Prefixes & Suffixes

A prefix is a letter or group of letters attached to the beginning of a root word. Prefixes do not change the part of speech of the word (a noun remains a noun, a verb remains a verb), but they significantly alter its meaning. For example, adding "un-" to "happy" changes the meaning to "not happy." Learning prefixes is one of the fastest ways to expand your English vocabulary, as a single prefix can be applied to hundreds of different words.

20+ Example Sentences with Prefixes

1. He previewed the movie.
2. Please repaint the wall.
3. She disagreed with the plan.
4. They misplaced the keys.
5. The subway was delayed.
6. It is illegal to park here.
7. He is antisocial.
8. The autobiography was a bestseller.
9. She rides a bicycle.
10. They coexist peacefully.
11. The plane will deplane shortly.
12. Please enable cookies.
13. He forewarned us.
14. It is hyperactive.
15. She is hypersensitive.
16. The microscope is broken.
17. We need a macro perspective.
18. He is midway through.
19. It is a minivan.
20. She speaks monolingually.
21. It is a multinational company.
22. The event is nonrefundable.

A suffix is a letter or group of letters attached to the end of a root word. Unlike prefixes, suffixes often change the part of speech of the word. For example, adding "-ness" to the adjective "happy" turns it into the noun "happiness." Adding "-ly" to the adjective "quick" turns it into the adverb "quickly." Suffixes are essential for grammar because they tell you how a word functions in a sentence.

20+ Example Sentences with Suffixes

1. It is readable.
2. The water is visible.
3. That is natural.
4. He is an American.
5. She is an assistant.
6. It is a dictionary.
7. He lives in a kingdom.
8. They played outside.
9. The golden ring shone.
10. She is a teacher.
11. He is the tallest.
12. The cup is useful.
13. Childhood is childhood.
14. He is a musician.
15. It is magic.
16. Please simplify this.
17. She is running.
18. The action was fast.
19. He is selfish.
20. Capitalism is an ism.
21. She is an artist.
22. The electricity went out.

While both prefixes and suffixes are types of affixes used to build new words, they serve different grammatical purposes. A prefix is added to the front of a word and primarily changes its meaning (e.g., from "do" to "undo"). A suffix is added to the end of a word and often changes its part of speech (e.g., from a verb "act" to a noun "action"). Understanding both is crucial for mastering English morphology.

A root word is the most basic form of a word, containing no prefixes or suffixes. It carries the core meaning. When you attach a prefix or a suffix to a root word, you create a new word. For example, "struct" is a Latin root meaning "build." From this root, we get construct, destruction, structure, and instruct. By mastering common Latin and Greek roots, you can deduce the meanings of unfamiliar English words on sight.

50 Root Word Transformations

A word family is a group of words that share the same root or base word and are related in meaning. Learning words in families is a powerful way to rapidly expand your vocabulary. When you learn one root word, you essentially learn five or six words at the same time. For example, from the root "act," we get action, active, activity, actor, react, and interact. Each word has a slightly different meaning and grammatical function, but they all relate back to the core idea of "doing something."

50 Word Families Explained

By studying these families, you can see how prefixes and suffixes beautifully interact with the root word to create a web of related vocabulary. When you meet a new word, always try to identify its root to guess its meaning.

Word formation is the process of creating new words by adding affixes to a root. Let's look at the step-by-step formation of words using the root "Appear" (meaning to come into sight).

Notice how "appear" is a verb. Adding the suffix "-ance" turns it into a noun ("appearance"). Adding the prefix "dis-" changes the meaning to the opposite ("disappear"), but it remains a verb. Combining both gives us the noun for the opposite action ("disappearance").

When adding prefixes and suffixes to root words, the spelling of the root word often changes. Following these rules will help you spell correctly every time.

50 Spelling Examples

1. Come + ing = Coming
2. Hope + ing = Hoping
3. Nice + ly = Nicely
4. Sad + ness = Sadness
5. Hug + ed = Hugged
6. Plan + ing = Planning
7. Fat + est = Fattest
8. Cry + ed = Cried
9. Try + es = Tries
10. Worry + ing = Worrying
11. Destroy + ed = Destroyed
12. Employ + er = Employer
13. Un + fair = Unfair
14. Mis + spell = Misspell
15. Dis + obey = Disobey
16. Use + less = Useless
17. Write + ing = Writing
18. Safe + ty = Safety
19. Nine + th = Ninth
20. True + ly = Truly
21. Whole + ly = Wholly
22. Due + ly = Duly
23. Argue + ment = Argument
24. Judge + ment = Judgment
25. Mile + age = Mileage
26. Notice + able = Noticeable
27. Outrage + ous = Outrageous
28. Peace + able = Peaceable
29. Swim + ing = Swimming
30. Sit + ing = Sitting
31. Run + er = Runner
32. Hot + est = Hottest
33. Thin + er = Thinner
34. Begin + ing = Beginning
35. Prefer + ed = Preferred
36. Forget + able = Forgettable
37. Permit + ed = Permitted
38. Admit + ing = Admitting
39. Fry + ed = Fried
40. Study + ed = Studied
41. Hurry + ing = Hurrying
42. Stay + ed = Stayed
43. Enjoy + ing = Enjoying
44. Pay + ment = Payment
45. Lay + ing = Laying
46. Obey + ed = Obeyed
47. Say + ing = Saying
48. Day + ly = Daily
49. Ill + ness = Illness
50. Weak + ness = Weakness
51. Great + er = Greater

Adding suffixes can often shift the stress (the emphasized syllable) of a word. In English, there are a few patterns to watch out for. For example, words ending in "-tion" or "-sion" always place the primary stress on the syllable immediately preceding the suffix. So, "IN-form" becomes "in-FOR-ma-tion."

20+ Example Sentences

1. She is a photographer.
2. The photographic evidence is clear.
3. He is very athletic.
4. Her athleticism is impressive.
5. They compete nationally.
6. The competition is fierce.
7. He democratically won.
8. We live in a democracy.
9. The economical choice is best.
10. Study economics.
11. He is hysterical.
12. It was hysteria.
13. She is an individual.
14. Value your individuality.
15. The institution is old.
16. It is institutionalized.
17. He is melodramatic.
18. She loves melodrama.
19. It is a pessimistic view.
20. He is a pessimist.
21. Be optimistic.
22. She has great optimism.

Learning prefixes, suffixes, and roots is the single most effective way to build a massive English vocabulary. Instead of memorizing 10,000 individual words, you can memorize 50 roots and 50 affixes, and suddenly understand tens of thousands of combinations. When you encounter a new word, break it down. Look for the prefix at the beginning, the root in the middle, and the suffix at the end. Deduce the meaning piece by piece.