What are prefix suffix and root word

Although English vocabulary study can seem overwhelming at times, it can be made more systematic by
considering
prefixes,
suffixes and
word roots, which are a useful way to build vocabulary. This page explains
what these terms mean and gives
reasons to study them. Some common
prefixes,
suffixes and
roots are given in later sections.

What are prefixes, suffixes and word roots?

A prefix is a word component which is added to the beginning of
a word to create a new word. Prefixes usually change the meaning of the word, but not the word form.
For example, the prefix dis- can be added to the
word similar to form the word dissimilar, meaning not similar.

• dis- (prefix) + similar (adj) → dissimilar (adj)

In contrast, a
suffix is added to the end of a word to create a new word.
Suffixes usually change the form of the word, rather than the meaning. For example, adding -ity to the word
similar creates the word similarity and changes the word from an adjective to a noun.

• similar (adj) + -ity (suffix) → similarity (n)

Prefixes and suffixes are collectively referred to as affixes. A
root or base is the word to which affixes are attached. In the
examples above, the root is simil (also spelt simul), meaning like or resembling, to which the adjectival suffix -ar has been
added. The word simulate and simultaneous also come from this root.

Why study prefixes, suffixes and roots?

Academic vocabulary contains a significant number of common
prefixes,
suffixes and
roots, mostly of Latin or Greek origin.
One reason to study them is that doing so may improve vocabulary comprehension and use. Additionally, knowledge of these can be helpful in
guessing the meaning of unknown words.
A final reason for studying these aspects of vocabulary is that many new technical or scientific words are made from common
roots and affixes of Latin or Greek origin.

As noted above, most common prefixes, suffixes and roots are of Latin or Greek origin. Studying these
will be easier — and lead to more improvement — for speakers of Romance languages such as French, Italian and Spanish, or speakers
of Greek. Speakers of other languages, such as Asian languages, will find them more difficult to study, and may be advised to focus on only the most
common ones. The following pages list only the most common examples of
prefixes,
suffixes and
roots in English.

References

Hinkel, E. (2004) Teaching Academic ESL Writing: Practical Techniques in Vocabulary and Grammar. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

Checklist

The following checklist summarises the information on this page. Use it to check your understanding.

Area	OK	Comments
I know what prefixes, suffixes and roots are.
I understand reasons to study prefixes, suffixes and roots.

Image © Pexels.

It’s no easy task getting your head around root words, prefixes and suffixes, especially if the summer fog is only starting to lift (if it even is at all)!

Prefixes and suffixes are a great way of adding to words to change their meaning within a sentence. They can help improve your child’s understanding of nouns, verbs and adjectives and really enhance their spelling and vocabulary.

Although useful, from the outset these grammar terms are undoubtedly pretty complicated to understand, let alone explain! Do not fear, this guide will help you get to grips with them and support your child’s primary English learning in no time. If you’re looking for more grammar resources, why not check out Kidadl’s guide to noun phrases and modal verbs which will offer some great background knowledge.

What Is A Root Word?

A great place to start is with root words. They are the beginning of the word family and allow children to see how words can be altered. Understanding root words provides a great basis for building their knowledge of prefixes and suffixes.

A root word is a word with no prefix or suffix added to it. An example of a root word is ‘behave’, which is a verb.

By adding a prefix or suffix to a root word, we can change its form (for example, from verb to noun) and what it means.

Image © Santi Vedrí.

What Is A Suffix?

Suffixes are a group of letters added to the end of a root word to add to or change its meaning. For example, adding -iour to ‘behave’ gives us the word ‘behaviour’. Adding this suffix to ‘behaviour’ changes it from a verb to a noun.

We can use suffixes to tell if the word is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

Some suffixes have different meanings. For example, the suffix -ous means ‘full of’. Using this, we can turn ‘danger’ into ‘dangerous’, which means ‘full of danger’. Other examples include -graph, which means ‘to write’, e.g. ‘autograph’, and -age means ‘an action’, e.g. ‘wreckage’.

What Is A Prefix?

Prefixes are a group of letters added to the beginning of a root word to change its meaning. For example, the prefix un- can be added to ‘happy‘ to create the word ‘unhappy’. Similarly, anti- can be added to ‘clockwise’ to make ‘anticlockwise’.

Different prefixes have different meanings. For example, in ‘aquarium’, aqua- means ‘water’ and in ‘transport’, trans- means ‘across’. Knowing what each prefix means can help us determine the meaning of the word within the sentence.

Image © prostooleh, under a Creative Commons license.

How And What Do Children Learn About Root Words, Prefixes And Suffixes?

During KS2 primary English, children will learn how to use roots words, prefixes and suffixes to understand the new words they may meet. In Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 children will normally learn a range of suffixes and prefixes to help them recognise the connections between words without changing the root word. For example, adding the suffix -ing to the root word ‘jump’ gives us ‘jumping’. The root word stays the same although the tense is now different.

Throughout primary English KS1 and KS2 children will learn how to use suffixes to change the meaning of words. In Year 5 children learn the meaning of some suffixes, such as -ology means ‘to study’. Children will learn how these affect the meaning of a sentence, as ‘archaeology’ means the study of the human past through remains. In Year 6 students will learn that sometimes a letter must be added before the suffix, for example, adding -ing to ‘refer’ to create ‘referring’ requires an additional ‘r’.

During primary KS2, children will also be taught how to identify and use prefixes. In Year 1 to Year 4, they will learn how to add a prefix to change the meaning of a sentence, for example using dis- to change ‘appoint’ to ‘disappoint’. In Year 5 and Year 6 they will learn what prefixes mean and should be able to select other words with the same prefix. They will also learn that there are spelling rules attached to prefixes. For example, if the word ends in ‘y’ as in ‘lazy’, the ‘y’ is taken off to add the prefix -ier in ‘lazier’.

Teachers may help children learn prefixes and suffixes by choosing one and then providing a list of the variations for children to learn.

Image © pvproductions, under a Creative Commons license.

Activities At Home

Looking for ways to practice at home? There’s lots of simple activities to help keep children learning and engaged with prefixes and suffixes. It can be helpful to pick one suffix or prefix and get your child to make a list of all the new words that could be formed using them. Why not try with the suffix -ation? It can be added to lots of words, such as ‘information’ and ‘preparation’.

To help test their knowledge and remember the spelling, try getting your child to look at the word, cover it up, write it down and then check they got it right. A great memory trick!

You also could use fill in the gap exercises where they have to fill in the missing suffixes or prefixes. Worksheets can be a really engaging way of getting children to practice these concepts. There are lots of resources available online that might provide some inspiration!

Suffixes and Prefixes are described along with the definition, meaning, examples, list, rules, uses, etc. All the concepts will be cleared in this session. There are an ever-increasing number of words in the English language. In addition to enhancing your vocabulary, learning new words can be overwhelming. However, if you know English prefixes and suffixes, you will learn many new words and gain a greater understanding of language.

It’s like learning a code when you master common prefixes and suffixes. Having cracked the code, you can not only spell words more accurately, but also recognize and perhaps even define unfamiliar words as well. Let’s explore Suffixes and Prefixes!

Let’s try to understand the basics of suffix and prefixes with examples.

Suffix and Prefix Basics

The English vocabulary is vast! We all know that, don’t we? But without an extensive stock of vocabulary, how can you improve your skills with the language? Well, expanding your vocabulary is not an easy task; you need to read a lot before your stock of words will reach a certain level.

• But what if you get some tricks to not only effectively use the language but also expand your vocabulary rapidly?
• Sounds interesting?

Well, this is exactly what you can do with suffix and prefix. So what are they exactly, and how do they function?

The Function of Suffix and Prefix

This is exactly what this post is all about. Thanks to the nature of the English language, just adding two letters before or after a particular word can change the meaning of the original word and create a new word altogether. These extra letters that you can add before or after any particular words are called suffix and prefix. But can you add these letters for every word in the English language?

In this post, we are going to find out all these answers regarding suffix and prefix. Read on as we talk about the definition, rules, and examples of suffix and prefix and how you can use them to expand your vocabulary. So without any further ado, let’s get started.

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What is The Definition Of Suffix And Prefix?

Well, before we move on to the definition of suffix and prefix, you need to understand where they occur in a word? Usually, the suffix and prefix will be added as per the root of every word. Now, the question arises what a root of a word is?

Well, to put it simply, a root of a word is nothing but the shortest base form of a word. For example, if we take the word ‘Video’, the root of the word is ‘vid’. The suffix and prefix will be added to the root of the word. This is how the meaning of the word will be determined after the change.

Suffix and Prefix with Examples

Let’s try to understand suffix and prefix with examples!

Let’s know about word formation before suffix and prefix.

Define Word Formation

A derivation and composition process results in words in a language. This is known as Word Formation.

Define Suffix: What is Suffix?

Suffixes form new words by adding a prefix to a root word, except they are added at the end of the root word. By adding a suffix to the root word, one can change the meaning of that word slightly, but only a little, not opposite or negative as prefixes do, instead, one can change the class of the word, as in making a verb an adjective. 

Suffix refers to the group of letters that sits after the word and alters the meaning or qualifies the meaning of the original word. Like for example, ‘able’ is a suffix that can be used with the word ‘comfort’, and together they make ‘comfortable’, which qualifies the meaning of the original word.

So, comfort + able = comfortable.

Hence, ‘able’ is a suffix here.

Define Prefix: What is Prefix?

A prefix is a word that is added to the beginning of a root for the formation of a new word. There is no meaning to a prefix word on its own, but when added to a root word it changes its meaning. Prefixes make words negative, indicate opinions, or show repetition.

Prefix denotes the group of letters that sits before a word based on the root and alters or qualifies the meaning of the original word. For example, ‘de’ is a prefix that can be used with the word ‘code’, and together they form the opposite of the original word ‘decode’.

In case of uncomfortable, we see that un + comfortable = uncomfortable.

Here, ‘un’ is a prefix. Are you still not clear about the concept? Let’s take a look at some other examples.

Prefix Examples

Prefix examples are as follows,

• Non, un, im, in, il, ir = not, opposite = Nonsense, invalid, unhappy, unchanged.
• Re- = again = redo, replay, revisit.
• Mis = wrongly, not = misunderstand, misguide.
• De = reverse, remove = Deconstruct, destruct, detonate.
• Co, com, con = with, together = Compute, construct, contrive.
• Dis, dif, di = separation, away = Disbelief, Disown, Disorder, dissect.

Suffix Examples

Suffix examples are as follows,

• Er, or = showing comparison = Donner, teacher, cheater.
• Able, Ible = capable = Respectable, Formidable, Credible.
• D, ed = forming the past tense = Respected, Cheated, Fired, Aggravated.
• Ing = continuous tense = Running, Eating, Fighting, Working.
• Ment = State of result = Disappointment, Appointment.
• Ive = having the quality = Decisive, Creative, Divisive.

Check a NICE VIDEO from Shaw English Online,

Importance of Prefix & Suffix

You will be able to get through the Verbal Ability section of Competitive exams with ease if you are familiar with the usage of prefixes and suffixes in English. The English section of most government exams is considered a common and important part of the exam. To master the English section one needs to have a good grasp of English vocabulary and word formation. 

It aims therefore to provide knowledge on the formation of words in the English language by using examples to illustrate how prefixes and suffixes work. Additionally, you will be able to download the list of prefixes and suffixes for your own reference. 

Basic Rules for Suffix and Prefix

Always remember that neither suffix nor prefix can be used with every word. So before you use them, you need to keep in mind certain aspects. Below, I am listing them for your better understanding.

Suffix Rules

Rule#1: While using a suffix, you need to understand that sometimes they can have multiple meanings.

• For example, the suffix ‘er’. Sitting after the word, it can refer to the person who does the activity.
• Like ‘a dancer, a singer’. Sometimes, they can help establish a comparison as well, like ‘ faster, weaker, lower’.

Rule#2: When the suffix is used, sometimes, it can change the spelling of the word.

• For example, when the ‘ing’ suffix is used, the spelling of the word is bound to be changed.
• Like for ‘running. Swimming, fighting’. Another similar example can be ‘iness’ which is often applicable for words ending with ‘y’. In that case, ‘y’ is replaced by ‘I’.

Suffixes are also similar in meaning to many prefixes. In like manner with the suffix, ‘er’ indicates the action performed by a person when added to a word such as Teachers, gardeners, performers, etc. Comparative adjectives and adverbs are also modified by adding the suffix ‘er’. Fast is shortened to faster and soon becomes sooner, etc.

The spelling of the base word can change when a suffix is added. In general, these are the base words ending in y or e. For example, happy becomes happier, costly becomes costlier with the suffix ‘er’, manage become managing, make become making with the suffix ‘ing’.

Prefix Rules

Rule#1: Many prefixes also mean the same. Like for example, un-, in-, and non mean the same as ‘mis’ and ‘ir’.

Rule#2: Sometimes using the prefix changes the spelling by introducing double letters. Like for example, ‘unnatural’ ‘unnoticeable’.

Rule#3: Using the prefix will never alter the root of the original word. This is very important. Like for example, if you take the word ‘Live’ and add the prefix ‘re’, it will be ‘relive’, keeping the root of the word intact.

A hyphen (-) should be used when adding a prefix to a common noun. Examples include Pro-American or Anti-Religion. 

After self- and ex-prefixes, hyphen must be used, for example, self-desirable, self-disciplined, ex-husband, ex-employee etc.

If you add a prefix, you should not change the spelling of the original word or root word; for example: undo, disappear, irrelevant, cooperation, irrational, etc.

When adding a prefix, letters can be repeated.

Prefixes that end with an ‘a’ are used as they are, like atypical, amoral, etc. With prefixes that end with a vowel, the base word will use it as it is.

Following point number 3 (don’t change spelling) is generally recommended even if it results in double consonants after adding the prefix.

The word Uncle begins with a prefix, but it does not have a prefix added to it.

There are many prefixes that can mean the same thing, such as ‘in’, ‘im’, ‘un’ all of these prefixes mean ‘opposite of’ or ‘not’.

List of Suffixes and Prefixes

Suffixes and prefixes lists are tabulated,

Prefixes List

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
anti-	against,	antibiotic,
auto-	self	autobiography
co-	with	co-operation
de-	down	decrease
dis-	opposite of,	disagree, disapprove
ex-	former,	ex-president,
extra-	beyond,	extraordinary,
il-,	not	illegal,
im-,	not	impossible,
In-	not	indefinite
ir-	not	irresponsible,
in-	into	insert,
inter-,	between	interact,
micro-	small	microscope,
mis-	wrongly	mistake,
mono-	one,	monotone,
para-	beside	parachute,
post-	after	postpone,
pre-	before	prefix,
re-	again	react
semi-	half	semicircle,
super-	over	superfood,
therm-	heat	thermodynamics
trans-	across,	transport,
tri-	three	triangle
un-	against	unusual

Suffixes List

Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-al	Related or action	annual, criminal
-able	able to,	remarkable
-dom	state	freedom
-ence	quality	ambience
-er	in comparison	bigger,
-est	superlative	heaviest
-fy	make	justify
-ful	full of	houseful
-ible	to form adjective	terrible
-ily	To form adverb	happily,
-ing	action	driving
-ist	Person who acts	psychologist
-less	without,	Fearless, helpless
-ness	to express the state	hardness
-tion	state	position
-y	to express condition	noisy

Why Do You Need To Learn And Practice Suffix And Prefix?

As mentioned earlier as well, learning suffixes and prefixes will not only help you understand the grammatical elements better but will also help you expand your vocabulary too.

Keep in mind that suffix and prefix can only be used for certain words. Hence, you need to practice regularly to master the concept. Plus, as for everything related to English grammar, the more you read, the more you will learn. The same can be said for suffix and prefix as well.

• So, from now on, whenever you will read something in English, try to locate the words that are using suffixes or prefixes.
• Firstly, it will help you understand the usage better and refer to the points I have mentioned above about using them.
• Apart from that, you can also note down the words in a copy. This can be a great practice to improve your vocabulary and learn new words.

Conclusion

So, what else would you like to know about suffix and prefix? Should you have any further queries about them, then reach out to us, and we will surely get back to you to the best of our knowledge. Further Study you can refer below:

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Presentation on theme: «EQ: What is the difference between a prefix, suffix, and root word?»— Presentation transcript:

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EQ: What is the difference between a prefix, suffix, and root word?
Prefixes and Suffixes EQ: What is the difference between a prefix, suffix, and root word? Created by Vanessa Pelfrey

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Before We Start… Affix: group of letters added to the beginning or end of a word. We call these “group of letters” Prefixes and Suffixes!!!!

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To help YOU figure out the MEANING of an unknown word!
Why Do I Need This? To help YOU figure out the MEANING of an unknown word!

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Semicircle (half) Bicycle (two)
Prefixes are letters that are added to the beginning of a word. Each Prefix has its own meaning. Semicircle (half) Bicycle (two)

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A prefix changes the meaning of a word.

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preschool The prefix is pre-
For example: preschool The prefix is pre- The prefix pre means “before” so the word preschool means “before school”

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Prefix Root Word New Word
im- (not) polite impolite (not polite) in- complete incomplete (not complete) bi- (two) cycle bicycle (two wheels) non- stop nonstop (without stopping) dis- (not or opposite of) agree disagree (not agreeing) re- (again) use reuse (to use again)

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Identify the Prefix … Improper Incomplete Bicycle Nonstop Disagree

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Disagree Dis-not/opp- osite of
Identify the Prefix … Improper Im-not Incomplete In-not Bicycle Bi-two Nonstop Non-not Disagree Dis-not/opp- osite of

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Suffixes are letters added to the end of a word.
Each Suffix has its own meaning.

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A suffix also changes the meaning of a word.

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careless The suffix is –less
For example careless The suffix is –less The suffix –less means without so the word careless means “without care”

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(condition of being shy)
Root Word Suffix New Word home -less (without) homeless (without a home) cheer -ful (full of) cheerful (full of cheer) shyness -ness (state or quality) (condition of being shy)

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farm -er (someone who) farmer (someone who farms) act -or actor
Root Word Suffix New Word farm -er (someone who) farmer (someone who farms) act -or actor (someone who acts) bend -able (can be) bendable (can be bent) reverse -ible reversible (can be reversed)

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Identify the Suffix… Farmer Actor Useless Buildable Reversible

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Identify the Suffix… Farmer Actor Useless Buildable Reversible
-er ( one who) — or (one who) — less (without) -able (can be) -ible (can be)

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A root word is the word with no prefix/suffix added to it.
Root Words A root word is the word with no prefix/suffix added to it. We make new words from root words by adding prefixes and suffixes.

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Sometimes the root word is also called the base word
(That is a USEful piece of information!!)

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Sometimes you can see the entire word hidden inside, and other times it may be missing a letter.
Ex) Beloved To look for the root word, look for the “hidden” word. Ex) Uncomfortable

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In the word unhappy the root word is happy In the word eventful
For example In the word unhappy the root word is happy In the word eventful the root word is event

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wildly beautiful sleepily uncomfortable incomplete
What’s the root word? wildly beautiful sleepily uncomfortable incomplete

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What’s the root word? wild beauty sleepy comfortable complete wildly
beautiful sleepily uncomfortable incomplete wild beauty sleepy comfortable complete

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IMPORTANT Not every word is going to have a Prefix!!! Not every word is going to have a Suffix!

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CRCT Questions: What is the root word in dishonestly? dis honest ly
What is the suffix in homeless? A.homeless B.home C. less D.There is no suffix

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2. The word «distracted» is derived from the Latin root «tract,» meaning «to draw.» Based on this information, the reader can tell the literal meaning of «to distract» is Ex) I got distracted during class, that I forgot to write down my HW. What does the word “distracted” mean? A to be unhappy with B to draw poorly C to draw away D to be confused

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If the root word «ped» means feet, what does the term «biped» mean
If the root word «ped» means feet, what does the term «biped» mean? — Monkeys are biped animals. A two B having two feet C feet D having three feet

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Like the baobab, the kapok has malodorous flowers that attract bats
Like the baobab, the kapok has malodorous flowers that attract bats. The prefix mal- means «bad.» What does the word malodorous mean? A. stinky B strange C prickly D poisonous

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Practice Makes Perfect!!

What are word parts?[edit | edit source]

First, try to answer these questions by filling in the blanks:

1. To ‘redo’ means: to do ____ (Answer)

2. The word which starts the same as ‘careful’, but means its opposite is: ____ (Answer)

3. If John is 2 metres tall and Harry is 1.8 metres tall, then John is tall__ than Harry. (Answer)

If you answered these questions right, then this shows that you already know a bit about word parts.

Knowing what they mean and how they work is a very powerful tool.

What types of word parts are there?[edit | edit source]

Prefixes[edit | edit source]

Look at these words:

rename, restart, redesign

1. Where does ‘re-‘ go in these words and what does it mean? (Answer)

A word part which always features at the front of a word is called a prefix (pronounced: PREE-fikz).

Place a possible prefix before these words and start to think about how it changes the meaning of the word (the first one has been done for you):

2. kind

(unkind)

The prefix is: un- (make sure you remember the dash after a prefix)

3. polite

(________)

The prefix is: (Answer)

4. fire

(_______)

The prefix is: (Answer)

5. come

(________)

The prefix is: (Answer)

6. mature

(_________)

The prefix is: (Answer)

Suffixes[edit | edit source]

Now look at these words:

fearless, careless, hatless

1. Where does ‘-less’ go in these words and what does it mean? (Answer)

A word part which always features at the end of a word is called a suffix (pronounced: SUFF-ikz).

Test your suffix knowledge and continue thinking about how it changes the meaning of the word (the first one has been done for you):

2. If Alex is heavier than everyone, then he is the: heaviest

The suffix is: -est (make sure you remember to write the dash «-» before a suffix)

3. The process of attracting is called: ______

The suffix is: _____ (Answer)

4. If someone takes a lot of care, then they are described as: ________

The suffix is: _____ (Answer)

5. If someone is without fear, then they are: ________

The suffix is: _____ (Answer)

6. If someone is kind, they they usually show: ________

The suffix is: _____ (Answer)

Roots[edit | edit source]

Finally, there are the main parts of words called roots.

Roots usually appear in the middle of words, but that’s NOT a good way to think about them.

Look at these examples to see why:

• -dict- is the root of: predict, dictate, and diction
  • In these examples, -dict- is at the front and end of words.

• -port- is the root of: imports, exported, and transportation
  • In these examples, -port- is in the middle of words.

(Notice how when we write a root, we put a dash «-» on both sides. Beware that some authors don’t and would just write ‘port’, though.)

Here are two key points to help you tell if a word part is a root:

POINT 1

First, notice how prefixes and suffixes can never stand on their own.

We don’t say: un-, re-, -ness, or -tion

On the other hand, roots might stand on their own.

We do say: kind, fear, and come.

We don’t say: dict

(We do say over- as ‘over’ and ‘-less’ as ‘less’, but this is an example of a prefix and suffix which have the same spelling as a root. Now you see a reason why we ALWAYS put the dashes with them.)

POINT 2

Second, notice how roots carry the main meaning of a word and are what we attach the prefixes and suffixes to.

Try to identify the roots in these words (the first one has been done for you):

1. For antimatter, the root is -matter-

2. For misfire, the root is: ______ (Answer)

3. For transport, export, and support, the root of all of them is: ______ (Answer)

4. For talk, talked, and talking, the root of all of them is: ______ (Answer)

5. For success, access, and recession, the root of all of them is: ______ (Answer)

So, remind yourself that the three types of parts of words are:

6. ______, ______, and ____ (Answer)

Watch out for rules![edit | edit source]

You may have been thinking about rules which tell you how prefixes, suffixes, and roots work.

Remember that English has no rules that work in ALL cases.

For instance, we get the plural of egg, tree, and hand by putting the suffix -s on the end:

eggs, trees, hands

But, we DON’T get the plural of goose that way (after all, it’s geese).

Here are 5 key points for you to remember about making and applying rules concerning word parts.

Make sure you think of other cases where they apply.

Rule 1: Use sense and not just spelling[edit | edit source]

re- is a prefix that means ‘again’, right?

So, what about ‘red’, ‘reck’, and ‘really?’

Well, spelling doesn’t tell you everything!

You can look for clues in pronunciation.

For instance, we usually say re- as «REE»; but this isn’t foolproof either, because of how we say ‘really.’

Start thinking about things to do with the sense of a word such as whether or not you can replace re- with other prefixes (like how ‘redo’ could be changed to ‘undo’).

Is it like this for suffixes, too?

Absolutely. Just think about how -ing is a suffix, but how it clearly isn’t a suffix for the words ‘sing’ and ‘thing.’

Rule 2: You cannot add prefixes and suffixes to everything[edit | edit source]

For the root -do-, we can attach prefixes and get:

redo, undo, overdo

Think for a moment about some prefixes we can’t attach to it (and look in the answer key for some possible answers):

1. _________ (Answer)

Is it like this for suffixes, too?

Just consider the word ‘fun.’

If an activity is more fun than every other activity, do we say it is the ‘funnest’ activity? No.

Rule 3: You cannot take prefixes and suffixes off everything[edit | edit source]

Which one can you NOT take the prefix anti- off?

antimatter, anticipate, antisocial

1. __________ (Answer)

Which one can you NOT take the prefix re- off?

redesign, resend, receive

2. __________ (Answer)

So, we cannot always take prefixes off words and be left with words.

Suffixes are a bit more complicated, because there are two types; one which you can nearly always take off, and one which you nearly always can’t.

We will talk more about this later; but for now, just don’t assume that you can always take a suffix off a word.

(Okay, that’s three helpful rules learned. I hope you are remembering to think of your own examples or this stuff won’t stick!)

Rule 4: Word parts can have more than one meaning[edit | edit source]

The ‘un-‘ in ‘unhappy’ has a different meaning to the un- in ‘undress’.

In the first case, ‘un-‘ means ‘not.’

In the second case, it just means ‘reversal.’

So, don’t make the mistake of believing that you will know the meaning of a word part after meeting it just once.

Rule 5: A word part can be spelled in more than one way[edit | edit source]

For prefixes, look at ‘in-‘, which means ‘not’, as in ‘injustice.’

1. What do we put before ‘possible’ to mean ‘not possible?’ (Answer)

For roots, look at ‘-vis-‘, which means ‘see’, as in ‘visual.’

Now consider that it can also be spelled ‘-vid-‘, as in ‘video.’

For suffixes, look at ‘-s’, which makes plurals, as in ‘eggs.’

2. But, what do we put at the end of ‘box’ to make it plural? (Answer)

So, remember that a word part can be spelled in more than one way.

Go over these five rules again before moving onto the next subsection.

In summary:

Be careful, because word parts CAN have multiple meanings, multiple spellings, and CAN’T be swapped, chopped off, or attached haphazardly.

The parts of speech[edit | edit source]

Sentences are made up of different types of words and each type has its own job to do in the sentence.

We call these types ‘parts of speech.’

There are lots of different ones, but we will look at the four main types.

Noun[edit | edit source]

A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.

A common noun names a general item (like ‘dog’ or ‘happiness’).

A proper noun names a particular item (a particular person, particular place, particular thing,…) and always begins with a capital letter (like ‘Josh’ or ‘London’).

Anna is going to Germany on Friday and will take her bicycle on the journey.

The common nouns in this sentence are:

1. __________ (Answer)

The proper nouns in this sentence are:

2. __________ (Answer)

Nouns have a singular form (like: egg, hand, goose) and a plural form (like: eggs, hands, geese).

Finally, a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun (so we don’t have to repeat it).

Examples include: she, he, they, it

When she goes to Germany, she will take her bike, because it has excellent cycling roads.

The pronouns in this sentence are:

3. __________ (Answer)

Adjective[edit | edit source]

An adjective is a word that describes a noun.

When it is cold and snowy, wear thick, black clothes.

The adjectives in this sentence are:

1. __________ (Answer)

Adjectives can be modified to make comparisons:

The comparative (pronounced: kom-PAH-ruh-tiv) of:

• tall is taller
• red is redder
• fun is more fun
• difficult is more difficult

The superlative (pronounced: soo-PURR-luh-tiv) of:

• tall is tallest
• red is reddest
• fun is most fun
• difficult is most difficult

Verb[edit | edit source]

A verb is a doing or action word.

Jack always runs to school while Anna eats her breakfast.

1. What are the verbs in this sentence? (Answer)

Verbs are quite complicated.

What is most important to us is learning the FORMS of a verb, because this is where suffixes feature.

As an example, the forms of ‘initiate’ are: initiate, initiates, initiated, initiating

We will look further into this in lesson 2.

Adverb[edit | edit source]

An adverb is a word that that modifies a verb, adjective, or even another adverb.

An adverb answers how, when, where, or to what extent.

I always do my work extremely carefully.

The adverbs in this sentence are:

1. __________ (Answer)

Notice how they often end in the suffix ‘-ly’.

Here are some more examples of adverbs: daily, completely, almost, often, never, soon, cleverly

Lesson 1 Quiz[edit | edit source]

If there was anything you didn’t understand, read it once more, because here’s a quiz (that you should try to get perfect before lesson 2):

1. What are the three main types of word parts?

2. What is the common root of ‘audio’, ‘audible’, and ‘audience’, and what do you think it means?

3. Deconstruct the word ‘prefixes’ into its word parts.

4. Which prefix can be found in the opposite to ‘increase?’

5. ‘non-believer’ features the prefix ‘non-‘ but keeps the dash. Are there examples where id doesn’t?

6. Does ‘over-‘ just mean ‘physically above’, as in ‘overhang’?

7. How else can you spell the suffix ‘-y’ (as in mess -> messy)?

8. What are the four main types of parts of speech?

9. Think of examples of adverbs that don’t end in ‘-ly.’

10. Think of three words that have more than one type of part of speech.

(Answers)

Answer Key[edit | edit source]

What are word parts? (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. again

2. careless

3. er (making the word ‘taller’)

What types of word parts are there? (Answers)[edit | edit source]

Prefixes (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. At the front and it means ‘again’.

2. (Already done as an example)

3. impolite; the prefix is: im-

4. misfire; the prefix is: mis-

5. overcome; the prefix is: over-

6. premature; the prefix is: pre-

Suffixes (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. At the end.

2. (Already done as an example)

3. attraction; the suffix is: -tion

4. careful; the suffix is: -ful

5. fearless; the suffix is: -less

6. kindness; the suffix is: -ness

Roots (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. (Already done as an example)

2. -fire-

3. -port-

4. -talk-

5. -cess-

6. prefix, suffix, and root

Watch out for rules! (Answers)[edit | edit source]

Rule 2: You cannot add prefixes and suffixes to everything (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. subdo, interdo, predo

Rule 3: You cannot take prefixes and suffixes off everything (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. anticipate

2. receive

Rule 5: A word part can be spelled in more than one way (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. im-, as in ‘impossible’

2. -es, as in ‘boxes’

The parts of speech (Answers)[edit | edit source]

Noun (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. bicycle, journey

2. Anna, Germany, Friday

3. she, it

Adjective (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. cold, snowy, thick, black

Adverb (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. extremely, carefully

Lesson 1 Quiz (Answers)[edit | edit source]

(Go back to questions)

1. prefix, root, suffix

2. -audi-, it means ‘hearing’ or ‘listening’

3. ‘pre-‘ is the prefix; ‘-fix-‘ is the root; ‘-es’ is the suffix

4. ‘de-‘ is the suffix, as in ‘decrease’

5. ‘nonprofit’ (if your example was different, check a dictionary)

6. No. It may also mean ‘excess’, as in ‘overambitious’, or ‘outer’, as in ‘overcoat.’

7. ‘-ey’, as in ‘clayey.’

8. noun, verb, adjective, adverb

9. often, soon

10. ‘abstract’ can be a noun or adjective. ‘fool’ can be a noun or verb. ‘set’ can be a noun, adjective, or verb.