A piece at the end
A suffix is a letter or group of letters attached after a word’s base. It can change the meaning or the grammatical job of the word.
In kind → kindness, -ness helps make a noun naming the quality. Cambridge’s guide gives this ending among its common noun suffixes.
Change the job
Help can name assistance or describe giving it. Helpful is an adjective: a helpful neighbour. Helpfulness is a noun: the neighbour’s helpfulness.
Those endings help fit the idea into different sentences. The root is familiar, while the word’s role changes around it.
Watch the spelling
Adding an ending is not always simple sticking. Happy becomes happiness: the y changes to i. Cambridge’s spelling examples show similar changes.
Glasgow also distinguishes endings that mark grammar, such as the plural -s in books. Next, find out what happens when whole words join forces.