Complete the tables and mark the stress on each word the last two in each

Prefixes and Suffixes

I. Prefixes

I. With the meaning ‘Not’

A prefix is a group of letters at the beginning of a word which changes the word’s meaning. Here is a list of the most common prefixes and examples of how those prefixes are used.

Prefixes (un-, in-, il-, ir-, and dis) are often used to give adjective (and some verb and nouns) a negative meaning. Here are common examples:
happy unhappy like (v) dislike (v)
possible impossible legal illegal (=against a low)
correct incorrect regular irregular
un- is used with many different words, e.g. unfriendly, unable, unemployed (=without a job), untidy (=not in order; in a mess)

im- is used before some words beginning with m or p, e.g. impolite (=rude), impatient (somebody who is impatient wants things to happen now; they cannot wait for things)

il- is only used before some words beginning with l, e.g. illegible (= cannot be read because the writing is very bad)

ir- is only used before some words beginning with r, e.g. irresponsible

dis- is used before some adjective, e.g. dishonest, and a few verbs, e.g. dislike,
disagree

in- is used before a limited number of word, e.g. invisible (=cannot be seen)

Note: A prefix does not normally change word stress, e.g. happy/unhappy;
possible/impossible. But the stress may change if you want to emphasize the negative or opposite:
A: Was he happy about the change?
B: No, he was very unhappy about it.

II. prefixes: un- and dis-

These prefixes have two meanings: they can have a negative meaning (as above),
but they can also mean ‘the opposite of an action’ or ‘to reverse an action’. This
meaning is used with certain verbs.

Example:
I locked the door when I left, but I lost the key, so I couldn’t unlock it when I got
back.
I had to pack my suitcase (= put everything in it) very quickly, so when I
unpacked (= took everything out) at the hotel, most of my clothes looked terrible.
The plane appeared in the sky, and then suddenly disappeared behind a cloud.
In the morning you get dressed (= put on your clothes); when you go to bed you
get undressed (= take off your clothes).

III. Other verb prefixes with specific meaning

re- (= again) My homework was terrible, so I had to redo it.
The shop closed down but will reopen next month.
I failed my exam but I can retake (or redo/reset) it next year.
over (= too much) I think my boss is overdoing it at the moment. (= working too
hard; also overwork)
I went to bed very late and I overslept (= slept too long) this
morning.
The shop assistant overcharged me. (= asked me for too
much money)
mis- (= badly or I’m afraid I misunderstand what he said.
incorrect) Two of the student misread the first question.

⇰ Common Prefixes

aero of air or aircraft
aerobics, aerodrome, aerodynamics, aeronautics

anti against or opposite to someone/something
antibiotic, anticlockwise, antipersonnel, antiperspirant

auto by itself/of itself
automobile, automatic, autocracy, autograph, autonomous

bi two
bilingual, bicycle, bisexual, biannual, bicentenary, binary

bio of living thing, of life, of humans

cent one hundred
centigrade, centimeter, centipede, century, centenarian

co two together
cooperate, coexist, coworker, co inhabit, coincidence

dec ten
decade, decathlon, deciliter, decimal

demo by the people/ of the people / of population
demonstrate, democracy, demographic, democratic

geo the earth
geography, geology, geothermal, geocentric, geophysics

in/un/dis/im not
impossible, dislike, unable, incomprehensible

inter between/ across
interview, international, intercontinental, interpersonal

micro very small
microscope, microscopic, microwave, microprocessor,
microphone

milli one thousand
millisecond, millimeter, milliliter, millennium

non not
nonsmoker, nonstop, noncombatant, nonalcoholic,
noncommittal

photo light
photograph, photocopy, photo booth, photosynthesis

post after
post listening, postwar,

pre before
pre listening, prefix, prepay, prearrange, preheat, premature

psych of the kind
psychologist, psychopath, psychological, psycho, psychiatry

poli city
politician, police, politics

re again
rewrite, review, rebuild, restart, recycle, recharge, reapply

tele over a long distance
telephone, television, telescope, telegram, telephoto lens

uni having one – consisting of one
unicycle, union, unique, unity, universal, unison

sub under
subway, submarine, subdivision

semi haft
semicircular, semi-final, semi-detached

B. Noun Suffixes

A suffix is a group of letters at the end of a word which changes the word’s
meaning and often it’s part of speech. Here is a list of the most common suffixes
and examples of how those suffixes are used.

I. Verb + suffix

Many nouns are formed in this way.
Verb Suffix Noun
Improve (= get better) -ment improvement
manage (e.g. a shop or business) -ment management
elect (= choose somebody by voting) -ion election
discuss (= talk about something seriously) -ion discussion
inform (= tell someone something) -ation information
organize -ation organization
jog (= running to keep fit or for pleasure) -ing jogging
spell -ing spelling
Note: sometime there is a spelling change. The most common is the omission of
the final ‘e’ before the suffix –ion or ation: translate/ translation; organize/
organization

II. Adjective + suffix

Nouns are also formed adding a suffix to an adjective. Two often added to adjective to form nouns are –ness and –ity.
Adjective suffix noun
Weak (≠ strong) -ness weakness
happy -ness happiness

dark (e.g. at night, when you can’t see) -ness darkness
stupid (≠ intelligent) -ity stupidity
punctual (= always arrives at the right time)-ity punctuality
similar (= almost the same,≠ different) -ity similarity

III. –er/-or and –ist

These are common noun suffixes added to existing nouns or verbs, and they describe people and their jobs.
-er -er -or -ist
dancer driver actor artist
single manager director economist
murderer footballer translator psychologist
farmer employer operator journalist
Note: Notice the common spelling changes: translate/translator; operate/operator,
economic/economist, psychology/psychologist.

C. Adjective suffixes

Suffixes change word class, e.g. from verb to noun or noun to adjective, but they can also change meaning (see section B and C below)

I. Noun or verb + suffix

Noun or verb Suffix adjective
danger, fame -ous dangerous, famous (= well-known)
music, politic -al musical, political, industrial
industry, economics -al economical (= save you money)
cloud, fog, sun, dirt -y cloudy, foggy, sunny, dirty (≠ clean)
attract, create -ive attractive (= pretty, nice to look at),
creative (= able to produce new idea,
with imagination)
Note: Sometimes there is a spelling change. Here is common example: double the consonant, e.g. sun/sunny, foggy
leave out the final ‘e’, e.g. create/creative, fame/famous
leave out the final ‘s’ before ‘al’, e.g. politics/political; economics/economical
change ‘y’ to ‘I’ before ‘al’, e.g. industry/industrial

II. –able

This suffix (also –able in some words) is used to form many adjective from nouns or verbs: enjoyable, comfortable, knowledgeable (= right/correct for a particular stuation).
Quite often, able (and –able) has the meaning ‘can be done’.

For example: something that is washable ‘can be washed’. Other example includes:
drinkable, comprehensible (= can be comprehended or understood), reliable (= can be relied on or trusted, e.g. a car or other machine that never goes wrong or break down). Words ending –able quite often express the opposite meaning by adding the prefix un-: undrinkable, unreliable, unbreakable, (= can’t be broken), unsuitable, uncomfortable. Words ending -ible add the prefix in-: incomprehensible, inflexible, (somebody who is inflexible timetable cannot be change easily); inedible (=cannot be eaten).

III. –ful and –less

The suffix –ful often means ‘full of’ + the meaning of the adjective : careful, you are full of care; if you are helpful you are full of help. Other examples are: painful (= hurt a lot), useful, and thoughtful, (= someone who is thoughtful is kind and always thinks about others; a thoughtful action shows care other).

The suffix –less means ‘without’ + the meaning of the adjective: if you are careless, you do something ‘without care’. Other examples are: painless, useless (= has no use or function), thoughtless, jobless, and homeless (= with nowhere to live).
Note: You can see that –ful and –less are often used with the same words form opposite. This is not always true: a person with a home is not homeful.
Exercises

I. Which prefix form the opposite of these words? (The bottom line are all verbs, the rest are adjective.)

……happy ……patient ……polite ……legal
……correct ……regular ……visible ……possible
…….legible ……friendly ……employed ……honest
……pack ……lock ……agree ……like

II. Complete the tables and mark the stress on each word. The last two in each column are not on the opposite page, but do you know or can you guess the noun formed from them?
Verb Noun
educate
improve
jog
govern
spell
hesitate
arrange
Adjective Noun
stupid
dark
weak
similar
punctual
sad
popular

III. Write down the name of the person who does these things.

Example: farm ………….

1 act ………… 4 sing ………… 7 economic …………..
2 employ ………… 5 murder ………… 8 translate …………..
3 football ………… 6 psychology ………… 9 manage …………..

III. Fill the gaps with suitable adjective from the opposite page.

1. You must be very ………….. When you drive in wet weather.
2. It was so ………….. this morning that I couldn’t see more than twenty meters in front of one.
3. Everyone in my country has heard of her; she’s very …………..
4. The people in the tourist information office were very ……………. And answer all our questions without any problems.
5. This is a very …………… road; there were at least three serious accidents on it last years.
6. It was very …………. when I hit my leg against the corner of table.

Answer keys
I. Which prefix forms the opposite of these words?

un im im il
in ir in im
il un un dis
un un dis un

II. Complete the table and mark the stress on each word.

education stupidity
improvement darkness
jogging weakness
government similarity
spelling punctuality
hesitation sadness
arrangement popularity

III. Write down the name of the person who does these things:

1 actor 4 singer 7 economist
2 employer 5 murderer 8 translator
3 footballer 6 psychologist 9 manager

IV. Fill the gaps with suitable adjective from the opposite page.

1. careful
2. foggy
3. famous
4. knowledgeable
5. dangerous
6. painful