Deverbal nouns
I.34 The following
suffixes combine with verb bases to produce concrete count
nouns,
largely of personal reference ; -er is particularly
productive.
-ANT, a Chiefly formal agential, as in
inhabitant, contestant, informant; it often
corresponds to verbs
in -ate : particl'Pate 〜 Particl>ant, lubricate 〜
lubricant.
As the last example shows, reference may be
nonpersonal.
-'EE 'one who is object of the verb', as in
appoin'tee, pa'yee; in some cases, as
with -ant, it may replace
the verb ending -ate : nomi'nee. There are examples
without verb
b??e or 'object' meaning: absen'tee, refu'gee. Stressing
is
exceptional in em'ployee.
-ER, -OR (contrast App I.33),
forms agential nouns (cf l7.51ff on nominaliza-
tion), as in
singer ['one who sings (especially) professionally'], writer,
driver,
employer, etc ; used informally also with phrasal verbs
(washer-up, chucker-
out) and with object-verb compounds and some
comparable compounds
(widow-cleaner, high-flier). Agentials may
also be nonpersonal : silencer,
computer, thriller. With
neo-classical bases, the suffix is often spelled
-or
(accelerator, incubator; supervisor, survivor; actor) ; so
too in cases where
there is no free base (author, doctor,
etc).
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