Table of Contents

• What Are Prefixes and Suffixes? – Meaning and Definition
• Why Are Prefixes and Suffixes Important?
• Spelling Rules for Adding Prefixes and Suffixes
• Common Prefixes and Suffixes with Examples
• Examples of Words with Both Prefixes and Suffixes
• Frequently Asked Questions on Prefixes and Suffixes

What is a Prefix?

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
For example:

• • Adding “un-” to “happy” makes “unhappy,” which means “not happy.”
  • Adding re- to do creates redo, meaning “to do again.”

Definition: According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, a prefix is “a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.”

What is a Suffix?

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its form, meaning, or grammatical function.

For example:

• • Adding -ness to happy makes happiness, which is a noun meaning “the state of being happy.”
  • Adding -able to read makes readable, which means “can be read.”

Definition: A suffix is defined as “a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to make another word, such as -ly in quickly or -ness in sadness.”

Why Are Prefixes and Suffixes Important?

Prefixes and suffixes are building blocks of the English language. Here’s why they are essential:

1. Expand Vocabulary: By understanding prefixes and suffixes, you can decode the meanings of new words.

• • Example: Knowing anti- means “against” helps you understand antibiotic means “against bacteria.”

2. Improve Writing and Speaking: Using different word forms helps in creating rich and diverse sentences.

• • Example: Instead of saying the teacher is kind, you can say the teacher shows kindness.

3. Grammar and Usage: Prefixes and suffixes allow words to change grammatical roles (e.g., verbs to nouns, adjectives to adverbs).

Spelling Rules for Adding Prefixes and Suffixes

Rules for Adding Prefixes

1. No Spelling Change to the Root Word: Simply add the prefix to the base word.

• • Example: happy → unhappy, play → replay

2. Hyphen Usage: Some prefixes require a hyphen, especially with non- and ex-.

• • Example: non-violent, ex-boyfriend

Rules for Adding Suffixes

1. Words Ending in ‘Y’: Change y to i when adding suffixes like -ness or -ly.

• • Example: happy → happiness, easy → easily
  • Exception: If y follows a vowel, keep the y.
  • Example: play → playing

2. Silent ‘E’ Rule: Drop the silent e when adding suffixes like -ing or -able.

• • Example: use → using, move → movable
  • Exception: Keep the silent e if it’s needed for pronunciation.
  • Example: age → manageable, like → likeable

3. Doubling Consonants: For short words ending in a single vowel and consonant, double the consonant before adding a suffix.

• • Example: run → running, big → biggest

4. Adding ‘-tion’ or ‘-sion’: For words ending in -de or -te, drop the e and add the suffix.

• • Example: ignite → ignition, divide → division

Common Prefixes and Suffixes with Examples

Common Prefixes

Common Suffixes

Examples of Words with Both Prefixes and Suffixes

Frequently Asked Questions on Prefix and Suffix

Q1: What is a prefix?

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Example: Un- in Unhappy.

Q2: What is a suffix?

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its form or function. Example: -ness in Happiness.

Q3: Why are prefixes and suffixes important?

They help expand vocabulary, improve writing, and change grammatical forms of words.

Q4: List some common prefixes.

Common prefixes include un-, re-, pre-, dis-, mis-, and non-.

Q5: List some common suffixes.

Common suffixes include -ly, -ness, -ful, -able, -ment, and -tion.