Examples of suffixes that cause confusion

[Delphine]

Dear teachers,

Suffixes help us divide words into classes. It gives meaning to sentences, helps us build our vocabulary and trains our guessing skills. Do you agree? Or are there some other advantages that suffixes can give learners? However, there are no fixed rules. They may cause confusion.

For examples, "cooker" is a cooking utensil instead of a person cooking in a kitchen. Would you suggest some more exceptions that suffixes cause confusion? Or are there any resources about suffixes?


Thanks!

Delphine

[Tdol]

There are some- the same suffix can have two spellings: -or or -er. However, while 'cooker' is the machine, not the peson, there aren't that many examples. -ed could be the past tense or the past participle of a regular verb, but context would enable the learner to distinguish. There are also those adjectives that appear to have the adverb suffix -ly, like 'lovely'. Most areas where there is confusion, there are resources- such things are frequently covered in books.
If you look at our Quizzes section, you'l find quite a few exercises covering these areas.
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/

[Delphine]

Thank you!