# 5. An attractive but dangerous visit (introduction to suffixes and question tags)

> Finally, in this section you will learn about vocabulary building. We will focus on some common adjective suffixes. Learning something about how suffixes function in the English language can help you improve general reading comprehension. Moreover, suffixes help you use context and etymological clues to help you guess the meaning of unfamiliar words.

# Actividad de lectura

Paco hadn't seen much in New York yet. However, the hotel seemed quite comfortable and peaceful. Besides, it was near Central Park, the most famous park in the city. Although he was told that New York could be dangerous at nights and that he had to be careful all the time, he thought the city was really attractive with an exciting mixture of different cultures.

Imagen de Diliff en wikipedia. Licencia CC

Just in case, he tried to avoid certain areas full of drunks, homeless people, drug dealers and professional criminals.
Try to find in the text all the adjectives with suffixes you are familiar with.

We remind you that the most common suffixes are -al, -ent, -ive, -ous, -ful, -less , -ing and -ed.

# Retroalimentación

comfortable / peaceful / Central / famous / dangerous / careful

attractive / different / homeless / professional

* Criminal is a noun here, not an adjective.

# Reflexiona

Suffixes are groups of letters attached to the ends of roots, words, and word groups. Suffixes serve a grammatical function. A suffix can indicate the function of a word (noun, verb, adjective, adverb), and that makes comprehension easier. Suffixes can also modify and extend meaning.

# Retroalimentación

Adjectives can sometimes be made by adding a suffix to a noun or a verb. For example, if you add the suffix "able" to the verb "do" you get "doable". You can use this adjective to say an activity is doable.

# Ejercicio Resuelto

> My father's car is very (economic) _______________.

> There was a (marvel) _______________ serial on TV last night.

> That guy is very (ambition) _______________.

> That women is absolutely (beauty)_______________ .*

> My grandfather loves (classic) _______________ music.

> Be careful of false friends! These are words that are similar to words in another language, but have a different meaning. For example, sensible in English is sensato in Spanish.And sensible in Spanish is sensitive in English!

Fill in the blanks with an adjective derived from the word given.

# Retroalimentación

> My father's car is very economical.

> There was a marvellous serial on TV last night.

> That guy is very ambitious.

> That woman is very beautiful.

> My grandfather loves classical music.

# Comprueba lo aprendido

Match the definitions with the suitable adjectives:
popular / attractive / energetic / interesting / flexible

1) Rellenar huecos (1): JXUwMDE5JXUwMDM1JXUwMDAwJXUwMDA2JXUwMDEzJXUwMDAyJXUwMDE3JXUwMDFkJXUwMDFmJXUw MDEz is somebody or something pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm.

2) If something or somebody holds our attention, we can say that it is Rellenar huecos (2): JXUwMDMxJXUwMDA3JXUwMDFhJXUwMDExJXUwMDE3JXUwMDE3JXUwMDE2JXUwMDA3JXUwMDFkJXUw MDA3JXUwMDA5JXUwMDQ5

3) Regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public. It is Rellenar huecos (3): JXUwMDI4JXUwMDFmJXUwMDFmJXUwMDA1JXUwMDE5JXUwMDBkJXUwMDEz .

4) If we bend something without breaking it that means that it is Rellenar huecos (4): JXUwMDNlJXUwMDBhJXUwMDA5JXUwMDFkJXUwMDExJXUwMDBiJXUwMDBlJXUwMDA5 .

5) Possessing or exerting or displaying energy, we can say that it is Rellenar huecos (5): JXUwMDNkJXUwMDBiJXUwMDBiJXUwMDE3JXUwMDE1JXUwMDAyJXUwMDExJXUwMDFkJXUwMDBh .

Habilitar JavaScript

# Reflexiona

QUESTION TAGS
Question tags are very common in English. We'll study them because they are very often used in everyday English.

They are placed at the end of a sentence and they ask for confirmation: Am I right? or Do you agree with me?

Watch the video below to gain a wider idea of how to form question tags. When you finish click on the Click here button to see their structure.

Vídeo de BBC Learning English en Youtube

# Retroalimentación

As you have probably deduced, the basic structure to form a question tag is:

+ Positive statement | - negative tag?
Today is Sunday, | isn't it?
- Negative statement, | + positive tag?
You don't like pizza, | do you?

Remember that in question tags you must always use an auxiliary verb in the form opposite to the previous sentence. If the sentence was negative, the question tag is positive and viceversa, for example:

You like football, don't you?
He hasn't tried it yet, has he?
The subject is always repeated as a pronoun:
John lives in London, doesn't he?
Cats can't swim, can they?

# Para saber más

Here we give you the chance to learn about question tags and do some exercises.

# Curiosidad

Museum of Modern Art

Imagen de hibino en wikipedia. Licencia CC

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been singularly important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum's collection offers an unparalleled overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawings, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books and artist's books, film, and electronic media.

MoMA's library and archives hold over 300,000 books, artist books, and periodicals, as well as individual files on more than 70,000 artists. The archives contain primary source material related to the history of modern and contemporary art. It also houses an award-winning fine dining restaurant, The Modern, run by Alsace-born chef Gabriel Kreuther.

Taken from Wikipedia.

# Para saber más

Learn about vocabulary building: affixes and roots.

That was enough for topic 1. Come with us to topic 2.