IV GROUP

BLUE

Prefixes and Suffixes

What is prefix?

A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to modify

or change its meaning. This is a list of the most common
prefixes in English, together with their basic meaning and
some examples. You can find more detail or precision for
each prefix in any good dictionary. The origins of words are
extremely complicated. You should use this list as a guide
only, to help you understand possible meanings. But be very
careful, because often what appears to be a prefix is not a
prefix at all. Note also that this list does not include elements
like "auto-" or " bio-", because these are "combining forms",
not prefixes.
 List of English Prefixes
a(n)- not , without atonality , asexuality , amoral ,
ab- away abduction ,bsolutism , ablution
bi- two bicycle , bijection , bilingual ,
bibli(o)- relating to book s bibliophilia , bibliography
cardi(o)- heart cardiovascular
cent-, centi - hundred or hundredth centenary, centimeter,centipede
dec(a)-, ten decamerous
deci - one tenth deciliter
 "Prefixes are generally set solid with the rest of the word.
Hyphens appear only when the word attached begins with (1) a capital
letter, as with anti-Stalin, or (2) the same vowel as the prefix ends in,
as with: anti-inflationary, de-escalate, micro-organism. Yet in well-
established cases of this type, the hyphen becomes optional, as with
cooperate."
(Pam Peters, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Cambridge
Univ. Press, 2004)
What is suffix?

In linguistics, a suffix (also sometimes called a postfix

or ending) is an affix which is placed after the stem of a
word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate
the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb
endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Particularly in
the study of Semitic languages, a suffix is called an
afformative, as they can alter the form of the words to which
they are fixed. In Indo-European studies, a distinction is
made between suffixes and endings (see Proto-Indo-
European root).
 Inflectional suffixes
Inflection changes grammatical properties of a word within its syntactic category.
Some inflectional suffixes in present day English:

-s third person singular present

-ed past tense
-ing progressive/continuous

Derivationaal suffixes

In the example:
"The weather forecaster said it would be clear today, but I can't see clearly at all"

the suffix -ly modifies the root-word clear from an adjective into an adverb.
Derivation can also form a semantically distinct word within the same syntactic category.
Some derivational suffixes in present day English:
-ian
-ize/-ise
-fy
-ly
-ful
 As numerous suffixes are derived from
Greek and Latin roots, ESL students and
teachers can benefit from a multi-lingual
approach to the meanings of suffixes.
Whether learning or teaching suffixes, there
are excellent online suffix resources for
creating suffix worksheets as well as suffixes
activities and suffix lists. Fun suffix games for
kids are also a gr way to embark on suffix
learning
 So thank you

wassalamu allaikum wr.wb