Suffixes: -ible, -able

"So let me get this straight, we won the contest, and you agreed to design our dream home, but we have to express what we want using words that end with the suffixes -ible and -able?" "Yep Kala, it looks like it's in line eight hundred and thirty-two of the contract we signed." "Okay, I guess we don't have a choice!" Let's help Kala and Dee by learning about the 'Suffixes: -ible, and -able'. A suffix is a group of letters at the end of a word that changes the meaning. The suffix '-ible' means 'can or able to be done', and is used to form adjectives. It's a less common suffix, and there aren't many clear rules to tell us when to use '-ible'. So we have to memorise some guidelines about adding it to words. Usually, it is added to Latin roots that cannot stand alone as words. For example, the root 'aud' means to hear or listen to. When we add the suffix '-ible', audible means able to be heard. What happens when we add -ible to the Latin root 'vis' which means 'to see'? It becomes the adjective 'visible' which means 'able to be seen'. -ible' can also be attached to existing words. For example, 'destruct' means to cause damage. When we add the suffix '-ible', destructible means able to be destroyed. If a word ends with a silent , we drop the and add '-ible'. Like when, 'reverse' becomes 'reversible'. What happens to 'collapse' when we add the suffix '-ible'? It becomes the adjective collapsible, which means able to be collapsed or folded. The other suffix '-able' means 'capable of, fit for, or worthy', and is also used to form adjectives. It is a common suffix, but there still aren't many clear rules about when to use it, so we'll also have to memorise the spelling of these. Usually, it is added to existing words. For example, 'bend' means to shape into a curve. When we add the suffix '-able', bendable means capable of being bent. What happens when we add -able to the word 'laugh' which means 'the act of laughing'? It becomes the adjective 'laughable' which describes something worthy of being laughed about. -able' also changes the spelling of some words that end with a silent . If a word ends with a silent , we drop the and add '-able'. So, 'breathe' becomes 'breathable' and 'argue' becomes 'arguable'. For some words that have a or followed by a silent we add '-able' without changing the spelling at all! Like when 'dance' becomes 'danceable' and 'change' becomes 'changeable'. One last guideline we follow is when the last syllable of a word contains a single short vowel followed by a single consonant, we usually double the consonant before '-able'. For example 'hug' becomes 'huggable'. Here are some descriptions that Dee and Kala used for their dream home. They requested a 'controllable' cleaning robot, dimmable' party lights, collectible coins, and an 'edible chair'. Before we see their dream home, let's summarise! Remember, the suffix -ible means 'can or able to be done', and is used to form adjectives. The suffix '-able' means 'capable of, fit for, or worthy', and is also used to form adjectives. Since there aren't many clear rules on when to use these suffixes, we must memorise some guidelines about adding them to words. "Dee! The chair is edible, not the entire home!"