In English grammar, a base is the form of a word to which prefixes and suffixes can be added to create new words. For example, instruct is the base for forming instruction, instructor, and reinstruct. Also called a root or stem.
Put another way, base forms are words that are not derived from or made up of other words. According to Ingo Plag, «The term ‘root’ is used when we want to explicitly refer to the indivisible central part of a complex word. In all other cases, where the status of a form as indivisible or not is not an issue, we can just speak of bases (or, if the base is a word, base words)» (Word-Formation in English, 2003).
Examples and Observations
«In most situations, the user of English has no problem at all recognizing prefixes, bases, and suffixes. For instance, in the sentence, ‘They repainted the old car,’ the complex word repainted obviously has three elements—a prefix, a base, and a suffix: re + paint + ed. The base paint is the word’s semantic core, the starting place for describing what the word is being used to mean in a given utterance. The prefix and suffix add semantic content to that core, the prefix re adding the content ‘again,’ and the suffix ed adding ‘in the past.'» (D. W. Cummings, American English Spelling. JHU Press, 1988)
Base Forms and Word Roots
«[The term base] refers to any part of a word seen as a unit to which an operation can be applied, as when one adds an affix to a root or stem. For example, in unhappy the base form is happy; if -ness is then added to unhappy, the whole of this item would be considered the base to which the new affix is attached. Some analysts, however, restrict the term ‘base’ to be equivalent to ‘root,’ the part of a word remaining when all affixes have been removed. In such an approach, happy would be the base form (the highest common factor) of all its derivations—
happiness, unhappy, unhappiness, etc. This meaning leads to a special use in prosodic morphology to define the portion of the output in correspondence with another portion of the form, especially the reduplicant.» (David Crystal, Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6th ed. Blackwell, 2008)
Citation Forms
«For adjectives, e.g. bad, the base form is the so-called ‘absolute’ form (as against the comparative form worse, or the superlative form worst). For other word classes, e.g. adverb or preposition, where there are no grammatical variants, there is only one form that can be the headword.
«These base forms of words, the headwords of dictionary entries, may be termed the citation forms of lexemes. When we want to talk about the lexeme sing, then the form that we cite (i.e. ‘quote’) is the base form—as I have just done—and that is taken to include all the grammatical variants (sings, singing, sang, sung).» (Howard Jackson, Words and Their Meaning. Routledge, 2013)
Bases in Complex Words
«Another classic problem of morphology [is] the case of a complex word with a recognizable suffix or prefix, attached to a base that is not an existing word of the language. For example, among the -able words are words such as malleable and feasible. In both cases the suffix -able (spelled -ible in the second case because of a different historical origin for the suffix) has the regular meaning ‘be able,’ and in both cases the -ity form is possible (mealleability and feasibility). We have no reason to suspect that able/ible here is not the real suffix -able. Yet if it is, then malleable must be broken down as malle + able and feasible as feas + ible; but there are no existing words (free morphemes) in English such as malle or feas, or even malley or fease. We thus have to allow for the existence of a complex word whose base exists only in that complex word . . ..» (A. Akmajian, R. A. Demers, A. K. Farmer, R. M. Harnish, Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication. MIT, 2001)
Base words are words that exist as recognizable words in the English language. These words cannot be divided into smaller units. Prefixes and suffixes can be added to these words to create new words. There are two theories about root words. Some people use the term root word as a synonym for the base word. However, in some contexts, root words refer to the part of the base word that comes from another language. This article will mainly focus on this second meaning. The key difference between base word and root word is that base words are recognizable words in the English language whereas root words are from another language.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Base Word
3. What is a Root Word
5. Side by Side Comparison – Base Word vs Root Word in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is a Base Word?
There are two types of words in the English language: the words that can be broken down into smaller units and words that cannot be broken down into smaller units. Words that cannot be broken down into smaller units are known as base words. In other words, base word is the base form of a word and gives its basic meaning. For example, let’s look at the two words happy and unhappy. The word happy cannot be broken down into smaller units, but unhappy can be broken down into two units since this word is made by adding the prefix un to the base word happy. Prefixes and suffixes are always added to base words.
Prefixes and Suffixes
- Prefix is a word element is found in front of a base word.
- Suffix is a word element is found after a base word.
Look at the following words and see if you can identify the base word by removing the suffixes and prefixes.
Reusable, disappear, unhappiness, unacceptable, disqualified, childish, unlikely, reinvention
The base words of the above list are underlined in the following section.
- Reusable – re + use + able
- Disappear – dis + appear
- Unhappiness – un + happy + ness
- Unacceptable – un + accept + ble
- Disqualified – dis + qualify + ed
- Childish – child + ish
- Unlikely – un + like + ly
- Reinvention – re + invent + ion
What is a Root Word?
In linguistics, the term root word is often used synonymously with base word, and refers to a morpheme from which words have been created by the addition of prefixes or suffixes. For example, the word transportation is formed from the root word transport.
However, the term root word also refers to the origin of the word. In this sense, root word is the part of the base word that comes from another language. For example, the word maternal comes from Latin mater and gives the meaning mother. So, this Latin word, mater can be considered as the root word of maternal. The root words of words like maternity, maternally, maternalism, etc. is also the Latin word mater.
Examples of Base Words and Root Words
Let’s look at some other examples to understand the meaning of base words and root words more clearly.
- Tricycle
Base word = cycle, Root word = Latin cyclus (circle)
- Transportation
Base word = transport, Root word = Latin port (to carry)
- Immoderately
Base word = moderate, Root word = Latin moderatus (reduced, controlled)
What is the Difference Between Base Word and Root Word?
Base Word vs Root Word |
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Base Word is a morpheme from which words have been created by the addition of prefixes or suffixes. | Root word is the part of the base word that comes from another language. |
Individual Meaning | |
Base word can stand alone. | Root word cannot often stand alone. |
Nature | |
Base words cannot be further divided. | Root word comes from another language. |
Summary – Base Word vs Root Word
Base word is a form of a word to which affixes can be added to create new words. Base words and root words are two terms that are sometimes used as synonyms. However, root words are also defined as parts of the base word that come from another language. This is the difference between base word and root word.
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You can download PDF version of this article and use it for offline purposes as per citation note. Please download PDF version here Difference Between Base Word and Root Word
References:
1. Merrell, Shelly. “Base Words: Definition & Examples.” Study.com, Available here.
2. Nordquist, Richard. “Base Forms of Words in English.” ThoughtCo, Available here.
The System of Affixation in English refers to the process of attaching a group of letters to a word in order to change its meaning, number, state, or form.
There are two primary types of affixation: Prefixes and Suffixes
Base word | Affixation | Word |
---|---|---|
determined | pre + determined | predetermined |
play | play + er | player |
weekly | bi + weekly | biweekly |
follow | follow + ing | following |
Prefix
A prefix is a small group of letters that are affixed at the beginning of the word.
- Subsidiary
- Nonviolence
- Intolerance
Functions of Prefix
Indicate presence or absence
amoral | without morals |
injected | put into |
congenital | present from birth |
Indicate position
hypodermic | under the skin |
circumnavigate | to sail around |
antechamber | a chamber before another |
Interstellar | between stars |
Indicate qualities, size, or number
thermometer | heat measuring instrument |
macrocosm | big world or universe |
polyglot | someone who speaks many languages |
Indicates time, frequency, or order
post dated | later than the stipulated date |
redo | do again |
primary | first |
Types of Prefixes
Negative Prefixes
Prefix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
un- | not | uncomfortable, unbearable, unforgivable |
in- | not | incomplete, indecisive, independent |
dis- | opposite of | disinterested, disproportionate, displeasure |
ir- | not | irresponsive, irresponsible, irrevocable |
il- | not | illogical, illegitimate, illegible |
im- | not | improbable, impossible, impenetrable |
non- | not | nonviolent, nonchalant, non-invasive |
mis- | wrong/wrongly | misinterpret, misunderstand, miscalculation |
mis- | hate | misogynist, misogamist, misanthrope |
mal- | bad/ badly | malfunction, malevolent, malediction, malnutrition |
anti- | against | antinational, antibacterial, antibiotics |
de- | down, reduce | descend, decry, deject, demote, decline |
a- | without, not | asocial, amorphous, abiotic, atrophy |
dis- | apart, off, away | disband, disturb, disburse, dismiss |
dys- | bad | dystopia, dysfunctional, dyslexia |
Prefixes of Size
Prefix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
semi- | half | semicircle, semiconductor, semi-active, semicolon |
equi- | equal | equidistant, equivalent, equisonant |
micro- | small, tiny | microscope, microorganism, microcosm, micromanage |
macro- | big | macroeconomics, macrocosm, macrolevel |
mega- | big | megalomaniac, megapolis, megapixel |
mini- | small | minimum, minicomputer, miniature |
maxi- | big | maximum, maximal, maxim |
hemi- | half | hemisphere |
Prefixes of Position or Location
Prefix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
inter- | between | interstellar, intermediate, interval, intervene |
super- | over, above | superfluous, supersede, superintendent, supervisor |
trans- | across | transfer, transport, transgress, transmit |
ex- | out | exterior, external, extraneous, extract |
in-/ im- | inside | internal, induce, imbibe, impregnate, influence |
sub-, suc-, sus- | under | subterranean, susceptible, submit, submarine |
sur- | over | surface, surfeit, surrender, survive, surcharge |
circum- | around | circumspect, circumnavigate, circumscribe, circumvent |
peri- | around | perimeter, periscope, perimortem |
per- | through | percolate, pervade, perfect, perforated, perceive |
infra- | below | infrared, infravision, infrarealism |
ab- | away | abduct, abstain, abjure, abdicate |
contra- | against | contravene, contradict, contralto, contrast |
de- | down | descend, decline, demote, decrease |
dia- | across | diagonal, diaphanous, diachronic, diagnosis |
hyper- | over | hypertrophy, hyperactivity, hyperbole, hypertension |
hypo- | under | hypothermia, hypothyroid |
ob- | against | obloquy, obnoxious, object, obfuscate |
pro- | for | prologue, provide, protect, project, procreate |
syn-, sym- | together | synthesis, syndicate, sympathy |
ultra- | beyond | ultraviolet, ultramodern, ultra-royalist, ultrasonic |
under- | under | underground, underachiever, underestimate |
meta- | beyond | metastasis, metabolize, metamorphic, metaphysics |
mid- | between | midterm, middle, midday |
by- | near | bypass, bygone, by-product |
epi- | upon | epidermis, epilogue, epitaph |
post- | back | postern, posterior |
Prefixes of time and sequence
Prefix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
pre- | before | prevent, prepare, predict, premonition, prelude |
ante- | before | antediluvian, antebellum |
prime- | first | primary, primordial, prima donna, primate, primeval |
post- | after | posterity, posthumous, postlude, post-marital |
retro- | before | retrogression, retroflex, retrospect |
pro- | before | progenitor, proceed, prologue, prophecy, prophylactic |
re- | again | recur, recount, rethink |
fore- | before | foretell, forestall, foresight |
after- | after | after-effects, afterthought |
chron- | time | chronology, chronicle |
Prefixes of numbers and amount
Prefix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
mono- | one | monotheism, monologue, monochromatic, monarch |
uni- | one | universe, unitary, union, unanimous, unity |
bi- | two | bicentennial, biannual, bicycle, bigamous, bipolar |
du-, di- | two | duo, dual, dicotyledon, dichromatic |
tri- | three | trident, tricolor, triumvirate, trifecta, trilogy, tripod |
quad- | four | quadruple, quadruplets, quadrilateral |
tetra- | four | tetrapods, tetrameter |
penta- | five | pentagram, pentacle, pentagon |
quint- | five | quintuplets, quintal |
hex- | six | hexagon, hexadecimal, hexameter |
sex- | six | sextuplets, sextet |
sept- | seven | septuagenarian, septuplets |
hept- | seven | heptagonal, heptathlon |
octa- | eight | octagon, October, octopus, octuplets |
nov- | nine | novena, November |
dec- | ten | decade, decimal, decathlon |
hendeca- | eleven | hendecacolic, hendecagonal |
dodeca- | twelve | dodecahedron, dodecaphony |
triskaideka- | thirteen | triskaidekaphobia |
cent- | hundred | century, century, centipede |
hector- | thousand | hector, hectogram |
kilo- | thousand | kilogram |
mega- | million | megaton, megahertz |
giga- | billion | gigabyte |
multi- | many | multimillionaire, multipurpose |
poly- | many | polynomial, polygon, polymath |
Miscellaneous Prefixes
Prefix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
alb- | white | albino, albinism |
ambi- | both | ambidextrous, ambivalent, ambiguous |
amphi- | both | amphibian, amphitheatre |
bio- | life | biology, biohazard, biosphere |
auto- | self | automated, autonomous, autocrat |
co-, com-, con- | together, joint | co-dependent, companion, congregation |
en-, em- | make, become | engender, empower, endanger |
eu- | good | euthanasia, eulogy, euphemism |
cario- | heart | cardiovascular, cardiogram |
hydr- | water | hydrogen, hydraulic, hydrophobia |
ig- | bad | ignominy, ignoble, ignorant |
bene- | good | benevolent, benediction, benign |
bon- | good | bon voyage, bonhomie, bonafide |
homo- | same | homonym, homophone, homeopathy |
pan- | all | panacea, pan Asiatic, panorama |
pseudo- | fake | pseudonym |
neo-, nov- | new | neologism, novelty |
amo-, ami | love | amorous, amicable, amiable |
aqua- | water | aqueduct, aquatic |
Suffix
A suffix is a group of letters that are fixed to the end of a root word or a base word.
Functions of Suffix
Change the part of speech of the word
meaning (n) | meaningful (adj) |
beautiful (adj) | beautifully (adv) |
subject (n) | subjecting (v) |
Indicate whether the number is singular or plural
girl (singular noun) | girls (plural noun) |
stratum (singular noun ) | strata (plural noun) |
lifts (singular verb) | lift (plural verb) |
Indicate the tense of the verb
hopped (past) | hopping (continuous) |
steal (past) | stolen (past participle) |
Indicate the gender of a noun
host (masculine) | hostess (feminine) |
steward (masculine) | stewardess (feminine) |
executor (masculine) | executrix (feminine) |
Types of Suffixes
Noun Suffixes
Suffix | Usage | Example |
---|---|---|
-al | state | refusal, betrayal, perusal |
-ance, -ence, -ancy, -ency | quality or state | militancy, performance |
-tion | condition | condition, relation |
-ice | condition | malice, novice, justice |
-er/-or | doer | painter, trainer, actor |
-graph | record | telegraph, phonograph, polygraph |
-ism | belief | Hinduism, communism, fascism |
-ist | doer | pacifist, pianist, altruist |
-ian | someone who does | Gandhian, guardian, politician |
-ing | name of an activity | reading, gardening, sleeping |
-ity | state | continuity, annuity |
-logy | the study | geology, neurology |
-ship | state of | friendship, kinship, sportsmanship |
-sion, -tion | the process of | expansion, determination, connection |
-ory | place | dormitory, reformatory, laboratory |
-orium, -arium | place | sanitarium, aquarium, crematorium |
-mania | madness | monomania, bibliomania, egomani |
-phobia | fear | hydrophobia, cynophobia, mysophobia |
-ure | state | composure, exposure, leisure |
-ment | state | abandonment, refinement, entertainment |
-ness | state | happiness, completeness, fullness |
Suffixes of Verbs
Suffix | Usage | Example |
---|---|---|
-able | to make | enable, disable |
-ate | Latin origin verbs | recreate, abate, mediate |
-ed | simple past or participle form | killed, toyed, booked |
-en | verbs formed from adjectives | broken, frozen, sunken |
-er | actions that have a repetitive quality | blabber, snicker, mutter |
-fy | do | magnify, specify, rectify |
-ing | action in continuation | hearing, yearning, making |
-ise | to make/do | revolutionise, apologise, despise |
-ish | become or do | flourish, banish, demolish |
-nt | to do | prevent, augment, content |
-s, -es | simple present tense form | criticises, runs, laughs |
Suffixes of Adjectives
Suffix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
-able, -ible | having the quality of | flexible, available, eatable |
-al | related to | ventral, global, musical |
-ant | doing | dependent, buoyant, resilient |
-ic | having the quality | terrific, generic, specific |
-esque | like, having the quality | statuesque, picturesque |
-er, -est | comparative and superlative qualities | fatter, tallest |
-ose | full of | verbose, grandiose |
-ful | full of | beautiful, boastful, grateful |
-ing | participle form of an adjective | interesting, frustrating, sleeping |
-istic | having the quality | realistic, artistic, surrealistic |
-ive | having the nature of | pensive, aggressive, massive |
-ous, -ious | full of | gaseous, spacious, gracious |
Suffixes of Adverbs
Suffix | Meaning | Usage |
---|---|---|
-ably | with a quality | comfortably, admirably, disagreeably |
-ibly | with a quality | audibly, horribly, negligibly |
-s | shows time or place | backwards, always, forwards |
-wise | shows manner or position | clockwise, otherwise, lengthwise |
Root Words and Base Words
The root word and the base words are the parts that contain the primary meaning of the word. Prefixes and suffixes are added to root and base words to create new words and ideas.
Root Word
- A root word cannot stand on its own as an independent word.
- It needs the addition of the prefix or the suffix for the completion of its meaning.
- For example, let us consider the words amphibian, regeneration and subtraction.
amphi- -bi- -an
prefix root suffix
re- -generat- -ion
prefix root suffix
sub- -tract- -ion
prefix root suffix
- In the above cases, the roots -bi-, -generat- and -tract- cannot stand alone as individual words.
- They are therefore known as root words.
Base Word
- A base word, unlike a root word, can stand on its own like an independent word.
- It does not need the addition of a prefix or suffix in order to function as a stand-alone word.
- For example, let us consider the words redone, nonviolent and unmoved.
re- done
prefix base word
non- violent
prefix base word
un- moved
prefix base word
In the above examples, done, violent, and moved can function as independent words.
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Also, Read
Figures of Speech
Subject Verb Agreement
Degrees of Comparison
Time and Tense
Syllable Rules >> Prefix Root Word Suffix
What is a prefix?
- One or more letters that are placed in front of a word to form a new word with a similar meaning.
- examples: redo, preview, unhappy, iPhone, & abnormal
- A prefix is usually not a word by itself.
Cite This Source
Syllable Rules >> Prefix Root Word Suffix
What is a root word?
- The base word which is combined with a suffix and/or prefix to form a a new word.
- The word which is left when all prefixes and suffixes are removed.
- examples: rechecked, preboarding, unchanged, untouched, & unanswered
Fun Fact
Brunch = Breakfast + Lunch
This is a portmanteau.
Syllable Rules >> Prefix Root Word Suffix
What is a suffix?
- One or more letters that are placed at the end of a word to form a new word with a similar meaning.
- examples: ended, dryer, dancer, talking, & sleeping
- A suffix is usually not a word by itself.
- Words can have more than one suffix.
- examples: cheerfulness, carefully, grudgingly, & annoyances
Presentation on theme: «Prefixes, Suffixes, and Base Words»— Presentation transcript:
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Prefixes, Suffixes, and Base Words
Lesson Goals: 1) Students will learn to identify base words. 2) They will learn the meaning of various prefixes and suffixes. 3) They will learn how these prefixes and suffixes change the meanings of base words.
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Base Words A base word is a word in its simplest form. A
base word has nothing added to it. Examples: Accept Heat Obey Friend Success
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Base Words Write the base words. Played Running Reheat Quickly Unhappy
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Prefixes Prefixes are added to the beginning of a base word. They change the meaning of the base word. Un + success = unsuccessful Re + appear = reappear
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Prefixes The prefix un means not or the opposite of.
Uncomfortable means not comfortable. The prefix mis means wrong or bad. Misbehaving means behaving badly. The prefix re means again. Rewrite means to write again. The prefix pre means before. Preschool means school prior to starting kindergarten.
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Prefixes Draw a line to the meaning of the prefix.
again Opposite of, lack of, not Bad, badly, wrong Not Before Below small im-, in-, non- dis-, in-, non- mis- pre- re- sub- micro-
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Suffixes Suffixes are added to the end of a base word. They change the meaning of the base word. wonder + ful = wonderful large + est = largest happy + ness = happiness
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Suffixes The suffix -ful means full of. Colorful means full of color.
The suffix -ible means capable of being. Sensible means capable of sense. The suffix -ly means in a certain way. Quickly means in a quick way. The suffix -ish means having the quality of. Childish means having the quality of a child.
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Here are some common suffixes:
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Suffixes Draw a line to the meaning of the suffix.
Able to, suitable, or inclined to Forming an action Full of, as much as will fill Someone who, more so Without, that does not Having qualities of, manner or degree Full of -ful -er -ly -able -less -ous -tion
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Activity Complete pages 4 and 5 in Language Power.
When you are done, exchange your questions from yesterday with a partner if you have not done so already.