Learning English

Same word, different meaning

To start this session here’s a famous movie joke which is based on different meanings of the same word. 

Goodness! = An expression of surprise.

Goodness, is that the time! I didn’t realise it was so late, we have to go.

Goodness = the state or condition of being morally good.

His goodness was only really known by his closest family and friends.

There is a famous line in the 1932 film Night after Night. The actress Mae West hands her coat to an attendant at a club. The attendant comments on her jewellery:

“Goodness! What beautiful diamonds.”

 The reply:

“Goodness had nothing to do with it."

Read the text and complete the activity

Suffixes: -ness and -ity

There are many different suffixes. In 6 Minute Vocabulary you heard Catherine and Neil talking about ness and ity.

Suffixes are really useful things that we can use to build vocabulary. They are added to the end of other words and one thing they can do is to change an adjective into a noun. 

I feel ill. (adjective)

He's off school with an unusual illness. (noun)

His personality was really complex.(adjective)

I admire the complexity of this design. (noun)

Here are some other common adjectives that can use the suffix ness:

Dark, good, kind, cold, happy, sad, weak, ready, tidy, forgetful, attentive, aware, conscious, late, lonely

When the adjective ends in -y, the 'y' changes to 'i' before adding ness.

happy - happiness
ready - readiness
tidy - tidiness
lonely - lonliness

Here are some other common adjectives that use the suffix ity: 

possible, probable, responsible, complex, hilarious, scarce, equal, able

When the adjective ends in ble, le changes to il

possible - possibility
able - ability
responsible - responsibility

Note these other irregular spellings:

hilarious - hilarity
scarce - scarcity

To do

Now try a quiz where you have to decide which word best completes each sentence. You'll need to think about whether the answer is a noun, adjective or adverb and if it has the right suffix.

Next

Congratulations on finishing the quiz. In the next activity we look at the useful suffix ish.