An agent noun refers to a person who performs an action, usually formed by adding “-er” or “-o” suffixes. Some agent nouns have gender indicators or end in “ist” to show political views or occupation. Not all action verbs have corresponding agent nouns.
An agent noun is a noun that refers to a party who performs an action. In some definitions of this part of the English lexicon, the noun must derive from the action being performed. For example, the word “editor”, derived from the verb “edit”, is an agent noun.
The syntax of the agent noun is usually relatively simple. In most cases, to form this specific type of noun, English speakers or writers simply add an “–er” suffix. In some rare cases, this may change slightly. For example, the noun “hanger-on” is someone who hangs on. Here, the –er is added to the end of the verb, but not to the end of the whole noun.
It is important for English language beginners to understand that while the English lexicon includes a large number of agent nouns, not all action verbs correspond to an agent noun. There is controversy among linguists over the formation of a noun like “partier” for someone who loves parties, which entered the spoken language relatively recently.
Another potential problem for English-speaking beginners dealing with agent names is the use of the particular suffix to form the word. In most cases, as mentioned above, speakers and writers use the simple –er suffix. In some other examples of this type of noun, such as actor, inspector, and emperor, an –o suffix is used instead. This can confuse those who are trying to learn the correct spelling for agent names.
In addition to these suffixes for agent names, a few others often apply as well. A prime example of “gendering” agent names in English to distinguish between male and female subjects. While most names in English don’t have gender indicators, some agent names can. For example, the noun “actor” is often changed to “actress” when referring to a woman. The suffix “ess” is the most common form of this type of gender noun. This type of usage was more prevalent in the past, but can still be heard with certain words.
Agent names can also end in “ist”. Many of the more common agent names that use this suffix in English correspond to a person’s political views or other principles. Others refer to a person’s occupation.
For example, the noun “communist” is a prominent example, where the suffix “ist” shows a person’s political leanings. The word “alienist”, more common in British English, refers to a specific medico-legal occupation. Another familiar noun in British English is ‘mentalist’ where the word strikes a cross between a professional etiquette and a political, spiritual or psychological one: a mentalist refers to someone who is an advocate or practitioner of various ‘mental sciences’ .
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