英語ーレベル・アップ!

英語ーレベル・アップ!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Words with the suffix ~ous - 接尾辞 ~ ous

Recently in Japan some dangerous ants have been found in Oi, a port in Tokyo. (危険な)

ant noun - a small insect that lives in highly organized groups. (アリ)


port - noun - a place where ships load and unload goods or shelter from storms (港)


The ants are called 'fire ants' (ヒアリ) and they are poisonous! ( 有毒な、毒性の)
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From this news we used 2 adjectives with the suffix ~ous. Dangerous and poisonous.

dangerous - likely to injure or harm somebody, or to damage or destroy something

poisonous - causing death or illness if swallowed or absorbed into the body
(These definitions come from Oxford Learner's Dictionaries)

A simple way to think of these 2 adjectives is to look at the root word, the word without the suffix ous.

danger (ous) If a situation has danger it is dangerous.

poison (ous) If a something has poison it is poisonous.

Many adjectives that use the suffix ~ous have this basic meaning. 

Japan is very mountainous. (It has many mountains)

A tumor that has cancer is cancerous.

The mole on my uncle's cheek is not cancerous.
We are relieved!





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