Prefixes and Suffixes

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ADVANCED ENGLISH
CONTENTS
Grammar
82.
Prefixes and Suffixes
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 pre‐
fixes and suffixes of English, you will understand many more words.
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
Previous: Synonyms and Antonyms
words.
Next: Resources for Working with MLA
https://opentextbc.ca/advancedenglish/chapter/prefixes-and-suffixes/ 1/8
Prefixes
A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word to create a new meaning. Study the
common prefixes in the following table.
Tip: The main rule to remember when adding a prefix to a word is not to add letters or
leave out any letters.
Common Prefixes
Prefix Meaning Example
dis not, opposite of dis + satisfied = dissatisfied
mis wrongly mis + spell = misspell
un not un + acceptable = unacceptable
re again re + election = reelection
inter between inter + related = interrelated
pre before pre + pay = prepay
non not non + sense = nonsense
super above super + script = superscript
sub under sub + merge = submerge
anti against, opposing anti + bacterial = antibacterial
Exercise
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.
At 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
Previous: just asand
Synonyms I gave up my
search. As I sat down on the couch in the family room,
Antonyms
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!
Exercise
Add the correct prefix to the word to complete each sentence. Write the word on your own
sheet of paper.
1. I wanted to ease my stomach ________comfort, so I drank some ginger root tea.
2. Lenny looked funny in his ________matched shirt and pants.
3. Penelope felt ________glamorous at the party because she was the only one not
wearing a dress.
4. My mother said those ________aging creams do not work, so I should not waste my
money on them.
5. The child’s ________standard performance on the test alarmed his parents.
6. When my sister first saw the meteor, she thought it was a ________natural
phenomenon.
7. Even though she got an excellent job offer, Cherie did not want to ________locate to
a different country.
8. With a small class size, the students get to ________act with the teacher more
frequently.
9. I slipped on the ice because I did not heed the ________cautions about watching my
step.
10. A ________combatant is another word for civilian.
Suffixes
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word to create a new meaning. Study the suffix rules
in the following boxes.

Rule 1: -ness and -ly
When adding the suffixes –ness and –ly to a word, the spelling of the word does not change.
Examples:
dark + ness = darkness
scholar + ly = scholarly
Exceptions to Rule 1
When the word ends in y, change the y to i before adding –ness and –ly.
Examples:
ready + ly = readily
happy + ness = happiness
Rule 2: Suffix Begins with a Vowel
When the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the silent e in the root word.
Examples:
care + ing = caring
use + able = usable
When the word ends in ce or ge, keep the silent e if the suffix begins with a or o.
Examples:
replace + able = replaceable

courage + ous = courageous
Rule 3: Suffix Begins with a Consonant
When the suffix begins with a consonant, keep the silent e in the original word.
Examples:
care + ful = careful
care + less = careless
Examples:
true + ly = truly
argue + ment = argument
Rule 4: Word Ends in a Consonant + y
When the word ends in a consonant plus y, change the y to i before any suffix not beginning with
i.

Examples:
sunny + er = sunnier
hurry + ing = hurrying
Rule 5: Suffix Begins with a Vowel
When the suffix begins with a vowel, double the final consonant only if (1) the word has only
one syllable or is accented on the last syllable and (2) the word ends in a single vowel followed
by a single consonant.
Examples:
tan + ing = tanning (one syllable word)
regret + ing = regretting (The accent is on the last syllable; the word ends in a
single vowel followed by a single consonant.)
cancel + ed = canceled (The accent is not on the last syllable.)
prefer + ed = preferred
Exercise
On your own sheet of paper, write correctly the forms of the words with their suffixes.
1. refer + ed
2. refer + ence
3. mope + ing
4. approve + al
5. green + ness
6. benefit + ed
7. resubmit + ing
8. useSynonyms
Previous: + age and Antonyms
9. greedy + ly Next: Resources for Working with MLA
10. excite + ment
Exercise: Writing Application
Write a paragraph describing one of your life goals. Include five words with prefixes and
five words with suffixes. Exchange papers with a classmate and circle the prefixes and suf‐
fixes in your classmate’s paper. Correct each prefix or suffix that is spelled incorrectly.
Text Attributions
This chapter was adapted from “Prefixes and Suffixes” in English for Business Success by a
publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution is under
a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence. Adapted by Allison Kilgannon.
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Advanced English Copyright © 2021 by

Allison Kilgannon is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial 4.0 International
License, except where otherwise noted.
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Prefix Meaning Example

dis not, opposite of dis + satisfied = dissatisfied

mis wrongly mis + spell = misspell

un not un + acceptable = unacceptable

re again re + election = reelection

inter between inter + related = interrelated

pre before pre + pay = prepay

non not non + sense = nonsense

super above super + script = superscript

sub under sub + merge = submerge

anti against, opposing anti + bacterial = antibacterial

1. I wanted to ease my stomach ________comfort, so I drank some ginger root tea.

2. Lenny looked funny in his ________matched shirt and pants.

5. The child’s ________standard performance on the test alarmed his parents.

10. A ________combatant is another word for civilian.

Previous: Synonyms and Antonyms

dark + ness = darkness

Rule 2: Suffix Begins with a Vowel

care + ing = caring

use + able = usable

Next: Resources for Working with MLA

replace + able = replaceable

Rule 3: Suffix Begins with a Consonant

care + ful = careful

care + less = careless

Rule 4: Word Ends in a Consonant + y

Previous: Synonyms and Antonyms

Rule 5: Suffix Begins with a Vowel

tan + ing = tanning (one syllable word)

10. excite + ment

Exercise: Writing Application

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Next: Resources for Working with MLA

Previous: Synonyms and Antonyms

Next: Resources for Working with MLA

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