an anion that is larger than the parent atom
The addition of electrons always results in an anion that is larger than the parent atom. When the electrons outnumber the protons, the overall attractive force that the protons have for the electrons is decreased. The electron cloud also spreads out because more electrons results in greater electron-electron repulsions. Notice that the group 16 ions are larger than the group 17 ions. The group 16 elements each add two electrons while the group 17 elements add one electron per atom for form the anions.