The graceful dancer moved across the stage as the music began to play
Which of the following is the meaning of the suffix “full” as used in the sentence above?
A.
Worthy
B.
Able
C.
State of
D.
Characterized by
The Correct answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is D. Characterized by.
In the sentence, “The graceful dancer moved across the stage as the music began to play,” the suffix “-full” is not present in the sentence itself. However, if we consider the suffix “-full” in general, it means “characterized by” or “full of.” For example, in words like “beautiful” or “joyful,” the suffix “-full” implies that the noun it modifies is characterized by beauty or joy.
Let’s break it down with a specific example. Consider the word “joyful.” Here, “joy” is the base word, and “-ful” is the suffix added to it. The suffix “-ful” means that something is characterized by joy. Therefore, “joyful” means “full of joy” or “characterized by joy.”
Similarly, the suffix “-full” when attached to “grace,” as in “graceful,” would imply that something is characterized by grace. The term “graceful” describes a quality of being full of or characterized by grace, which is an elegant, smooth, or attractive manner.
When analyzing the suffix “-full,” it’s helpful to recognize that it modifies a noun to denote that the noun is abundant in a particular quality or characteristic. This understanding can be applied broadly across various contexts. For instance, “hopeful” means characterized by hope, “thoughtful” means characterized by thought, and so on.
In summary, the suffix “-full” generally means “characterized by,” indicating that the base word possesses or is abundant in a certain quality or characteristic. This explanation clarifies that the suffix adds a specific descriptive quality to the word it modifies.