PREFIXES and SUFFIXES

PREFIXES and SUFFIXES create new words, usually by modifying or

changing the meaning of a ROOT WORD.If we take a root word like EMPLOY
(verb) or HAPPY (adjective), we can see how their meaning changes.
*UN + employ + ED = UNEMPLOYED (the verb becomes an adjective with a
negative meaning)
* happy + NESS = HAPPINESS (the adjective becomes a noun)
Pay attention to changes in SPELLING: – “y” often becomes “i” / final “e” often
disappears (…)

1. PREFIXES like DIS/IN/IM/IR/UN/IL/MIS are used

to give an opposite/negative meaning to a word.
Task: Find the opposites of the words on the right and write them down.

POSSIBLE
LOYAL
HONEST
REGULAR
LEGAL
COMPLETE
REPLACEABLE
EFFECTIVE
POPULAR
FORTUNE
DIFFERENT
KIND

2. SUFFIXES can be used to form a verb, a noun, an adjective and an

adverb.
EXAMPLES
*dark (adjective) + ness = darkness (noun)
*strength (noun) + en = strengthen (verb)
*probable (adjective) + (l)y = probably (adverb)
*glory (noun) + ous = glorious (adjective)

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Task: Link the verbs with their correct suffix to form NOUNS and write them down.
Follow the example and be careful with the spelling.
a) IMAGINE 1. -ance g ASSISTANCE
b) WEAK 2. -ity
c) TEACH 3. -ation
d) INFECT 4. -sion
e) DECIDE 5. -ence
f) ARGUE 6. -er
g) ASSIST 7. -al
h) SECURE 8. -ance
i) REFUSE 9. -ment
j) OCCUR 10. - ion
k) RESIST 11. -ness

3. PREFIXES and SUFFIXES

Task: Add a PREFIX and/or SUFFIX to the words below and put them in
the correct sentence. In brackets you'll find some information on the
parts of speech to use.

PROBABLE COMMUNICATE AGREE CURIOUS ANGER HEALTH

RESPONSIBLE FAME HELP LIKE CAREFUL CONCLUDE

a) The lights are green, but nobody is moving. He is so .

(adjective)

b) Don't you know that saying " killed the cat?" (noun)

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c) I think you should drive more . You're scaring me.
(adverb)

d) She is a very TV star. (adjective)

e) They have different opinions on the subject. Their will last forever.

(noun with a negative meaning)

f) Brian is always late for work. He is so . (adjective with a

negative meaning)
g) This Math problem is very difficult. Mary didn't come to any .

(noun)

h) He can't see the banana peel. He will slip and fall. (adverb)

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i) You shouldn't eat so much junk food. It's very .
(adjective with a negative meaning)

j) Thanks for finding my cat. You're a very young man.

(adjective)
k) My parents are always fighting. There is no between them anymore.

(noun)

l) I really my packed lunch. It doesn't smell so nice. (verb with

a negative meaning)

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 Affixes
This is why we often see words that look similar, but have different beginnings or endings, and have similar
meanings. Learning the most common prefixes and suffixes will help you to learn lots of new vocabulary. Look at
the examples and tables in this article and practice with these prefixes and suffixes worksheets. You'll start to feel
comfortable with them very quickly!

Prefixes and suffixes are two kinds of affixes. Review them before continuing with these worksheets.

First, let's go over some of the most common prefixes and suffixes and how they are used.

Prefixes
A prefix is a set of letters that is added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Each prefix has a general
meaning, so you will be able to understand what a word with a prefix means more easily.

Let's look at an example.

Friendly unfriendly

The first man looks very friendly! I think it would be nice to spend time with him.

The second man looks unfriendly. I don't think it would be much fun to spend time with him!

We can see in the second sentence that we added the prefix "un-" to the word "friendly." This prefix "un-" means
"not" or "the opposite of."

Here are more examples with the prefix "un-":

 happy ----> unhappy

 finished ----> unfinished
 believable ----> unbelievable
 acceptable ----> unacceptable

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These words are all adjectives. We can also use the prefix "un-" with verbs.

Look at these examples:

 do ----> undo
 plug in ----> unplug

When you see a word that begins with the prefix "un-", you can know its meaning by looking at the word's root
(the part that is not the prefix or the suffix). It might be a word you already know!

But, be careful! Be sure you've seen the whole prefix before you decide the word's meaning.

Look at the word below:

 underdeveloped

Let's try to find the prefix. Is it "un-" as in underdeveloped? No, that doesn't sound right!

We know the word "develop," which means "to grow bigger or become more advanced." This is the root of our
word!

So, the prefix must be under, which means "below," "lower," or "not enough." The word underdeveloped means
"not developed enough."

The table below has some common prefixes, their meaning, and an example word.

Prefix Meaning Example word

dis- not, opposite of disagree
in-, im- not incorrect, impossible
mis- incorrectly misunderstand
re- again redo (do again)
un- not uninteresting
under- below, lower, not enough underwater

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Suffixes
A suffix is a set of letters that is added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Each suffix has a general
meaning, so you will be able to understand what a word with a suffix means more easily.

Let's look at an example.

Love lovable

The couple is getting married because they love each other very much.

That teddy bear is so cute and lovable!

We can see in the second sentence that we added the suffix "-able" to the word "love." This suffix "-able" means
"capable of being" or "able to be."

So, the word lovable means something is able to be loved, or it makes you feel love for it.

Here are more examples with the suffix "-able" or "-ible" (depending on the root word):

 present ----> presentable

 comfort ----> comfortable
 depend ----> dependable
 reach ----> reachable

"-able" is an example of an adjective suffix. Any time you see a word ending in "-able", it is an adjective.

Some suffixes are noun suffixes. They always make a noun. For example, "-ment" talks about an "action" or a
"process":

 enjoy ----> enjoyment

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  treat ----> treatment
 govern ----> government

Do you remember the word underdeveloped that we look at a moment ago? The root of this word is "develop."

 development

The root is the same, but we have used the noun suffix ment, so this is the process or action of developing.

The table below has some common adjective suffixes, their meaning, and an example word.

Suffix Meaning Example word

-able, -ible able to be Terrible
-ful full of Beautiful
-less not having, without Toothless

And here are some noun suffixes, their meaning, and an example word.

Suffix Meaning Example word

-dom place or state of being Freedom
-er a person who does Worker
-ment action or process Payment
-ness state of being Happiness

Now that we've learned some common prefixes and suffixes, it's time to practice!

Exercise A: Prefixes
Complete the sentences by writing the correct prefix in the blank space. You can use a dictionary to help you.

dis- -in mis- re- un- under-

1. I just can't believe it! The story is _____believable!

2. No, that answer is _____correct. It is wrong.

3. Let's look at this information again. We should _____view it before the test.

4. I saw Allison just a moment ago, but now I can't find her! It seems that she _____appeared!

5. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you correctly. I _____understood you.

6. The subway does not go over the land like a normal train. It moves _____ground.

Exercise B: Adjective suffixes

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Complete the words that describe the pictures below. Use the suffixes from the list.

-able -ful -less

1. The first woman is very tired. She wants to rest!

The second woman can't stay still. She always wants to move! She is rest_____.

2. The first dog isn't cute. He's a little scary!

The second dog is very cute! He's ador_____!

3. Jason writes lots of lists, so he always remembers what he has to do. He never forgets!

But Melanie can't remember anything! She's very forget_____!

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Exercise C: Noun suffixes
Complete the sentences that describe the pictures using the correct suffix. You can use a dictionary to help you.

-dom -er -ment -ness

1. I teach science in big a university. I am a physics teach_____.

2. Sir Alan is King Richard's best knight. He is brave and strong. He is the most important knight in Richard's
whole king_____!

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3. Henrietta is my best friend. She is wonderful! The best thing about her is her kind_____. She is always so nice
to people!

4. The kids always have fun together. They never disagree or have an argu_____.

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Answer Key
Exercise A: Prefixes

1. I just can't believe it! The story is unbelievable!

2. No, that answer is incorrect. It is wrong.

3. Let's look at this information again. We should review it before the test.

4. I saw Allison just a moment ago, but now I can't find her! It seems that she disappeared!

5. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you correctly. I misunderstood you.

6. The subway does not go over the land like a normal train. It moves underground.

Exercise B: Adjective suffixes

1. The first woman is very tired. She wants to rest!

The second woman can't stay still. She always wants to move! She is restless.

2. The first dog isn't cute. He's a little scary!

The second dog is very cute! He's adorable!

3. Jason writes lots of lists, so he always remembers what he has to do. He never forgets!
But Melanie can't remember anything! She's very forgetful!

Exercise C: Noun suffixes

1. I teach science in big a university. I am a physics teacher.

2. Sir Alan is King Richard's best knight. He is brave and strong. He is the most important knight in Richard's
whole kingdom!

3. Henrietta is my best friend. She is wonderful! The best thing about her is her kindness. She is always so nice to
people!

4. The kids always have fun together. They never disagree or have an argument.

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