Affixes (Prefixes and Suffixes)

Affixes (prefixes and
suffixes)
Mr Ramokgopa
Affixes
• you know those partial words like re- or –ed that are added to longer words?
• Those are affixes, or affix in the singular. Even though they are small, affixes can change a
word’s meaning in a big way. They even take words you recognize and make them
unrecognizable!
• Affixes are small word particles, usually only a few letters, added to a root word to change its
meaning or grammatical properties. Most affixes are one or two syllables, and some like –s
and -es are just sounds.
• Google states that affix is an addition to the base form or stem of a word in order to modify its
meaning or create a new word.

Cont…
• Affix is a grammatical element that is combined with a word, stem, or phrase to produce
derived or inflected forms.
• Often, affixes modify a word’s definition. For instance, adding the affix re– before read creates
reread, which means “read again.” They can also be used in grammar, such as adding –ed at
the end of a verb to create the simple past tense, or adding an –s to the end of a noun to
make it plural.
• In morphology, affixes are a type of morpheme, a part of a word with its own meaning. For
example, the word disappearance has three morphemes: the root word appear and the two
affixes dis– and –ance.
Cont..
• The root word appear means to “become seen,” but the affix dis–
negates the meaning of the word it’s attached to, so disappear means
“become hidden.” The affix –ance turns verbs into nouns, so the final
meaning of disappearance becomes “the act of becoming hidden.”
• Affixes are bound morphemes, which means they cannot be used

alone and must be attached to a root word. If you used -ance on its
own without a root word, it would be incorrect and make no sense.
CONT..
• Keep in mind that certain affixes only work with certain

root words—you can not add any affix to any word. For
example, only the affix un– goes with the word sure;
you can say unsure, but you cannot say desure or
exsure.
Why do we use affixes?
• Affixes have two main purposes: grammar and simplifying

communication. First, affixes are used in English grammar: they
make a word singular or plural, create new verb tenses, and change
the word class of a word. For example, you can add an –s or –es to
the end of most nouns to make them plural.
• one dog
• two dogs
Cont…
You can also add -s or –es to the end of most verbs to make them singular for subject-verb
agreement.
• one dog runs
• two dogs run
Second, affixes are used to make communication faster and more efficient. Instead of
saying “He does not depend on anyone,” you can simply add the affixes in– and –ent to the
root word depend and make the word independent. Saying “He is independent” is much
faster and clearer than “He does not depend on anyone.”

The roles of affixes
• Affixes play several roles in English grammar. They can be used to

create new words by adding prefixes or suffixes to base
morphemes, resulting in derivational affixation. Derivational affixes
can change the meaning or category of a word, such as turning a
verb into a noun or an adjective into an adverb. Affixes can also be
used for inflectional purposes, where they indicate grammatical
features such as tense, number, or comparative/superlative forms.
CONT…
• Inflectional affixes do not change the meaning or category of a

word, but rather modify its grammatical properties . Additionally,
affixes can be used to establish semantic relations between
affixes, provide information about the part of speech of the root
and derivative, and aid in the alphabetical listing of affixes in
dictionaries .
Ways to identify affixes
• Knowing how to identify affixes can help you learn and understand new words, even if it’s
your first time seeing them. When you’re familiar with an affix’s meaning, you can guess a
new word’s definition, as long as you understand the root word.
• For example, if you know the word cute then you can probably guess what the word cuteness
means. The suffix –ness is used to change adjectives into nouns, so it’s easy to see that
cuteness is just the noun form of the adjective cute.
• The best way to identify affixes is to familiarize yourself with common prefixes and suffixes.
When you learn to recognize the most used affixes, you’ll be able to guess the meaning of
any word that uses them.
four types of affixes
• The four types of affixes are prefixes, suffixes, infixes, and

circumfixes. Prefixes come at the beginning of a word, and
suffixes come at the end of a word. Infixes come in the middle
of a word, and circumfixes are pairs of prefixes and suffixes that
always come together; however, in English, we do not use
infixes, and circumfixes are extremely rare.
Prefixes
• Prefixes are affixes that come at the beginning of a word, before a root word. Sometimes they are added to a
word to change its meaning, such as legal and illegal. Other times, they combine with other affixes to create new
words, such as adding the prefix bio– to the affix –ology to create biology.
• Unlike other affixes, prefixes sometimes use a hyphen. Specifically, the prefixes all-, self-, and ex– (when used to
mean “former”) always use hyphens.
• self-aware
• ex-boyfriend
• (sub-mit, pre-determine, un-willing)
• You can see a list of common prefixes, as well as a complete list of rules for hyphenating prefixes, in our separate
guide to prefixes.
The following are commonly used
prefixes that modify the words they
precede:
Prefix meaning usage
aero air Aeroplane, aeronautical,
aerodynamic
ante before Antenatal, ante-nupal
contract
anti against Anticlockwise, anti-
nuclear, antisocial
circum around Circumference,
circumnavigate
dis not Disembark, disengage,
disarray
en Take in Engulf, enjoy, endear
multi many Multiracial,
multimillionaire,
multiparty
sub under Submarine, subdivide,
Suffixes
• Suffixes are affixes that come at the end of a word, after the root word. Unlike prefixes, which mostly change
a word’s meaning, suffixes are mainly used for grammar purposes:
• verb conjugation (work -> worked)
• plurality (fox -> foxes)
• possession (Juliana -> Juliana’s)
• reflexive pronouns (them -> themselves)
• comparatives and superlatives (fast -> faster, fastest)
• changing word class (swim -> swimmer)
• You can see a list of common suffixes in our separate guide to suffixes.
Suffixes that modify the words they are connected
to and often change the parts of speech of those
words
Suffixes meaning usage
able, ible Able to be… Capable, reliable,
responsible, edible, legible
age Forms of noun Postage, hostage, footage,
bandage
al/ial Forms of adjective Practical, original,
confidential, remedial
hood A state of … Manhood, neighborhood,
parenthood
ish Like, having the nature of Selfish, childish
ness With/comprising of (usually Kindness, happiness,
forms abstract nouns) gracefulness
activity
suffixes meaning usage
ar/er/or
ate
ism
ity
ology
answers
ar/er/or Usually refer to careers or Liar, beggar, waiter,

occupations hairdresser, ambassador,
communicator
ate Forms of verbs Assimilate, congratulate
terminate
ism Forms abstract nouns Pessimism, optimism,
realism
ity Forms abstract or collective Reality, affinity, sensitivity,
nouns community
ology The science of… Astrology, criminology,
sociology
Infixes
• Infixes are a special type of affix that comes in the middle of a

word. However, the English language doesn’t use infixes.
Infixes are more common in other languages, including Greek,
Austronesian languages like Tagalog, and Indigenous American
languages like Choctaw.
Circumfixes
• Circumfixes are pairs of prefixes and suffixes always used

together. Circumfixes in English are very rare, but the circumfix
of en– and –en is seen in the common word enlighten, and the
circumfix of em– and –en is seen in embolden.
Activity
word prefix Base word suffix
unhelpful
Undo
personal
misuse
discolored
harmless
trainer
word prefix Base word suffix
unsure
remarkable
fearless
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Affixes (Prefixes and Suffixes)

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Affixes (prefixes and

meaning or create a new word.

• Affixes are bound morphemes, which means they cannot be used

• Keep in mind that certain affixes only work with certain

• Affixes have two main purposes: grammar and simplifying

• one dog runs

• two dogs run

faster and clearer than “He does not depend on anyone.”

• Affixes play several roles in English grammar. They can be used to

• Inflectional affixes do not change the meaning or category of a

• The four types of affixes are prefixes, suffixes, infixes, and

mean “former”) always use hyphens.

• (sub-mit, pre-determine, un-willing)

a word’s meaning, suffixes are mainly used for grammar purposes:

• verb conjugation (work -> worked)

• plurality (fox -> foxes)

• possession (Juliana -> Juliana’s)

• reflexive pronouns (them -> themselves)

• comparatives and superlatives (fast -> faster, fastest)

• changing word class (swim -> swimmer)

ar/er/or Usually refer to careers or Liar, beggar, waiter,

• Infixes are a special type of affix that comes in the middle of a

• Circumfixes are pairs of prefixes and suffixes always used

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