{"id":190,"date":"2021-08-13T12:23:07","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T16:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/advancedenglish\/chapter\/prefixes-and-suffixes\/"},"modified":"2021-08-13T12:23:07","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T16:23:07","slug":"prefixes-and-suffixes","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/advancedenglish\/chapter\/prefixes-and-suffixes\/","title":{"raw":"Prefixes and Suffixes","rendered":"Prefixes and Suffixes"},"content":{"raw":"\n

The English language contains an enormous and ever-growing number of words. Enhancing your vocabulary by learning new words can seem overwhelming, but if you know the common prefixes and suffixes of English, you will understand many more words.<\/p>\n

Mastering common prefixes and suffixes is like learning a code. Once you crack the code, you can not only spell words more correctly but also recognize and perhaps even define unfamiliar words.<\/p>\n\n

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Prefixes<\/h1>\n

A prefix<\/a><\/span> is a word part added to the beginning of a word to create a new meaning. Study the common prefixes in the following table.<\/p>\n\n

\n\nTip:<\/strong> The main rule to remember when adding a prefix to a word is not<\/strong> to add letters or leave out any letters.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Common Prefixes<\/caption>\n
Prefix<\/th>\nMeaning<\/th>\nExample<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
dis<\/td>\nnot, opposite of<\/td>\ndis + satisfied = dissatisfied<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
mis<\/td>\nwrongly<\/td>\nmis + spell = misspell<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
un<\/td>\nnot<\/td>\nun + acceptable = unacceptable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
re<\/td>\nagain<\/td>\nre + election = reelection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
inter<\/td>\nbetween<\/td>\ninter + related = interrelated<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
pre<\/td>\nbefore<\/td>\npre + pay = prepay<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
non<\/td>\nnot<\/td>\nnon + sense = nonsense<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
super<\/td>\nabove<\/td>\nsuper + script = superscript<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sub<\/td>\nunder<\/td>\nsub + merge = submerge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
anti<\/td>\nagainst, opposing<\/td>\nanti + bacterial = antibacterial<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Exercise<\/p>\n\n<\/header>\n

\n

Identify the five words with prefixes in the following paragraph, and write their meanings on a separate sheet of paper. Once complete, please share with a classmate and compare your answers.<\/p>\n\n

\n\nAt first, I thought one of my fuzzy, orange socks disappeared in the dryer, but I could not find it in there. Because it was my favorite pair, nothing was going to prevent me from finding that sock. I looked all around my bedroom, under the bed, on top of the bed, and in my closet, but I still could not find it. I did not know that I would discover the answer just as I gave up my search. As I sat down on the couch in the family room, my Dad was reclining on his chair. I laughed when I saw that one of his feet was orange and the other blue! I forgot that he was colour-blind. Next time he does laundry I will have to supervise him while he folds the socks so that he does not accidentally take one of mine!\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Exercise<\/p>\n\n<\/header>\n

\n

Add the correct prefix to the word to complete each sentence. Write the word on your own sheet of paper.<\/p>\n\n

    \n \t
  1. I wanted to ease my stomach ________comfort, so I drank some ginger root tea.<\/li>\n \t
  2. Lenny looked funny in his ________matched shirt and pants.<\/li>\n \t
  3. Penelope felt ________glamorous at the party because she was the only one not wearing a dress.<\/li>\n \t
  4. My mother said those ________aging creams do not work, so I should not waste my money on them.<\/li>\n \t
  5. The child\u2019s ________standard performance on the test alarmed his parents.<\/li>\n \t
  6. When my sister first saw the meteor, she thought it was a ________natural phenomenon.<\/li>\n \t
  7. Even though she got an excellent job offer, Cherie did not want to ________locate to a different country.<\/li>\n \t
  8. With a small class size, the students get to ________act with the teacher more frequently.<\/li>\n \t
  9. I slipped on the ice because I did not heed the ________cautions about watching my step.<\/li>\n \t
  10. A ________combatant is another word for civilian.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Suffixes<\/h1>\n

    A suffix<\/a><\/span> is a word part added to the end of a word to create a new meaning. Study the suffix rules in the following boxes.<\/p>\n\n

    Rule 1: -ness and -ly<\/h2>\n

    When adding the suffixes -ness<\/em> and -ly<\/em> to a word, the spelling of the word does not change.<\/p>\n\n

    \n

    Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n