Intermediate suffixes. 45 questions on verb-forming suffixes (-ise/-ify/-en), the -able/-ible distinction, and multiple suffixes from a single root.
What this test covers
- Verb-Forming Suffixes: -ise/-ize, -ify, -en
- The -able vs -ible Distinction
- Multiple Suffixes from One Root: Word Family Choices
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1In order to ___ the confusion, the manager decided to hold a meeting.
Answer: A. clarify
The context clue 'to' indicates that an infinitive verb is required. The suffix '-ify' is used to turn nouns or adjectives into verbs; 'clarify' means 'to make clear'. 'Clarity' and 'clarification' are nouns, and 'clarified' is a past tense form.
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Q2The report is quite long, but it is very ___.
Answer: C. readable
To describe the report, we need an adjective. The suffix '-able' is usually added to complete English verbs (like 'read') to form adjectives. 'Readible' is a common misspelling; '-ible' is generally reserved for Latin roots that are not standalone English words.
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Q3Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. We must tighten the security.
After the modal verb 'must', we need the base form of a verb. The suffix '-en' is added to the adjective 'tight' to create the verb 'tighten' (to make tight). 'Tightness' is a noun and 'tight' is an adjective, so they cannot follow 'must' in this context.
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Q4The manager needs to ___ the main risks before proceeding.
Answer: B. identify
The phrase 'needs to' must be followed by a base verb. 'Identify' uses the '-ify' suffix to form a verb from the root. 'Identity' is a noun, 'identifying' is a gerund/present -ing form, and 'identifise' is not a real word.
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Q5The company decided to ___ the production process to reduce waste.
Answer: C. modify
The construction 'decided to' requires an infinitive verb. 'Modify' is the correct verb form using the '-ify' suffix. 'Modification' is a noun, and 'modified' is the past form or past tense form.
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Q6The data is not ___ because the file format is outdated.
Answer: A. accessible
We need an adjective here. 'Access' uses the '-ible' suffix because it is derived from a Latin root. Words ending in '-ible' often come from Latin stems that don't always function as standalone English verbs, though 'access' is an exception to the 'standalone' rule.
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Q7Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. She plans to specialise in law.
The phrase 'plans to' requires a base verb. The suffix '-ise' (or '-ize') is used to form verbs from adjectives. 'Specialise' is the standard British English spelling. 'Specialisation' is a noun, and 'specialisise' is an incorrect double-suffixation.
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Q8The team needs to ___ the system after the crash.
Answer: A. stabilise
After 'needs to', we require a base verb. 'Stabilise' uses the '-ise' suffix to turn the adjective 'stable' into a verb. 'Stabilisation' is a noun, 'stabilising' is a verb form, and 'stabilify' is an incorrect verb formation.
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Q9We need to ___ the deadline to give the team more time.
Answer: C. lengthen
The context requires a verb after 'need to'. The suffix '-en' is added to the noun 'length' to form the verb 'lengthen'. 'Length' is a noun, 'lengthy' is an adjective, and 'lengthening' is a verb form/gerund.
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Q10The new contract is ___ to all parties involved.
Answer: C. acceptable
The adjective 'acceptable' is formed by adding '-able' to the complete English verb 'accept'. Generally, if the base word is a complete English verb, we use '-able' rather than '-ible'.
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Q11Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. This chair is very comfortable.
'Comfortable' is the correct spelling. Since 'comfort' is a complete English word, we use the suffix '-able' to form the adjective. Spelling variations like 'comfortible' or 'comforteable' are incorrect.
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Q12The engineer needs to ___ the testing phase.
Answer: C. shorten
The verb 'shorten' is formed by adding the suffix '-en' to the adjective 'short'. This is a common way to create verbs meaning 'to make [adjective]'. 'Shortness' is a noun, and 'shortly' is an adverb meaning 'soon'.
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Q13We must ___ our procedures for the upcoming year.
Answer: B. standardise
The modal 'must' requires a base verb. 'Standardise' uses the '-ise' suffix to turn the noun 'standard' into a verb. 'Standardisation' is the noun form, and 'standardify' is an incorrect verb construction.
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Q14The logic of his argument was not ___.
Answer: D. comprehensible
'Comprehensible' is the correct adjective. It uses the '-ible' suffix because it is derived from the Latin root 'comprehens-'. Adjectives ending in '-ible' often follow roots that end in 's' or 'ns'.
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Q15Which sentence is correct?
Answer: A. We must notify the staff.
'Notify' is the correct verb form, where the suffix '-ify' is added to the root (related to 'note' or 'notice'). Forms like 'notificise' or 'notificy' are incorrect attempts at combining suffixes.
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Q16The new software allows us to ___ the workflow.
Answer: D. modernise
The phrase 'allows us to' requires a base verb. 'Modernise' is the verb form of 'modern', created with the '-ise' suffix. 'Modern' is an adjective, 'modernly' is an adverb, and 'modernisation' is a noun.
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Q17Cold weather can ___ the metal, making it brittle.
Answer: C. harden
The modal 'can' is followed by a base verb. Adding the suffix '-en' to the adjective 'hard' creates the verb 'harden' (to make hard). 'Hardly' is an adverb meaning 'almost not', and 'hardise/hardify' are not standard English verbs.
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Q18The terms of the agreement are ___.
Answer: B. reversible
The correct spelling is 'reversible'. It uses the '-ible' suffix because it derives from the Latin word 'reversibilis'. A useful pattern: if the root produces a noun ending in '-ion' (e.g., re-version), the adjective usually takes '-ible'. Note that a silent 'e' alone does not determine the suffix — 'manage' becomes 'manageable', not 'manageible'.
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Q19Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. The task is manageable.
'Manageable' is formed by adding '-able' to the complete English verb 'manage'. When adding '-able' to a word ending in 'ge' or 'ce', we keep the 'e' to maintain the soft sound of the consonant.
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Q20The manager wants to ___ the filing system.
Answer: C. simplify
The verb 'simplify' is formed by adding '-ify' to the root of 'simple'. The construction 'wants to' requires this base verb form. 'Simplification' is the noun form, and 'simple' is the adjective.
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Q21We need to ___ the data into categories.
Answer: B. classify
The verb 'classify' (to arrange in classes) is formed using the suffix '-ify'. Other options like 'classificise' are incorrect because they combine multiple suffixes unnecessarily.
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Q22The company plans to ___ the gap between departments.
Answer: B. widen
The suffix '-en' is added to the adjective 'wide' to create the verb 'widen'. This follows the pattern of 'shorten', 'harden', and 'strengthen'. 'Widening' is a verb form, not the base verb required after 'plans to'.
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Q23Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. The evidence was credible.
The word 'credible' uses the '-ible' suffix. This is because 'cred' is a Latin root that cannot stand alone as an English word. '-ible' is almost always used with such roots.
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Q24The bank needs to ___ your identity.
Answer: D. verify
The verb 'verify' is the correct form to use after 'needs to'. It means 'to prove to be true'. 'Verification' is the noun form, and 'verifify' is a redundant misspelling.
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Q25Please ___ the key findings in your report.
Answer: C. summarise
This is an imperative sentence, which requires the base verb. 'Summarise' is formed from the noun 'summary' using the '-ise' suffix. 'Summarisation' is the process (noun), and 'summarify' is not a standard word.
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Q26Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. The proposal is flexible.
The adjective 'flexible' is spelled with the '-ible' suffix. This is because the root 'flex' comes directly from Latin ('flexus'). Standard English does not use 'flexable'.
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Q27Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. We should sharpen the focus.
After 'should', we need a base verb. 'Sharpen' is the correct verb form, created by adding '-en' to the adjective 'sharp'. The other forms, 'sharpise' and 'sharpify', are incorrect verb formations.
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Q28The results are not ___.
Answer: C. predictable
The adjective 'predictable' is formed by adding '-able' to the complete English verb 'predict'. As a rule, if you can see the whole English verb, '-able' is the much more likely suffix.
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Q29We should ___ the scope of the project.
Answer: D. broaden
The modal 'should' requires a base verb. 'Broaden' is the verb form of the adjective 'broad', created with the '-en' suffix. 'Broadify' and 'broadise' are not standard English words.
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Q30The old equipment is still ___.
Answer: D. serviceable
The adjective 'serviceable' is formed by adding '-able' to the noun/verb 'service'. We keep the 'e' at the end of 'service' to ensure the 'c' is pronounced as an 's' sound (soft 'c').
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Q31Which sentence is correct?
Answer: B. The economic situation is stable.
This sentence requires an adjective to modify 'situation'. 'Economic' refers to the economy of a country or region. 'Economical' means 'cheap' or 'not wasteful', which doesn't fit the context of a general situation.
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Q32He is a famous ___.
Answer: A. musician
The noun for a person who practices or performs music is 'musician', created with the '-ian' suffix (meaning 'someone who does something'). 'Musical' is an adjective, and 'musically' is an adverb.
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Q33The ___ impact of the discovery was significant.
Answer: A. scientific
We need an adjective to modify the noun 'impact'. 'Scientific' uses the '-ific' suffix to turn the noun 'science' into an adjective. 'Scientist' refers to a person, and 'scientifically' is an adverb.
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Q34He is a well-known ___.
Answer: D. politician
The suffix '-ian' is used here to create a noun referring to a person involved in 'politics'. 'Political' is the adjective form, and 'politically' is the adverb form.
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Q35Which sentence is correct?
Answer: D. Her criticism of the project was fair.
The possessive 'Her' must be followed by a noun. 'Criticism' is the noun form indicating the act of expressing disapproval or judgment. 'Criticise' is a verb, and 'critical' is an adjective.
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Q36We need to ___ our spending habits.
Answer: A. economise
After 'need to', we need a base verb. 'Economise' (meaning 'to reduce spending') is the verb form of 'economy'. 'Economics' is the subject of study, and 'economical' is an adjective.
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Q37The data was ___ analysed.
Answer: A. scientifically
The word modifies the verb 'analysed', so we need an adverb. 'Scientifically' is the adverbial form of 'science', created by adding '-ally' to the adjective 'scientific'.
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Q38The ___ performance was excellent.
Answer: D. musical
We need an adjective to modify 'performance'. 'Musical' is the correct adjective form. 'Musician' is a person, and 'music' is a noun that would not normally modify 'performance' in this way.
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Q39Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. The political debate was heated.
To modify the noun 'debate', we use the adjective 'political'. 'Politician' is a noun (a person), and 'politics' is the general noun for the field. 'Politically' is an adverb.
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Q40The ___ review was published today.
Answer: A. critical
The noun 'review' requires an adjective. 'Critical' is the adjective form of 'critic'. While 'criticism' is a noun, 'a critical review' is a standard collocation (common word pair) in English.
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Q41She studied ___ at university.
Answer: C. economics
The name of the field of study is 'economics'. In English, many academic subjects end in '-ics' (e.g., Physics, Mathematics, Politics) and are treated as uncountable nouns.
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Q42The ___ community was surprised by the news.
Answer: C. academic
We need an adjective to modify 'community'. 'Academic' relates to education and research. 'Science' and 'scientist' are nouns, and 'scientifically' is an adverb.
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Q43Which sentence is correct?
Answer: C. The political party held a rally.
We use the adjective 'political' to describe the type of 'party'. 'Politician' and 'politics' are nouns and do not function as adjectives here. 'Politically' is an adverb and would need to modify an adjective.
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Q44He is a professional ___.
Answer: B. musician
The sentence requires a noun to identify his profession. 'Musician' is the noun for a person who performs music. 'Musical' is an adjective, and 'music' is the art form itself.
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Q45The ___ analysis was detailed.
Answer: C. critical
We need an adjective to modify 'analysis'. 'Critical' is the adjective form. 'Criticism' is the noun form, and 'critically' is the adverb form.
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