Suffixes -tion and -sion

Read the endings -tion and -sion, which sound like 'shun' or 'zhun'.

The endings '-tion' and '-sion' are very common in longer words, and they do not sound like their letters. '-tion' almost always says 'shun': action, station, invention. '-sion' can say 'shun', as in tension and mission, or 'zhun', as in vision, television, and decision.

These suffixes often turn an action word into a naming word: invent becomes invention, decide becomes decision, collect becomes collection. When you see one, read the ending as a single chunk, then read the rest. Try 'celebration': cel-e-bra-tion, ending in 'shun'. It names the act of celebrating. Try 'explosion': ex-plo-sion, ending in 'zhun'. It names the act of exploding.

• 1-tion says 'shun'.
• 2-sion says 'shun' or 'zhun'.
• 3They often turn an action into a naming word.