Adjectifs en Anglais: Ful ou Less

Adjectives in English: Ful or Less

• English adjectives can be modified to indicate greater or lesser degree of a quality. This is often done using the suffixes "-ful" or "-less".
• These suffixes primarily create new adjectives by altering the base meaning of the root word.
• "-ful" generally implies abundance/fullness of the quality.
• "-less" generally implies absence/lack of the quality.

Examples of "-ful" Adjectives

• Joyful: Full of joy, experiencing happiness.
• Wonderful: Full of wonder, filled with amazement.
• Careful: Careful indicates attentiveness to avoid danger or mistakes.
• Hopeful: Feeling or inspiring hope.
• Helpful: Providing or offering assistance; useful.
• Fruitful: Producing abundant results or effects.

Examples of "-less" Adjectives

• Hopeless: Lacking hope, characterized by a sense of despair.
• Careless: Lacking attention or concern; heedless
• Joyless: Deprived of joy, melancholic.
• Friendless: Having no friends, solitary.
• Worthless: Lacking value or importance.
• Painless: Without pain, not causing discomfort.

Underlying Meaning of "-ful" and "-less" Usage

• The "-ful" suffix often implies a positive or desirable quality.
• The "-less" suffix often implies a negative or undesirable quality.

Usage Considerations

• Not all words can take "-ful" or "-less" suffixes.
• The root word must often be in a certain part of speech and follow certain rules to apply the suffix correctly.

Additional Notes

• Some words use "-ful" to form nouns, and others may use prefixes to enhance their use in different adjective forms.
• The suffixes "-ful" and "-less" contribute to the vast vocabulary of English.
• Choosing the correct suffix to modify an adjective can significantly affect the meaning of the sentence.