Suffixes -ly and -ment

Use -ly to describe how something happens and -ment to name a thing or result.

'-ly' is often added to a describing word to tell how something is done. Quick becomes quickly, quiet becomes quietly, and careful becomes carefully. Words with '-ly' usually describe an action: 'She walked quietly. ' '-ment' turns an action word into a naming word for the act or its result: move becomes movement, agree becomes agreement, and pay becomes payment.

Try reading this: 'The movement of the clouds happened slowly, and we watched in amazement. ' Movement is the act of moving; slowly tells how it happened; amazement names the feeling of being amazed. Spotting these endings helps you read the word and also tells you what job it does in the sentence.

• 1-ly often tells how something is done (quickly).
• 2-ment names an action or its result (movement).
• 3Endings show what job a word does in a sentence.