Word formation - prefixes

Word Formation

Prefixes	Suffixes
Prefixes of time & order	Noun-forming suffixes
Prefixes of numbers	Adjective-forming suffixes
Prefixes of location	Adverb-forming suffix
Prefixes of size	Verb-forming suffixes
Negative & positive prefixes	Words ending in -ing
Other prefixes
Exercises using prefixes and suffixes:1\|2\|3\|4\|5\|

When you are reading, you will come across unfamiliar words. It is often possible to guess their meanings if you understand the way words in English are generally formed:

PREFIX

STEM

SUFFIXES

An English word can be divided into three parts: a prefix, a stem, and a suffix. Pre- means 'before. A prefix, therefore, is what comes before the stem. Consider, as an example, the prefix de- (meaning 'reduce' or 'reverse') in a word like demagnetize (meaning 'to deprive of magnetism'). A suffix is what is attached to the end of the stem. Consider, as an example, the suffix -er (meaning 'someone who') in programmer ('a person who programmes').

Suffixes change the word from one part of speech to another. For example, -ly added to the adjective quick gives the adverb quickly. Prefixes, on the other hand, usually change the meaning of the word. For example, un- changes a word to the negative. unmagnetizable means 'not capable of being magnetized'.

Let us now consider some prefixes, their usual meanings, and how they change the meanings of English words.

Part 1: prefixes

Prefixes:
Negative & positive	Size	Location	Time & order	Number
un-	semi-	inter-	pre-	mono-
non-	mini-	super-	ante-	bi-
in-	micro-	trans-	fore-	hex-
dis-		ex-	post-	oct-
re-		extra-		multi-
		peri-

Study these tables. Try and find additional examples using your dictionary:

1. Negative and positive prefixes:
	Prefix	Meaning	Examples
Negative:	un-	not	unmagnetized
	in-	not	incomplete
	im-	not	impossible
	il-	not	illegal
	ir-	not	irregular, irrelevant
	non-	not connected with	non-programmable
	mis-	bad, wrong	misdirect
	mal-	bad, wrong	malfunction
	dis-	opposite feeling	disagree
	dis-	opposite action	disconnect
	anti-	against	antiglare, antistatic
	de-	reduce, reverse	demagnetize, decode
	under-	too little	underestimate
Positive:	re-	do again	reorganize
	over-	too much	overload

2. Prefixes of size:
Prefix	Meaning	Examples
semi-	half, partly	semiconductor
equi-	equal	equidistant
mini-	small	minicomputer
micro-	very small	microcomputer, microscopic
macro-	large, great	macroeconomics
mega-	large, great	megabyte

3. Prefixes of location:
Prefix	Meaning	Examples
inter-	between, among	interface, interactive
super-	over	supersonic
trans-	across	transmit, transfer
ex-	out	exclude, extrinsic
extra-	beyond	extraordinary
sub-	under	subschema, subtraction
infra-	below	infra-red
peri-	around	peripheral, periscope

4. Prefixes of time and order:
Prefix	Meaning	Examples
ante-	before	antecedent
pre-	before	prefix, preceding, precedent
prime-	first	primary, primitive
post-	after	postdated, post-natal
retro-	backward	retrograde, retroactive

5. Prefixes of numbers:
Prefix	Meaning	Examples
semi-	half	semicircle
mono-	one	monochromatic
bi-	two	binary
tri-	three	triangle
quad-	four	quadruple
penta-	five	pentagon
hex-	six	hexadecimal
sept(em)-	seven	September
oct-	eight	octal
dec-	ten	decimal
multi-	many	multiplexor, multicoloured

6. Other prefixes:
Prefix	Meaning	Examples
pro-	before, in advance, forward	programme, progress, procreation
auto-	self	automatic
co-	together with	co-ordinate, co-operate
con-	together with	connect

Exercises using prefixes:1|2|3|4

Part 2: suffixes

We have already seen how prefixes can change the meaning of a word. Let us now consider some suffixes, their usual meanings, and how they change the meanings of English words:

Suffixes
Nouns	Verbs	Adjectives	Adverbs
-ance	-ize	-able	-ly
-ence	-ate	-ible
-or	-fy	-less
-er	-en	-ic
-ist	-ify	-ical
		-ish
		-ive

Study these tables. Try and find additional examples using your dictionary:

1. Noun-forming suffixes:
Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-ance	state	performance
-ence	quality of	independence
-er, -or	a person who a thing which	programmer, operator, biographer compiler, accumulator, processor, calculator
-ist, -yst	a person who	analyst, typist
-ian	pertaining to	electrician
-tion, -ation	the act of	compilation
-ness	condition of	readiness, cleanliness, happiness
-ion	action/state	conversion
-ing	activity	multiplexing
-ment	state, action	measurement, requirement
-ity	state, quality	electricity
-ism	condition/state	magnetism
-dom	domain/condition	freedom
-ship	condition/state	relationship, partnership

2. Verb-forming suffixes:
Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-ize/-ise	to make	computerize
-ate		automate, activate, calculate
-ify		simplify
-en		harden, widen, lengthen, shorten

3. Adverb-forming suffix:
Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-ly	in the manner of	electronically, logically, comparably, slowly, quickly, automatically, carefully

4. Adjective-forming suffixes:
Suffix	Meaning	Examples
-al	having the quality of	computational, logical
-ar		circular, rectangular, cellular, regular
-ic		magnetic, automatic
-ical		electrical
-able	capable of being	comparable
-ble	capable of being	divisible
-ous	like, full of	dangerous, insiduous, miraculous
-ful	characterized by	helpful, careful
-less	without	careless, meaningless
-ish	like	yellowish
-ed	having the quality of	computed, processed
-ive	having the quality of	interactive

5. Words ending in -ing

Note that words ending in -ing are formed from verbs. The -ing form may be used as a noun, part of a noun phrase, or part of a verb

Programming is an interesting job (noun)
Programming in C is interesting (part of a noun phrase)
He is working as a programmer (part of a verb)

Exercises using prefixes and suffixes:1|2|3|4|5|