Have yous always wondered what the departure is between the suffixes -er and -ee? They can be very confusing when yous're learning English, so Bespeaking is here to help yous learn the divergence! These suffixes plow up (are found) pretty often in English language, so this is definitely something that will come in handy (be useful) if your aim is to become fluent in English — or even but want to understand more about the linguistic communication.

Ready to beefiness upwardly (add to, improve) your English knowledge? Then let's explore the suffixes -er and -ee!

What is a suffix?

Before nosotros get likewise far, it's helpful to know what exactly a suffix is. A suffix is a few letters (such every bit -er or -ee) that are added to the stop of a discussion to change the meaning or grammatical function (purpose) of the word. Suffixes tin can be added to nouns, verbs, or adjectives, although not all suffixes tin exist used for all 3 parts of speech communication. There are many different suffixes in English, and they all hateful different things. Here are some of the virtually mutual suffixes that tin be institute in English:

  • -ly (for adjectives, significant "in a certain way") i.due east. apace
  • -al (for adjectives, meaning "pertaining to") i.e. regional
  • -ious, -ous (for adjectives, meaning "characterized by") i.e. religious
  • -less (for adjectives, pregnant "without") i.e. shameless
  • -ment (for nouns, meaning "a condition of") i.east. argument
  • -ship (for nouns, meaning "position held") i.due east. friendship
  • -ate (for verbs, significant "to get a certain way") i.eastward. regulate
  • -ize (in American English language) and -ise (in British English language) (for verbs, meaning "to get") i.e. civilize

This is merely a minor sampling of the many different suffixes we take in English. But what are the suffixes -er and -ee for?

Suffixes -er and -ee

The suffixes -er and -ee are used for nouns and in particular are used to draw people and the positions they have. The words that apply the suffixes -er and -ee are commonly 2 sides of the same coin — meaning that these words are related and describe 2 jobs that people do. The suffix -er is used to draw a person or thing that does or provides an action. The suffix -ee describes the person or thing that receives the activity.

Hither's an example:

  • employer
  • employee

Do you know what the divergence is? Here's the quick answer: an employee is someone who does a job, and an employer is someone who provides (gives) the task. For case, I am an employee of Bespeaking, and Crystal is my employer. Crystal provides the job, and I do the job. People are employees of companies or organizations, and do the jobs necessary to run them. The companies or organizations are the employers, and are the ones who accept the jobs that need to be done.

Here are some other examples of the suffixes -er and -ee:

  • trainer – someone who trains
  • trainee – someone who is trained
  • adviser – someone who gives advice
  • advisee – someone who receives advice
  • slayer – someone who kills (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer!)
  • slayee – someone who is killed (like the vampires)

You may find the suffix -ee more oftentimes in the wild (in existent life), such as attendee (someone who attends something), returnee (someone who returns), or escapee (someone who escapes). The words attender, returner, and escaper are not used often in English and are not used equally the "giver" (or opposite) of the words with -ee endings.

Words catastrophe with -er and -ee in English are very common, and knowing nigh suffixes is an important part of learning English language. They're a great way to aggrandize (make bigger) your vocabulary!

Can you lot think of any other examples of words catastrophe in -er or -ee? Have y'all encountered them before in everyday life? Share them with us in the comments beneath!