AFFIXES: PREFIX AND

SUFFIX
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

•THE STATE OF
BEING BRIGHT.
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

BRIGHTNESS
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

•CAPABLE OF BEING
BELIEVED/COULD
BE TRUE OR REAL.
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

BELIEVABLE
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

•WITHOUT FEAR.
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

FEARLESS
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

•FULL OF HOPE.
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

HOPEFUL
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

•HAVING A LOT OF
SPACE.
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

SPACIOUS
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

•SOMEONE WHO
LEADS.
IDENTIFY THE CORRECT TO USE FOR EACH
WORD.

LEADER
WHAT DO WE CALL THE SET
OF LETTERS THAT WE ADD
TO A WORD TO FORM A
NEW WORD?
AFFIXES
WHEN WE ADDED A SET
OF LETTERS TO THE
BEGINNING AND END OF
THE WORD, DID WE
FORM A NEW WORD?
YES
 ASIDE FROM
FORMING A NEW
WORD, WHAT ELSE
DID YOU OBSERVE
WHILE YOU WERE
DOING YOUR
THE NEW WORD HAS
NOW A DIFFERENT
MEANING
 AFFIX – A SET OF
LETTERS ADDED TO
THE BEGINNING OR
END OF A WORD TO
FORM A NEW WORD
WITH A DIFFERENT
MEANING.
TWO MAIN TYPES OF AFFIX
 TWO MAIN TYPES OF AFFIX

PREFIX SUFFIX

• ARE WORD PARTS • ARE WORD PARTS

ADDED TO THE ADDED TO THE
BEGINNING OF A END OF A ROOT.
ROOT.
 TWO MAIN TYPES OF AFFIX

PREFIX SUFFIX

• LETTERS + WORD • WORD + LETTERS

 Prefix Meaning Examples
dis-, un- opposite of, not disagree, disconnect,
unhappy, unusual,
unreal
non-, not injustice, impossible
in-, im-,
il-, ir-
re- again replay, rewind
un- not unfriendly, undo
mis- wrong or wrongly misplace, misfire
en-, em- to cause to encode, embrace
Suffix Meaning Example
-ed past-tense verbs played
-ing verb form/present running
participle
-s, -es more than one books, boxes
-able, - able to be manageable, defensible
ible
-ful full of wishful, graceful
-less without loveless, homeless
-ish a certain action childish, boyish
ROOTS/BASE WORDS
ROOTS/BASE WORDS ARE THE
WORDS FROM OTHER
LANGUAGES THAT ARE THE
ORIGIN OF MANY ENGLISH
WORDS.
Root Meaning Example
bio life biology, biography
chron time chronology, synchronize
fer carry transfer, inference
geo earth geography, geode
nom name nominate, nomenclature
tele distant telegraph, telepathy
homo same homonym,
homogeneous
KNOWING THE MEANINGS OF
THE MOST COMMON WORD
PARTS GIVES THE BUILDING
BLOCKS FOR HUNDREDS OF
WORDS IN THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE. BEFORE USING
WORD PARTS, THERE ARE A
FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER:
1. IN MOST CASES, A WORD
IS BUILT UPON AT LEAST
ONE ROOT.
2. WORDS CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE
PREFIX, ROOT, OR SUFFIX.

A. WORDS CAN BE MADE UP OF TWO

OR MORE ROOTS (GEO/LOGY).

B. SOME WORDS HAVE TWO PREFIXES

(IN/SUB/ORDINATION).

C. SOME WORDS HAVE TWO SUFFIXES

(BEAUTI/FUL/LY).
3. WORDS DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE A
PREFIX AND A SUFFIX.
A. SOME WORDS HAVE NEITHER A
PREFIX NOR A SUFFIX (READ).

B. OTHERS HAVE A SUFFIX BUT NO

PREFIX (READING/ING).

C. OTHERS HAVE A PREFIX BUT NO

SUFFIX (PRE/READ).
 4. THE SPELLING OF ROOTS MAY
CHANGE AS THEY ARE COMBINED
WITH SUFFIXES.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE ROOT RELY

BECOMES RELI-

WHEN THE SUFFIX -ABLE IS

ADDED TO IT. THEREFORE, IT
BECOMES RELIABLE.
 5. DIFFERENT PREFIXES,
ROOTS, OR SUFFIXES MAY
HAVE THE SAME MEANING.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE PREFIXES

BI-, DI-, AND DUO- ALL MEAN
“TWO.”
6. SOMETIMES YOU MAY IDENTIFY A
GROUP OF LETTERS AS A PREFIX OR
ROOT BUT FIND THAT IT DOES NOT
CARRY THE MEANING OF THAT
PREFIX OR ROOT.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE LETTERS MIS IN

MISSILE ARE PART OF THE ROOT AND
ARE NOT THE PREFIX
MIS-, WHICH MEANS “WRONG; BAD.”