---
title: Suffixes -ous, -ly, -ful, -less, -ness, -ment — how Mova does on the tests · English
description: Lesson 9 of the english course of Mova's primary school: 4 of 12 tests right, exam 1 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose.
---

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# Suffixes -ous, -ly, -ful, -less, -ness, -ment

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**Tests:** 4 of 12 right · **Exam:** 1 of 4 right · **Kind:** ★★★ · **Understood:** 9 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72`

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Lesson 9 of the english course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/).

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Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/).

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### Test 1 · ★★★ · right ✓ {#t1}

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«I'm tamping, I wrote happyly and she marked it wrong». What should Rhys remember?

- **1.** Double the y: happyyly — no support
- **2.** Drop the y: happly — no support
- **3.** Just add -ly to every word, whatever it ends in — no support
- **4.** Consonant + y changes to i: happily — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 4

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 9, line 10: «Consonant + y changes to i before -ly and -ness: happily, happiness; easily, laziness.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «change» (+2); the same doer «consonant» (+1); the same property (+1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t1/)

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### Test 2 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t2}

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«careful's got full in it, so two l's, obvs». What's the slip?

- **1.** It's «carful» with no e — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** The suffix -ful has one l, unlike the word «full» — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** It's «caerful» with ae, like in old books — no support
- **4.** Nothing, «carefull» is right — no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t2/)

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### Test 3 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t3}

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«basicly, I'm right, innit». What is the spelling of his first word?

- **1.** basiklly — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** basicly — no support
- **3.** basicaly — no support
- **4.** basically — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t3/)

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### Test 4 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t4}

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What would happen if -ous ended in e, like «house»?

- **1.** «Famous» would be spelled «famouse», which it isn't — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** «House» would lose its e — **← Mova's choice** · score 3
- **3.** All -ous words would rhyme with «house» — score 2
- **4.** Nothing would change in any word — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 2 with score 3, against 2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 9, line 3: «The root word can change at the join. Consonant + y turns into i: happy, happily, happiness; easy, easily. Words ending in -ic add -ally: basic, basically; dra…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «lose» (+2); the same thing acted on «e» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t4/)

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### Test 5 · ★★★ · right ✓ {#t5}

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«argue, so arguement, same as enjoyment keeps nothing». Put him right.

- **1.** It should be «argumint» — no support
- **2.** It should be «argueing» as a noun — no support
- **3.** «Arguement» is right because roots never change — no support
- **4.** «Argument» is an exception: argue drops its e — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 4 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 9, line 3: «The root word can change at the join. Consonant + y turns into i: happy, happily, happiness; easy, easily. Words ending in -ic add -ally: basic, basically; dra…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «drop» (+4); the same thing acted on «e» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t5/)

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### Test 6 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t6}

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«I'm nesh and useless today, can't even spell useles». What's right?

- **1.** useles: one s is enough at the end of a word — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** useless: use + less, nothing changes — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** uselless: double the l — no support
- **4.** usless: drop the e of use — no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t6/)

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### Test 7 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t7}

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In a cartoon, a teacher writes «humourous» on the board. What should it be?

- **1.** humorous: the u of humour drops — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **2.** humourous: keep the root exactly — no support
- **3.** humerous: like «humerus» the bone — no support
- **4.** humorus: drop the o too — **← Mova's choice** · score 0

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 0, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 5, line 2: «Every letter has a starting point and a direction. Isla starts her «d» at the bottom and pushes up; her teacher says «start at the top». Many letters, a, d, g,…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+2); the same thing acted on «g» (+1). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1); a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 1, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t7/)

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### Test 8 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t8}

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«adore → adoreable, notice → noticable, it's just opposite day». What is right?

- **1.** adoreable and noticable — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** adoreable and noticeable — no support
- **3.** adorable and noticable — no support
- **4.** adorable and noticeable — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t8/)

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### Test 9 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t9}

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«visible is v-i-s + ible, so readable should be readible». Is that right?

- **1.** Yes, all «can be» words use -ible — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** No: «read» is a whole word, so -able — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** No, it should be «readabel», with the e and l swapped — no support
- **4.** Yes, -ible always follows a verb — no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t9/)

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### Test 10 · ★★★ · wrong ✗ {#t10}

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★★★ Split «carelessness» into its parts.

- **1.** care + lessness — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** care + less + ness — **✓ the right answer** · no support
- **3.** ca + reless + ness — no support
- **4.** carel + ess + ness — no support

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**Why:** Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t10/)

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### Test 11 · ★★★ · right ✓ {#t11}

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★★★ How many of these are spelled correctly: happiness, basically, carefull, humorous, argument?

- **1.** 4 — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 2
- **2.** 5 — no support
- **3.** 2 — score 2
- **4.** 3 — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 2, tied with another option at 2 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 8, line 1: «Liam writes «stashun» for «station». It sounds right, but in English the /shun/ ending is almost never spelled «shun». It has four main spellings, -tion, -sion…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the number the lesson gave for it (+3). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t11/)

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### Test 12 · ★★★ · right ✓ {#t12}

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★★★ Which word follows a rule that «publicly» breaks?

- **1.** tragically — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 6
- **2.** hopefully — score 6
- **3.** happily, because of the y — score 4
- **4.** quickly — score 6

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 6, tied with another option at 6 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 2, line 16: «Some common words such as «was» have a tricky bit (the a says /o/, the s says /z/); the rest still follows the rules.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «rules» (+4); the same action «follow» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/t12/)

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### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1}

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Ascertain the correct spelling of the word formed by the addition of the suffix -ness to the adjective «happy».

- **1.** happieness — **← Mova's choice** · no support
- **2.** hapiness — no support
- **3.** happyness — no support
- **4.** happiness — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/e1/)

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### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2}

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Identify the principal reason for which the final e is retained in the word «changeable».

- **1.** It distinguishes the adjective from a verb of the same form — score 5
- **2.** It is retained in every word ending in -able — **← Mova's choice** · score 6
- **3.** It indicates that the word is of French origin — no support
- **4.** It preserves the soft pronunciation of the letter g — **✓ the right answer** · no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 6, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 2, line 9: «A syllable is a beat in a word with one vowel sound; long words are read chunk by chunk, sand-wich.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same place «word» (+4); the same thing acted on «beat» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/e2/)

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### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3}

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Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the suffix -ful.

- **1.** It is spelled with a single l only in words of one syllable — no support
- **2.** It is spelled with a single l, notwithstanding the spelling of the word «full» — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 2
- **3.** It is spelled with two l's in all circumstances, in conformity with the spelling of the word «full» — score 2
- **4.** It is spelled -full in British English and -ful in American English — no support

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**Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 2, tied with another option at 2 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 9, line 16: «Splitting a word into root and suffixes helps you spell words you have never seen.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «spell» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/e3/)

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### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4}

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the suffix -less in the word «useless»?

- **1.** It signifies «again» and requires the doubling of the s — **← Mova's choice** · score 9
- **2.** It signifies «full of» and requires the omission of the final e — score 9
- **3.** It signifies «without» and is appended without alteration of the root — **✓ the right answer** · score 9
- **4.** It signifies «before» and is placed at the beginning of the word — score 9

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**Why:** It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 9, tied with another option at 9 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 9, line 6: «A suffix is added to the end of a word and changes its meaning or job: -ful (full of), -less (without), -ness (a state), -ment (a thing), -ly (how), -ous (full…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «suffix» (+3); the same action «mean» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 9. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/9-suffixes-ous-ly-ful-less-ness-ment/e4/)

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- ← previous: [8. Endings that sound like «shun»: -tion, -sion, -s…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/8-endings-that-sound-like-shun/)
- next →: [10. i before e, silent letters and other famous traps](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/10-i-before-e-silent-letters-and-famous-traps/)
- ↑ back to [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/)