In other words, understanding how words are formed using prefixes and suffixes besides practicing them can make you able to spell words more correctly and also recognize and perhaps even define unfamiliar words.
Prefixes and suffixes are collectively known as ‘affixes’. Some words have both a prefix and a suffix:
prefix + root word + suffix
un-accept-able
Prefixes
A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word to create a new meaning. The main rule to remember when adding a prefix to a word is not to add letters or leave out any letters.
Here is some common prefixes for examples of this rule. See a wide list of common prefixes.
Prefix
|
Meaning
|
Example
|
dis
|
not, opposite of
|
dis + satisfied = dissatisfied
|
mis
|
wrongly
|
mis + spell = misspell
|
un
|
not
|
un + acceptable = unacceptable
|
re
|
again
|
re + election = reelection
|
super
|
above
|
super + script = superscript
|
Here are some common prefixes for metric measures.
Prefix
|
Meaning
|
Example
|
deca-
|
ten times a unit
|
decagon |
centi-
|
one hundredth of a unit
|
centimetre
|
milli-
|
one thousandth of a unit
|
millisecond |
kilo-
|
one thousand times a unit
|
kilogram |
Using hyphen (-) with prefixes
Generally no hyphen is used when a prefix is added to a word. However, to avoid confusion in some situations and make the meaning of the word clearer, a hyphen can be used.
One example is where the prefix ends with the same letter that the word starts with.
for example: co- and owner. Adding co- without a hyphen could change the pronunciation of the word and make the meaning difficult to understand. For this reason co-owner is clearer than coowner.
Confusion can also occur where the word has two meanings.
for example: a remark is a spoken comment, but re-mark means to mark/assess an exam again. Using a hyphen in this situation can avoid confusion.
A hyphen is often used with a prefix before a proper noun, for example: un-American and anti-British.
Finally, the prefixes ex-, self- and co- are often used with a hyphen.
Suffixes
A suffix is a linguistic element (a word part or a group of letters) placed at the end of a word to make a new word form, either inflected or derived. Suffixes are attached to a word for semantic (derivational) and/or grammatical (inflectional) reasons:
➤ inflectional (grammatical): for example, changing singular to plural (bag → bags), or changing present tense to past tense (talk → talked). In this case, the basic meaning of the word does not change.
➤ derivational (the new word has a new meaning, "derived" from the original word): for example, dance → dancer or fruit → fruitful
Inflectional suffixes
Inflectional suffixes do not change the meaning of the original word. So in "Every day I walk to school" and "Yesterday I walked to school", the words walk and walked have the same basic meaning. In "I bought one pen" and "I bought two pens", the basic meaning of the words pen and pens is exactly the same. In these cases, the suffix is added simply for grammatical purpose.
Derivational suffixes
With derivational suffixes, the new word has a new meaning, and is usually a different part of speech. But the new meaning is related to the old meaning - it is "derived" from the old meaning.
We can add more than one suffix, as in this example:
navigate (verb) + ation → navigation (noun) + al → navigational (adjective)
Suffixes enable root words to form different classes of words.
for example: -ion creates nouns / -ive creates adjectives / -ly creates adverbs.
These classes of words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) have their own common suffixes.
Some common suffixes and their meanings. See a wide list of common suffixes.
Suffix |
Meaning
|
Example
|
able |
can be done |
accept + able = acceptable |
est |
most |
tall + est = tallest |
er |
more |
fast + er = faster |
er |
one who |
teach + er = teacher |
dom |
place or state of being |
free + dom = freedom |
Here are some suffixes rules to put in practice in you daily use of English:
Rule 1
When adding the suffixes -ness and -ly to a word, the spelling of the word does not change.
Examples:
• sad + ness = sadness
• week + ly = weekly
Exceptions to Rule 1
When the word ends in y, change the y to i before adding -ness and -ly.
Examples:
• easy + ly = easily
• dingy + ness = dinginess
Rule 2
When the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the silent e in the root word.
Examples:
• share + ing = sharing
• love + able = lovable
Exceptions to Rule 2
When the word ends in ce or ge, keep the silent e if the suffix begins with a or o.
Examples:
• peace + able = peaceable
• advantage + ous = advantageous
Rule 3
When the suffix begins with a consonant, keep the silent e in the original word.
Examples:
• peace + ful = peaceful
• tire + less = tireless
Exceptions to Rule 3
Examples:
• true + ly = truly
• argue + ment = argument
Rule 4
When the word ends in a consonant plus y, change the y to i before any suffix not beginning with i.
Examples:
• early + er = earlier
• embody + ing = embodying
Rule 5
When the suffix begins with a vowel, double the final consonant only if (1) the word has only one syllable or is accented on the last syllable and (2) the word ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant.
Examples:
• run + ing = tanning (one syllable word)
• forget + ing = forgetting (The accent is on the last syllable; the word ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant.)
• cancel + ed = canceled (The accent is not on the last syllable.)
• refer + ed = referred
There are some differences in spelling between British and American English to consider.
Examples:
American English
|
British English
|
analyze
|
analyse
|
traveled/traveling
|
travelled/travelling
|
defense
|
defence
|
civilization
|
civilisation
|
center
|
centre
|
humor
|
humour
|
dialog
|
dialogue
|
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