Forming Adjectives from Nouns in English - Part 5A - using the suffix "-ous"
V. When adding “-ous” to a noun ending in a consonant, do not change the spelling of the noun. The new word formed is an adjective.
| Noun | Suffix | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| danger | + ous | dangerous |
| hazard | + ous | hazardous |
| marvel | + ous | marvelous |
| riot | + ous | riotous |
| slander | + ous | slanderous |
Exceptions: When “-ous” is added to the noun “disaster” or “wonder”, the “e” is dropped, and "ous" is added.
| Noun | drop "e" + Suffix | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| disaster | tr + ous | disastrous |
| wonder | dr + ous | wondrous |
Nouns ending in "f" change the "f" to "v" when "-ous" is added.
| Noun | drop "f"/add "v" + Suffix | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| grief | v + ous | grievous |
| mischief | v + ous | mischievous |
Most nouns ending in a consonant + "y" drop the "y" and add "i" before "-ous".
| Noun | drop "y"/add "i" + Suffix | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| mystery | i + ous | mysterious |
| victory | i + ous | victorious |
Some nouns ending in consonant + "y" drop the "y" and add "e" before "-ous". This adjective is correct but generally these words use the "-ful" ending rather than the "-eous" ending.
| Noun | drop "y"/add "e" + Suffix | Adjective | More Common Adjective |
|---|---|---|---|
| beauty | e + ous | beauteous | beautiful |
| pity | e + ous | piteous | pitiful |
| plenty | e + ous | plenteous | plentiful |
Nouns ending in “e” drop the “e” before “-ous”.
| Noun | drop "e" + Suffix | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| adventure | + ous | adventurous |
| desire | + ous | desirous |
| trouble | + ous | troublous |
Occasionally the final “e” is retained before “-ous” to keep the soft sound of “ge”.
| Noun | keep "e" + Suffix | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| advantage | + ous | advantageous |
| courage | + ous | courageous |
| outrage | + ous | outrageous |
Here is a challenge to practice the "-ous" endings.
Learn English "-ous" ending words with this crossword - Part 5A
