Suffix Linking

Suffix Types

• Surgical, Diagnostic, Pathological,

and Related Suffixes

• Grammatical Suffixes

• Plural Suffixes

• Suffixes are added to the end of word roots or combining forms to change the meaning.

Change Suffix = Change Meaning

• Words that have more than one word root are compound words.

•Suffixes are also added to denote singular and plural forms of a word.

• Multiple word roots with in a compound word are always changed to a combing form, so that the roots are joined together with a combining vowel, regardless of whether the second word root begins with a vowel or consonant.

Example:

Notice the combining vowel “o”and how the next word root isconnected directly to the suffix.

Example:Notice how the first suffix startswith a vowel and connectsdirectly to the word root; andthe second suffix starts with aconsonants and relies on thecombining form.

word root + word root + suffix

Gastr + enter + itis

Gastr/o/enter/itis

combining form + word root + suffix

word root + suffix

Gastr itis

Combining form + suffix

Gastr/o logy

Surgical suffixes describe a type of invasive procedure performed on a body part.

Diagnostic suffixes denote a procedure or test performed to identify the cause and nature of an illness.

Pathological suffixes describe an abnormal condition or disease.

Grammatical suffixes are attached to word roots to form parts of speech, such as adjectives and nouns, or singular or plural forms of medial words. They also denote a diminutive form, or smaller version, of a word.

• When a word changes from a singular to a plural form, the suffix of the word is the part that changes.

See back inside cover of text.