Which part of speech is linked to the final stable syllable -ous?

The final stable syllable -ous is linked to adjectives. This suffix is commonly used to form adjectives that typically describe a characteristic or quality. For instance, words such as "joyous," "curious," and "famous" are all adjectives that convey a sense of state or quality related to the noun from which they are derived.

In contrast, the other parts of speech do not use -ous in the same way. Nouns may end in different suffixes that do not imply an adjectival quality, verbs do not typically adopt this suffix to indicate action or state, and adverbs, while sometimes related to adjectives, do not commonly utilize the -ous suffix. Understanding the function of -ous is essential for identifying and forming descriptive terms in the English language.