Prefixes and suffixes are not words. They are groups of letters added to words. They change the meanings of words. We add prefixes to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. For example, un + happy becomes unhappy, meaning not happy. Suffixes go at the end of words. They change a word’s meaning, and sometimes they change the word’s part of speech. For example, beauty + ful becomes beautiful, meaning full of beauty. Beauty is a noun, but beautiful is an adjective. In this posting I give you some of the most common prefixes and suffixes. In addition, I give you their meanings and some example words. The download at the end will give you additional practice using prefixes and suffixes.
Here is the lesson I taught on Prefixes in English:
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Prefixes are added to the beginning of a word. They change the meaning of the word, but not its part of speech. Below are some common prefixes, their meanings, and example words.
- a (not or opposite)–atypical
- un (not or opposite)–unsafe, unlock, unhappy
- re (again, back)–reread, return
- in (into, not)–invade, inexpensive
- im (into, not–used when the root or regular word begins with the letters m or p)–important, immoral
- ir (not–used when the rood word begins with the letter r)–irregular, irrational
- il (not–used when the rood word begins with the letter l)–illegal, illogical
- dis (not, away)–disagree, distrust, discredit
- em, en (causes something to happen)–employ, enjoy
- non (not)–nonsense, nonverbal
- over (too much)–oversleep
- mis (wrong)–mistake, misjudge
- sub (under)–submarine
- pre (before)–preschool, preview, prepay
- inter (between, among)–interstate, international
- fore (before)–forecast
- de, dis (opposite of, not)–decaffeinated, disapprove
- trans (across, move between)–transatlantic, transfer
- super (above)–superstore, supervise
- semi (half)–semifinal, semicircle
- anti (against)–antifreeze, antibiotic
- mid (middle) Midwest, midnight
- under (too little, not enough)–underfed, underweight
- co (with)–copilot, cooperation
- post (after)–postpone, post-natal
- para (beside)–paramedic
- tri (three)–triangle
- uni (one)–universe, universal
Study English Prefixes here with flashcards
Here is the lesson I taught on Suffixes in English
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Suffixes go at the end of words. A suffix always changes the meaning of the root word. It sometimes changes the part of speech as well. Here are some common suffixes, their meanings, and example words. They are arranged by part of speech.
Suffixes that make words nouns
- acy (state or quality)–democracy, accuracy
- ance, ence (state or quality of)–tolerance, independence
- dom (state of being or state of mind)–freedom, boredom
- er, or, ist, ian, eer (one who does something)–teacher, doctor, hair stylist, comedian, engineer
- ty, ity (quality)–honesty, clarity
- ment (condition)–argument
- ness (state of being)–happiness, heaviness
- ship (condition, position held)–friendship, internship, citizenship
- sion, tion (state of being)–obsession, position, promotion
Suffixes that make words verbs
- ate (become)–create, collaborate, cooperate
- en (become)–sharpen, loosen, strengthen
- ify, fy (make or become)–satisfy, justify
- ize (become)–realize, publicize
Suffixes that make words adjectives
- able, ible (capable of being)– edible, incredible, capable
- al (having to form of character of, pertaining to)–national, thermal, herbal
- ful (full of)–playful, hopeful, beautiful
- ic, ical ( having the form or character of)–comic, musical
- ious, ous (characterized by, having the quality of)–jealous, religious, ridiculous
- ish (having the quality of, being like)–childish, sheepish
- ive (having the nature of)–attentive, informative
- less (without)–homeless, hopeless
Suffixes that make words adverbs
- ly (in the manner of)–slowly, happily, softly
- ward, wards (in the direction of)–backwards, towards, inward
- wise (in relation to)–otherwise, likewise, clockwise
Grammatical suffixes
These suffixes change the meaning of the root word, but not the part of speech
- s, es–These suffixes make nous plural–hotels, dishes
- ed–This suffix indicates a verb in the past tense–looked, walked
- ing–This is a marker for the present progressive tense–going, looking
Words with both prefixes and suffixes
Many words have both a prefix and a suffix. Here are some examples, with example sentences.
- unhappily — She walked home unhappily (not in a happy manner) after she failed the math test.
- rereading — I finally understood the chapter after my third rereading of it. ( I had to read it over three times)
- uninteresting –That movie was very uninteresting. I fell asleep! (I was very bored during the movie.)
- unusually –She was unusually tired after work. Maybe she’s getting sick. (She was much more tired than she usually is after work)
- forecasting —Forecasting the weather is a difficult science. (It is difficult to predict the weather.)
Study English Suffixes with these flashcards
You now know many common English prefixes and suffixes. Prefixes go in front of words. They change the meaning of the root word, but not the part of speech. Suffixes go at the end of words. They change the meaning of the root word, and quite often the part of speech, as well. Prefixes and suffixes are very common in English. Perhaps many of the are the same or similar in your language. Now that you know many common prefixes and suffixes in English, it will be easier for you to form and understand many English words. the download will give you additional practice using prefixes and suffixes.
Idioms of the day
- to go along for the ride — This means to go someplace with someone, but not take any part in the activity, You can use this expression even if you are walking. My friend and I went shopping. I did not plan to buy anything. I just went along for the ride.
- a hop, skip, and a jump — This means a very short distance. When you go to see your mother, stop by my house and visit me. I only live a hop,skip, and a jump from her.
