ABSTRACT
The suffix -ate is added to nouns and adjectives to make verbs. Many verbs whose base is not an English word have identical written forms acting as nouns or adjectives, but then without the full vowel in the suffix. The prefix en- can be added to nouns to make a verb meaning ‘to put into ~’ and to adjectives to make a verb meaning ‘to make ~’. The prefix be- is found on bases that are nouns and adjectives, as well as on verbs, and the meaning is often obscure. No new verbs can be formed with this prefix, and individual words including it have to be learnt as simple items. There are a number of prefixes which can be added to nouns to make verbs. These are mostly negative prefixes, and mean ‘remove ~ from’ or ‘remove from ~’, but there are also others.
