»
Main Forums
»
English Workshop
»
-ible" or "-able
| English Workshop |
|
-ible" or "-able |
|
|
jbouder Member Elite
since 1999-09-18
Posts 2534Whole Sort Of Genl Mish Mash 
|
Does anyone know of an easy rule-of-thumb to follow that clarifies when "-ible" (sense/sensible) or "-able"(scrutinize/scrutable) should be used? Am I alone in my confusion?  Jim [This message has been edited by jbouder (edited 08-02-2000).] |
||
| © Copyright 2000 Jim Bouder - All Rights Reserved | |||
|
Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
Well Jim, I can't speak for anyone else but I can assure you that you are not alone  Pete Oops, messed up the little smiley  [This message has been edited by Not A Poet (edited 08-02-2000).] |
||
|
Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Err...GOOD question Jim... You're definitely not alone... I usually just go from memory, LOL... |
||
|
Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
my half a cent (now that must be a new expression...  )I guess that this comes from the sounds emanating from the end of the original non-transformed word... more than anything else... like in sense the 'se' at the end is unstressed and soft and 'i' replaces the 'e' making it sensible but for dispute the 'te' lends a harshness to the sound and hence it is disputable However then I think about despise and the word despicable... how do I explain that one  All in all I think though there might be rules, there would be exceptions too... Ah! the beauty in the vagaries of the English language... thats the end of half a cent...  regards, sudhir [This message has been edited by Sudhir Iyer (edited 08-02-2000).] |
||
|
Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
I think there is no rule! It's like gnat...a word created to make us crazy! |
||
|
Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
I think that if there is, no one's coming out with it!!! |
||
|
Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
Hey Jim As far as I know the difference lies in the the function of the adjective...(ummmmm...trying to think how to explain it and make sense at the same time...lol...) For example - if something is avoidable it can be avoided. Whereas, if something is sensible - it can't be sensibled - if you see what I mean...? Likewise - if something is despicable it can be despised, but if something is terrible it can't be terrored... yeah - so, that as far as I know, is the explanation... LOL...personally, K thinks - how absurd!!! K |
||
|
jbouder Member Elite
since 1999-09-18
Posts 2534Whole Sort Of Genl Mish Mash |
Kamla: I knew you were the right choice for English Forum!!! Move over Chris!  Thanks for the theory, Kamla. Now I'm off to test it. (I have lots of confidence in you but, hey, I'm a doubting Thomas about everything).Jim P.S. Sudhir ... I can't figure out how you can have so many posts already while, at the same time, stretching your half-cents out for soooo long. |
||
|
Jamie Member Elite
since 2000-06-26
Posts 3168Blue Heaven |
I at first thought it has someting to so with the struture of the word preceding the suffix.. however i have found there are no hard and fast rules for these particular two, an example of what I found follows: 8. Word Formation: Plurals, Possessives, Affixes, and Compounds ยง 5. -able The suffix -able, which forms adjectives, comes from the Latin suffix -abilis, meaning "capable or worthy of." Thus a likable person is one who is capable of or worthy of being liked. The suffix -ible is closely related to -able and has the same meaning, as in flexible. Since they sound exactly alike, it is important to consult your dictionary when spelling words that end in this suffix Jamie Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito. - Virgil. "Yield thou not to adversity, but press on the more bravely". |
||
|
Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
OK, this time a quarter of a cent... Kamla, what about formations: teach, taught and teachable? (I don't know a word called teached... ) but there exists reach, reached, reachable ( )I would still say that when they came up with the dictionary (of diction) they thought to seek what sounded best in cases like these... hence the reference that Jamie found holds the perfect explanation for the vagary... any body has anything else to suggest... end of that quarter... P.S. Jim, I assume that was a compliment *grinning hard like mad* my regards, sudhir |
||
|
Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
Bowing humbly to Jim and grring at Sudhir cause trust him to find an exception! hmmmmmm gotta think about it... teached... hmmm lemme see my esteemed dictionary says (in regards to -able) 'Via OF (old french I assume) from Latin - abilis and ibilis...' So - of course, started in Rome...that explains it all...if they can lose an entire empire they build over centuries, surely they can manage to screw up the language too hey? HAHAHAHA K"He looked across the silky surface of the Severn, and remembered that it was a famously difficult river with fierce tides..." From J |
||
|
Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
Well Kamla... talking of proper English and all... allow me to say "screw up" maybe not most correct words to use... not too prim either... "screw" is always expected to be a verb describing to screw (the verb) the screw (the noun) all the way into a wall or wood etc... and "unscrew" would be the opposite action to get the screw (the noun) out... so ideally screw in and screw out and screw up etc have no place... the usages are quite disgusting too.. I duuno who came up with that formation that it has become a respectable utterence of the modern era (must be the yanks.. now is that slang? ) by the way: destroy or mutilate are better words... (gotta run away now... I can see them missiles being launched... I thought NZL was peaceful....  )I leave you with many regards, Sudhir [This message has been edited by Sudhir Iyer (edited 08-08-2000).] |
||
|
Jamie Member Elite
since 2000-06-26
Posts 3168Blue Heaven |
Actully screwed is the word used by me and made famous in the Lethal Weapon series for what happens at the drive thru-----(grrr happened to me earlier today is why it was on my mind,,,lol) |
||
|
Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
...so - would that make it screwible or screwable???... |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
