UFLI 126 -able, -ible affixes

Question 1

What do the suffixes -able and -ible mean?

Answer 1

able to ‘verb’
or
can do ‘verb’

enjoyable –> able to be enjoyed

flexible –> able to move or bend

In summary, there are 3 rules that control how the able/ible
suffix is used.
1. In original Latin words, the suffix was -bil- and the vowel was
the thematic vowel of the verb.
2. In new Latin words where the thematic vowel was no longer
apparent, the suffix was reanalyzed as -ible.
3. Words that are formed in English use -able.

Question 2

enjoyable

Answer 2

able to be enjoyed

Question 3

flexible

Answer 3

able to be flexed

Question 4

observable

Answer 4

able to be observed

Question 5

convertible

Answer 5

able to be converted

Question 6

teachable

Answer 6

able to be taught

Question 7

breakable

Answer 7

able to be broken

Question 8

washable

Answer 8

able to be washed

Clothes are washable because you can wash them.

Question 9

bendable

Answer 9

able to be bent

Question 10

collectible

Answer 10

able to be collected

Question 11

digestible

Answer 11

able to be digested

Question 12

reversible

Answer 12

able to be reversed

Question 13

comfortable

Answer 13

able to be comfy

Question 14

dependable

Answer 14

able to be depended on

Question 15

lovable

Answer 15

able to be loved