Endings
What does a small piece added to a word show or change?
Merkitys
Small pieces attached to a word can change its meaning or show how it fits into a sentence. They can make a new word or mark features such as number, time, person, and a participant's role. Languages differ in how many they use and where they attach, and some express these meanings without them. Unlike Prepositions and postpositions, these pieces belong to the word rather than standing separately beside it.
Näin tunnistat sen
Compare related forms of a word and look for recurring attached pieces that add meaning or show its role in the sentence.
Opiskeltavalla kielelläsi
English uses endings such as -s for plural nouns and present-tense verbs with he, she, or it, -ed for many past-tense verbs, and -ing in forms built with be. It also adds pieces to make new words, as in kind and kindness. Most nouns do not change their ending to show their sentence role; word order and prepositions do that work.
My sister works in a shop.
-s marks the present-tense verb with a singular subject such as my sister.
We washed the cups.
-ed marks past time; -s shows that there is more than one cup.
Thank you for your kindness.
-ness makes a noun from the adjective kind.
Learners whose language uses little or no word-ending grammar may omit -s or -ed. Learners whose language marks noun roles with endings may expect an English noun ending where a preposition or word order is needed.