These endings make verbs, words for doing. Add -ate to active and you get activate; add -ify to simple and you get simplify; add -ize to modern and you get modernize. All three mean, roughly, “to make” or “to cause.”
Key idea
-ate = to make, to act on. -ify, -fy = to make, to become. -ize = to make, to treat as.
Read the root, then add “to make.” verify: to make (show) true (ver). pacify: to make peaceful (pac). rectify: to make right (rect, right, as in rectangle). nullify: to make nothing (null). alleviate: to make light. synchronize: to make happen at the same time.
The parts and their words
Words taken apart
| Word and meaning | Parts, and what they say |
|---|---|
| verify to check that something is true | ver true + -ify to make → “to make (show) true” |
| pacify to calm or bring peace to | pac peace + -ify to make → “to make peaceful” |
| rectify to put right | rect right + -ify to make → “to make right” |
| ratify to formally approve | rat fixed, settled + -ify to make → “to make settled (formally approved)” |
| alleviate to make pain or trouble easier to bear | al- to + lev light + -iate to make → “to make light” |
| elucidate to make clear; to explain | e- out + lucid clear + -ate to make → “to make clear” |
| rejuvenate to make young or fresh again | re- again + juven young + -ate to make → “to make young again” |
| synchronize to make things happen at the same time | syn- together + chron time + -ize to make → “to make happen at the same time” |
Worked example: One spelling, two words
Say each advocate aloud: (1) “I advocate a longer recess.” (2) “She is an advocate for the park.” How are they different?
- In (1), advocate is a verb, and the -ate is said “ayt”: AD-vuh-kayt.
- In (2), it is a noun, and the -ate is said “it”: AD-vuh-kit.
- The same pattern holds for separate, estimate and duplicate.
Answer: The verb ends in “ayt”; the noun ends in “it.”
Meet the word
Common mistake
Assuming every word that ends in -ate is a verb. Considerate and obstinate are adjectives, and in them the ending is said “it,” not “ayt.” Check how the word is used in the sentence before you decide.