Reply
Sun 20 Nov, 2005 12:26 pm
Is there any rule for adding the suffix -able onto the end of a word that ends in -e?
I have noticed that sometimes you drop the -e (believe - believable), sometimes the -e can be dropped or kept (love - loveable / lovable) and sometimes the e is kept (manage - manageable).
Can anyone explain the rules to me, or do we just have to learn each word and the spelling?
Hi MzInterpret, welcome to a2k.
I'm not sure about a rule, but I know that the e is kept after the g in manageable and knowledgeable, etc. so that the pronunciation of the g won't change. A g followed by an a would become a hard g instead of a soft one.
Thanks for the welcome and the reply Mac!
And yes, I can see that dropping the -e after the g would change the pronunciation of the word.
I have found a great (free) rescource for English Grammar and Language. It's
http://www.grammarboard.com/ipb/index.php?showforum=1, or grammarboard.com.
They have departments for grammar/language questions, a place to post your peeves, language humor, English as a Second Language, and the ever popular Water Cooler.
Hope to see you there!
General Tsao
Thanks GeneralTsoa.
I will have a look at the website.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace