CHAPTER 38

Using ous, ious, eous, uous

The suffix ous, which means “full of or like,” is used to create adjectives. There are many of these

words, but the rules governing the use of the suffix are simple and logical. Over time, many of the root
words have disappeared completely or only a portion of the root word remains, but we still have the
adjective.

Spelling rule #1: In the majority of cases, the ous is added to the root word or a portion of the root
word. Almost always, if the root ends in a consonant it will take the simple ous:

(^) Spelling rule #2: If the root word ends in a silent e, then, in most cases, the e is dropped.
(^) Spelling rule #3: If the root word ends in a soft g followed by a silent e, then the e is retained to
protect the g but it is still silent:
(^) Spelling rule #4: If the root ends in a soft c followed by a silent e, then the e is changed to i and has
the sh sound:
(^) Spelling rule #5: If the root ends in y, we change the y to i and the new word will have the long e
sound:
(^) Note these two anomalies—piteous and beauteous. The eous is pronounced as two syllables, e-ous.
If the root ends in c, t, or x, then the suffix will be ious and it will have a sh sound. While many of the
root words have disappeared, we still have the adjectives.
(^) If the root ends in u, the u is retained and is always pronounced clearly:
(^) In the largest group of ious words, the i is always pronounced clearly and with the long e sound:
(^) If the root ends in an f, it will change to a v. There are only two commonly used words in this group