VOCABULARY : PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES

NOUN SUFFIXES
-ance, -ence: action, process, or state of
adolescence (the state of growing up from childhood to adulthood; the transitional
period between youth and maturity), dependence (the state of being
dependent)
-ian: one who is or does
comedian (one who creates comedy), politician (one who seeks or holds a political
office)
-ion: act or process; state or condition
detection (the act of detecting), election (the act or power of electing)
-ism: act, practice, or process; state or doctrine of
feminism (belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes),
materialism (the belief that the acquisition of material possessions is the
highest good)
-ist: one who performs, makes, produces, believes, etc.
dentist (one who is trained and licensed to practice dentistry), pianist (one who
plays the piano)
-ity: quality, state, or degree
equality (the state or quality of being equal), fidelity (the quality of being
faithful)
-sis: process or action
diagnosis (the process of identifying the nature or cause of a disease or injury),
paralysis (loss of sensation or ability to move or function)
-ure: act, process, function
enclosure (an area or thing that is enclosed), failure (something that has failed
to perform as expected or requested).

NUMERICAL PREFIXES
un-, mono-: one (unique, unity, monotonous, monopoly)
bi-: two (bigamy, bilateral, bicameral, bicycle)
tri-: three (trivial, trident, trinity, triple)
quad-, quar-: four (quadrant, quarter, quart, quartet)
deci-: ten (decade, decathlon, decimal, decibel)
cent-: hundred (century, centipede, centennial)
mil-: thousand (millipede, millennium, millimeter)
Common Prefixes
a-, an-: not, without ab-, abs-: from, away, off
amoral (not moral), atypical (not typical) abduct (to take by force), abnormal (away
from or apart from the standard)

ante-: prior to, in front of, before anti-, ant-: opposite, opposing, against
anterior (placed before), antedate (to antibiotic (substance that kills
proceed in time, come before) microorganisms), antidote (remedy for
counteracting
the effects of a poison)

circ-, circum-: around, about, on all co-, com-, con-: with, together, jointly
sides cooperate (to work together, comply),
circumference (the outer boundary of a connect (to bind or fasten together)
circle), circumstance (the conditions or
state of affairs surrounding or affecting an
event, a particular incident, or
an occurrence)

dis-: away from, apart, reversal, not ex-: out, out of, away from
dismiss (to send away from, eject), exit (go out), expel (to drive out or away)
disobedient (not obedient)

in-: not inter-: between, among, within

inaccurate (not accurate), informal (not intercept (to stop someone or something
formal) between its starting point and
destination),
intervene (to come, occur, appear, or lie
between two points of time
or things)

mal-: bad, abnormal, evil, wrong mis-: bad, wrong, ill; opposite or lack of
malfunction (to fail to function properly), misbehave (to behave badly), misspell (to
malpractice (wrongdoing, especially spell incorrectly)
improper or negligent treatment of a
patient by a physician)

multi-: many, multiple neo-: new, recent, a new form of

multimedia (the combined use of several neonatal (of or relating to a newborn
media), multiple (having several or child), neologism (a new word or phrase)
many parts or elements)

non-: not poly-: many, much

nonfiction (the genre of literature that polygamy (the system of having more
includes all types of books other than than one wife at a time), polysyllabic
fiction), (having
nonsmoker (someone who does not three or more syllables)
smoke)

pre-: before re-: back, again

precaution (something done in advance to rebuild (to build again after destruction),
avoid risk), predict (to forecast, make replace (to put back in its former position;
known in advance) to take the place of)
sub-: under, beneath, below super-: above, over, exceeding
subdue (to overcome, bring under superb (grand, magnificent, of unusually
control), submarine (a ship that can high quality, excellent), superman (a
operate man with powers exceeding ordinary
under water) human capacity)
ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES
-able, -ible: capable or worthy of; -al, -ial, -ical: having the quality of,
tending or liable to relating to, or characterized by
dependable (worthy of being depended practical (of or relating to practice or
on, trustworthy), incredible (not credible; action; useful), ethical (of or relating to
unable to be believed, improbable) ethics or morals)

-an, -ian: related to, characteristic of -ic: pertaining or relating to, having the
humanitarian (relating to, or characteristic quality of
of a humanitarian), vegetarian dramatic (of or relating to drama,
(relating to vegetarianism) theatrical), realistic (of or relating to the
representation
of things as they really are)

-ish: having the character of -ive: performing or tending towards

childish (characteristic of, pertaining to, (an action); having the nature of
or resembling a child), foolish (devoid cooperative (marked by a willingness to
of good sense or judgment; exhibiting cooperate; done with or working with
folly, in the manner of a fool) others for a common purpose), defensive
(serving to defend or protect)

-ous, -ose: full of, having the quality of,

relating to
glorious (having or deserving glory,
famous), nauseous (causing nausea,
sickening)

VERB SUFFIXES
-ate: to make, cause to be or become
deteriorate (to make worse, impair; to make inferior in quality or character),
irritate (to cause annoyance or disturbance in; to make impatient, angry,
annoyed)
-ify, -fy: to make, form into
beautify (to make beautiful), specify (to state explicitly or in detail)
-ize: to cause to be or become, to bring about
colonize (to establish a colony), democratize (to make or become democratic)
VOCABULARY: CONFUSING WORDS
accept to recognize
except excluding
access (verb) to gain entry to
access (noun) means of
approaching
excess extra
adapt to adjust
adopt to take as one’s
own
affect to influence
effect (noun) result
effect (verb) to bring about
all ready totally prepared
already by this time
all ways every method
always forever
among in the middle of
several
between in an interval
separating
assure assure someone
ensure to check for
yourself
insure financial value
beside next to
besides in addition to
bibliography list of writings
biography a life story
breath (noun) respiration
breathe (verb) to inhale and
exhale
breadth width
capital (noun) money
capital (adjective) most important
capitol government
building
complement match
compliment Praise
disinterested strong opinion
either way
uninterested having no
interest
envelop to surround
envelope paper wrapping
 for a letter
farther beyond
further additional
immigrate to enter a new
country
emigrate to leave a country
imply to hint, suggest
infer to assume, deduce
loose not tight
lose unable to find
overdo to do too much
overdue late
personal individual
personnel employees
precede to go before
proceed to continue
proceeds profits
principal (adj) main
principal (n) person in charge;
principle standard
stationary still, not moving
stationery writing material
whether if
weather climate
who substitute for he,
she, or they
whom substitute for him,
her, or
whose belonging to
whom