COULD you please explain the meaning of the suffixes -less, -ful and -free and how to correctly use them? Why do priceless and useless have opposite connotations, one positive and the other negative? If an article contains no error, should we say it is error-free or errorless? If an artist possesses no talent, is he talent-free or talentless? If some words have their opposite counterparts (i.e. careless vs. careful, useless vs. useful, helpless vs. helpful), can there be such words as beautiless (opposite of beautiful) and paperful (opposite of paperless)? – Nasir
The suffix “-less” can be added to nouns or verbs to form mainly adjectives. When added to nouns, it can mean “without”, or “not having”, as in “shameless” (without shame), “homeless” (not having a home to live in), “worthless” (without any worth), “valueless” (lacking material or moral value), “useless” (without any use or serving no purpose).
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