In English, the suffix -tion (sometimes -sion) turns verbs into nouns. 'Educate' (verb) becomes 'education' (noun). 'Discuss' becomes 'discussion'. 'Decide' becomes 'decision'. 'Inform' becomes 'information'. 'Explain' becomes 'explanation'. 'Organise' becomes 'organisation'. The pattern is highly productive in academic and formal English. Most -tion nouns end in -tion (education, information, action), but some end in -sion (decision, discussion, vision). The choice depends on the verb. Students who know the pattern have access to thousands of formal nouns. -tion is one of the most important suffixes in academic vocabulary — words ending in -tion appear constantly in news, education, government, science. This lesson connects to other suffix lessons — -ness (#86), -ment (#91), -able (#96), and the broader noun suffixes (#15). Together they cover the main word-building suffixes.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
educate (verb) → education (noun)
inform (verb) → information (noun)
organise (verb) → organisation (noun)
attend (verb) → attention (noun)
create (verb) → creation (noun)
explain (verb) → explanation (noun)
What does the -tion suffix do? Why is it useful?
-tion is one of the most productive suffixes in English for forming nouns from verbs. The basic rule: verb + tion = noun. Educate + tion = education. Inform + ation = information. Organise + ation = organisation. The -tion noun usually means 'the act of doing the verb' or 'the result of doing it'. Education is the act of educating or what has been gained from being educated. Information is what has been informed. Organisation is the act of organising or a group that is organised. Knowing the pattern gives students access to thousands of formal nouns — appearing in news, academic writing, government, science. -tion is essential for academic and professional English. Note: some verbs use -sion instead of -tion (decide → decision, discuss → discussion).
-TION (most verbs):
educate → education
inform → information
attend → attention
create → creation
explain → explanation
organise → organisation
act → action
add → addition
mention → mention (no change — already -tion)
-SION (verbs ending in -d, -de, or -se):
decide → decision
discuss → discussion
invade → invasion
confuse → confusion
explode → explosion
divide → division
The rule: -d or -de or -se → -sion. Other verbs → -tion.
The choice between -tion and -sion depends on the ending of the verb. Verbs ending in -d (mention), -de (decide → decision), or -se (confuse → confusion) usually take -sion. Other verbs take -tion. Decide → decision (drops -de, adds -sion). Discuss → discussion (adds -ion to discuss, becoming -ssion). Confuse → confusion. Other examples: explode → explosion, conclude → conclusion, possess → possession, profess → profession. The rule is not absolute but it helps. Students should recognise both endings — -tion and -sion — as the same noun-forming suffix. The pronunciation is similar (tion = /shun/, sion = /zhun/ or /shun/). For learners, the spelling rule is the main issue. Memorise the most common -sion words: decision, discussion, confusion, division, explosion.
Education, communication, information, organisation, action, attention, creation, situation, position, condition, question, function, station, nation, generation, population, suggestion, explanation, solution, election
Decision, discussion, expression, expression, conclusion, division, explosion, profession, possession, vision, mission, mansion, session
Why are these so common in academic English?
-tion and -sion nouns appear constantly in academic, news, government, and professional contexts. Education (a major topic). Information (everywhere in modern life). Organisation (every group). Communication (a constant skill). Action (what people do). Attention (a key concept). Position (a job or place). Condition (a state). Decision (what we make). Discussion (a key activity). These nouns are essential for any serious English. Students who do not know them struggle with academic and formal texts. Once students learn the pattern, they can recognise and use thousands of -tion and -sion nouns. The lesson focuses on the most common ones, but the pattern is highly productive.
| Pattern | Description | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb + TION | Most verbs | educate → education, inform → information, attend → attention, create → creation, explain → explanation, organise → organisation | The basic pattern. |
| Verb + SION | For verbs ending in -d, -de, -se | decide → decision, discuss → discussion, confuse → confusion, divide → division, conclude → conclusion | -sion is the variant for these endings. |
| Common -tion nouns | Useful for academic and formal use | education, information, organisation, communication, action, attention, situation, position, condition, question, function, suggestion, explanation, solution, election | Essential vocabulary for formal English. |
| Common -sion nouns | Less common than -tion but important | decision, discussion, confusion, division, conclusion, expression, profession, possession | Memorise these — they all use -sion. |
| Meaning | What -tion adds | educate (do) → education (the act or result of educating) | inform (verb) → information (what is informed) | Names the action or its result. |
| Common errors | Wrong forms students produce | educationing ✗ (no — it is just education) | informasion ✗ (correct: information) | discusssion ✗ (correct: discussion — only two s) | Watch for over-spelling. |
| -tion vs -ment | Similar but different | -tion: education, information (action/abstract) | -ment: development, management (act or result) | Both turn verbs into nouns. Different suffixes. |
PATTERN 1 — The basic rule: For most verbs, the noun is formed with -tion. Educate + tion = education. Create + tion = creation. Explain + ation = explanation. The pattern is highly productive — works for thousands of verbs.
PATTERN 2 — -sion variant: For verbs ending in -d (mention), -de (decide), or -se (confuse), the noun usually takes -sion. Decide → decision. Discuss → discussion (the s becomes part of -ssion). Confuse → confusion. The variant is for pronunciation.
PATTERN 3 — Common spelling rules: Educate → education (drop the -e, add -ion). Discuss → discussion (just add -ion to make -ssion). Decide → decision (drop -de, add -sion). The spellings need memorisation for common words.
PATTERN 4 — Common essential nouns: Education, communication, information, organisation, action, attention, situation, position, condition, question. These appear constantly in academic and formal English. Memorise these as a high-value set.
PATTERN 5 — -sion examples: Decision, discussion, confusion, division, conclusion, expression, profession, possession, vision, mission. Memorise these — all use -sion (not -tion).
PATTERN 6 — Pronunciation: -tion is usually pronounced /shun/. -sion is usually /zhun/ or /shun/. The pronunciation is often the same — only spelling differs. Spelling rules are more important than pronunciation rules for these suffixes.
PATTERN 7 — Different suffixes for different verbs: Some verbs take -tion (educate → education). Others take -ment (manage → management — see lesson #91). Others take -ness (when from adjectives, see lesson #86). Students must learn which suffix goes with which verb.
-tion is one of the most important suffixes in academic and formal English. Words ending in -tion appear in thousands of contexts — news, education, science, government, business. Students who recognise the pattern can read and produce these nouns confidently. The lesson connects to other suffix lessons — -ness (#86), -ment (#91), -able (#96). Together they cover the main word-building suffixes. Cultural context: academic English uses many -tion nouns. Students moving to higher levels of English will encounter -tion nouns constantly.
Build a -tion noun wall with verb-noun pairs. Educate/education. Discuss/discussion. Decide/decision. Inform/information. Drill the pattern through speed practice — call out a verb, students give the -tion or -sion noun. Show that the pattern is highly productive. Students can build hundreds of nouns from verbs they already know.
Choose the correct -tion or -sion noun form. Apply the spelling rules.
Each sentence has a -tion or -sion spelling error. Find the wrong form, write the correct one, and explain.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — What -tion does (5 min): Write 'educate' on the board. Add -tion to make 'education'. Show that -tion turns verbs into nouns. Establish the basic pattern. -tion is one of the most productive suffixes in English.
STEP 2 — The basic pattern (6 min): Drill the most common -tion nouns. Educate/education. Inform/information. Organise/organisation. Communicate/communication. Attend/attention. Create/creation. Practise five examples.
STEP 3 — -tion vs -sion (8 min): Spend focused time on the variant. Verbs ending in -d, -de, -se take -sion. Decide/decision. Discuss/discussion. Confuse/confusion. Divide/division. Conclude/conclusion. Drill the differences. Most verbs take -tion; specific endings take -sion.
STEP 4 — Common useful nouns (4 min): Drill the most common -tion and -sion nouns. Education, information, organisation, communication, attention, action, situation, decision, discussion, conclusion, expression, profession. These appear constantly in academic English.
STEP 5 — Build nouns from verbs (2 min): Quick drill. Call out a verb. Students respond with the noun form. Educate → education. Decide → decision. Discuss → discussion. Inform → information. Speed forces automatic recall.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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