V. Grammar
Agent NounsAn agent noun is a word that is derived from another word denoting an
action, and that identifies the person (or thing) that does the action.
Agent nouns are derived from verbs or other nouns. The endings ‘-er/-or’
and ‘-ist’ are commonly used in English to form agent nouns.
Example: Performer → someone who performs
Artist → someone who creates art
Agent nouns derived from nouns
Agent nouns can be formed by adding suffixes to nouns. The following
suffixes are noun suffixes that are so common in forming agent nouns:
- ist : Piano + ist → Pianist
- ian : Music + ian → Musician
- er / or : Astronomy + er → Astronomer
Senate + or → Senator
Here are some examples of music related agent nouns formed by adding
the above suffixes to the nouns:
- ist
Noun Agent Noun
vocal vocalist
symphony symphonist
guitar guitarist
organ organist
lyric lyricist
viola violist
flute flautist (also flutist)
solo soloist
cello cellist
saxophone saxophonist (also saxist)