One of the most popular construction blocks for children all over the world are Lego blocks, which come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and colours. What makes these blocks so interesting for creative minds are the variety of options and patterns into which these blocks can be fixed to form a variety of structures. This is a good parallel with regards to the use of suffixes, and of course prefixes, in English Language.

We can make this analogy clearer. Let's take the stem word, 'certain' as an example. You can affix the prefix un to make it uncertain. You can next add the suffix ty to form another word namely uncertainty. The options are unlimited, and an uncountable number of words may be formed through this word game.

The list of words shown in the table should interest any learner of English language to make up his or her own list and later go on adding to it.

One important use of suffixes and prefixes is that when they are added to a stem word, they form a word that is capable of replacing many words. This is indeed a most valuable tool for students in summary writing. 'That which cannot be read' becomes illegible, 'a little river' becomes rivulet, 'to make fat' is fatten and 'without waiting to take the plunge' can be expressed as unhesitatingly.

A large majority of suffixes originate from the English language itself. An example is that of the suffix er which helps form nouns like painter and lawyer. Another suffix ness helps in forming words like darkness, sweetness etcetera. While hood helps in forming nouns like childhood, manhood and brotherhood.

A further study tells us that the easiest way to form adjectives is to attach the English suffix ed to stem words. Some examples of such adjectives are gifted, talented, learned and wretched.

Suffixes of English origin also help in forming verbs. When, for example, the suffix en is added to the adjective weak it becomes weaken. In the same way sweet becomes sweeten and dead becomes deaden. Many adverbs are also formed in the same way. The affix ly forms adverbs like boldly, quickly and wisely. Also the suffix long forms adverbs such as headlong, sidelong etcetera.

Just as with prefixes, a lot of suffixes owe their origin to Latin or Greek languages. Some popular suffixes of Greek origin are ic as in angelic, ist as in artist, ism as in nationalism, ize as in criticize. Suffixes of Latin origin such as ain, an, en, on help to form nouns such as chieftain, artisan, citizen and surgeon. Latin suffixes also help in the formation of some adjectives in English language such as the suffixes al in national, an in human and ane in humane. Latin suffixes also help to form verbs like ate in assassinate, fy in simplify and ish in banish.

The beauty of word formation through the innumerable variety and sizes offered by suffixes lends a unique charm to vocabulary enhancement activities. Suffixes therefore may be regarded by the learner of the English language as fixtures that work like magic to provide suitable words to describe any given situation.

So while a one letter suffix y changes health to healthy, a two letter ie forms the diminutive birdie, a three letter suffix is responsible for forming the word hopeful, a four letter suffix forms the word wholesome. And the game of words goes on with its limitless options open for anyone eager enough to benefit from the process.