ about her future.

10 / 10

The wild berries in the forest are not edible and may be _________ .

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EXERCISE: Adjective Suffixes (Round 2)

Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.

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It was a _____ discussion.

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It’s a _____ story about resilience.

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He’s _____ and always seeks the truth.

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The instructions were very _____.

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He is extremely _____ when facing problems.

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She gave a very _____ response.

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Her voice is quite _____.

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That was an _____ mistake.

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The result was quite _____.

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He seemed very _____ during the interview.

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EXERCISE: Adjective Suffixes – Fill the gaps

Fill the gaps by forming the correct adjective. Use the word given.

Example: That ice cream very is ______ .

Find an adjective of cream that makes sense in the sentence

Answer: creamy

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That was a very answer.

Find an adjective of logic that makes sense in the sentence

2 / 10

That idea was very .

Find an adjective of creation that makes sense in the sentence

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She was enough to understand the clues.

Find an adjective of intel that makes sense in the sentence

 

4 / 10

It was a very moment for them.

Find an adjective of emotion that makes sense in the sentence

5 / 10

The ending of the story was very .

Find an adjective of predict that makes sense in the sentence

6 / 10

The music was loud and .

Find an adjective of annoy that makes sense in the sentence

7 / 10

Her writing style is very .

Find an adjective of description that makes sense in the sentence

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During our trip to the countryside we saw some of the most landscapes I’ve ever seen.

Find an adjective of picture that makes sense in the sentence

9 / 10

This solution is highly .

Find an adjective of effect that makes sense in the sentence.

10 / 10

She’s and always looks perfect.

Find adjectives of style that makes sense in the sentence

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More exercises: EngGrammarAt1 | UsingEnglish | GrammarQuizzes | LiveWorksheets

Confusing endings: -ed or -ing?

Remember this: -ed adjectives describe how a person or animal feels. -ing adjectives describe what causes the feeling. Check the picture and table below.

Infographic about adjective suffixes explaining the difference between -ed and -ing adjectives in English, with examples like “tired” vs “tiring”. It shows that -ed adjectives describe how someone feels (low battery icon), while -ing adjectives describe the cause of the feeling (climbing illustration), with a clear visual grammar explanation for ESL learners.
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-ed (feeling)-ing (cause)
boredboring
interestedinteresting
excitedexciting
tiredtiring
confusedconfusing
surprisedsurprising
annoyedannoying
frightenedfrightening

Example:

I am boring. → means “I make other people bored”. If you feel bored, you say “I am bored“.

The movie was bored. → movies don’t have feelings. The correct sentence is “The movie was boring“.

-ed or -ing Exercises

EXERCISE: -ed or -ing?

Read the sentence. Choose whether the adjective suffix should be -ed or -ing.

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We were __________ when we heard the good news.

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The documentary was surprisingly __________.

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I was really __________ by the ending of the movie.

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The kids were  __________ after watching that horror movie.

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I find long meetings extremely __________.

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This grammar explanation is very __________ for beginners.

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She felt __________ after working all night.

8 / 10

He looked __________ because he didn’t understand the instructions.

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The lesson was so __________ that nobody asked questions.

10 / 10

It was an __________ experience for everyone involved.

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Some more Exercises: AgendaWeb1 | AgendaWeb2 | AgendaWeb3 | TestEnglish1 | TestEnglish2 | TestEnglish3 | LearnEnglish | PerfectEnglish | Speakspeak | Grammarism | AutoEnglish | GrammarBank | CursoIngles | LiveWorksheets | Wordwall1 | Wordwall2 | Wordwall3 |

Nationalities suffixes: -an, -ese, -ish, -i

Check the table below to see common suffixes and their uses.

SuffixTypical useExamples
-an / -ian / -eanMost common pattern. Used for many countries, regions, and continents.American, Brazilian, Canadian, Italian, Egyptian, European.
-eseCommon in East & Southeast Asia. Same form often used for adjective and people (no plural -s).Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Vietnamese.
-ishVery common in Europe. It can be adjective or collective noun for people.British, Spanish, Turkish, Irish, Scottish.
-iMainly Middle Eastern and South Asian nationalities. It can refer to a person.Israeli, Iraqi, Pakistani, Kuwaiti.
-icLess common. It’s often cultural, linguistic, or regional.Icelandic, Arabic, Nordic.
-er / -ersMainly for people (demonyms), not usually used as adjectives.New Zealander, Icelander, Londoner.
Ø (no suffix)Adjective is identical to the country name.Swiss, Dutch, French.

Nationalities Suffixes Exercises

AgendaWeb1 | AgendaWeb2 | AgendaWeb3 | AgendaWeb4 | AgendaWeb5 | AgendaWeb6 | TestEnglish1 | TestEnglish2 | TestEnglish3 | TestEnglish4 | Grammarism | ESL-Lounge | LiveWorksheets | Wordwall1 | Wordwall2 | Wordwall3 | Wordwall4

Tips to Practice

  1. Word Building: Take base words (e.g., “hope” or “danger”). Add different suffixes to see how their meanings change. Then check the dictionary to see if they exist.
    • Example: hope → hopeful → hopeless.
  2. Sentence Writing: Use adjectives with different suffixes in sentences to remember their meaning.

Learning suffixes helps expand your vocabulary. It also makes it easier to describe things in detail.

Feel like diving into more? Verb suffixes | Adverb Suffixes | Noun Suffixes | Prefixes