[Grammar] suffix - 'ance'

[elenah]

Hello,
Could you please help me?
There are some rules for making nouns like this one:

-ant Significant distant ignorant important

-ance Significance distance ignorance importance

Can you tell me why all the verbs below when transformed into nouns have the same suffix? The endings of the verbs are different. Is there a rule I don't know about? Or are they exceptions?

enter /ˈen.tər/ entrance/ˈen.trəns/
appear appearance
annoy annoyance
perform performance
maintain maintenance


Thank you in advance

 

[jutfrank]

The suffix -ance (sometimes -ence) when used to make abstract nouns basically carries the meaning of being in a state of, or having a quality of. This meaning is reasonably clear in the words you give at the beginning of your post. If the adjective forms describe qualities, then the noun forms refer to the state of having those qualities.

With the forms derived from verbs, the meaning is more to do with an action (of entering, of appearing, etc) than a state or quality of being.

This suffix came into English through Old French a long time ago. Unfortunately, there aren't any easy rules to help you know with which words this suffix can be used.

 

[bubbha]

Regarding the -ence words, we have, among many others:

magnificent, magnificence
beneficent, beneficence
sentient, sentience
patient, patience