Affixes
An affix is added to the root of a word to change its meaning. An affix added to the front of a word is known as a prefix. One added to the back is known as a suffix. (Sometimes, prefixes are hyphenated.)
Table of Contents
- Easy Examples of Affixes
- Real-Life Examples of Affixes
- A List of Common Prefixes
- A List of Common Suffixes
- Why Affixes Are Important
- Test Time!
Easy Examples of Affixes
- incapable (The affix is the prefix in.)
- ex-President (The affix is the prefix ex-.)
- laughing (The affix is the suffix -ing.)
Real-Life Examples of Affixes
- He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. (Prime Minister Winston Churchill)
- I inspire myself. (American actor Tommy Wiseau)
- May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. (South African President Nelson Mandela)
- What consumes your mind controls your life. (Unknown philosopher)
- Normality is a paved road: it's comfortable to walk but no flowers grow. (Artist Vincent van Gogh)
- Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are. (Singer Kurt Cobain)
- To live will be an awfully big adventure. (Peter Pan)
- Many foxes grow gray but few grow good. ("The First American" Benjamin Franklin)
A List of Common Prefixes
Here is a list of common prefixes with some examples:
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| a-, an- | without | amoral, atypical |
| ante- | before | antecedent, antenatal |
| anti- | against | anti-establishment |
| auto- | self | autopilot |
| circum- | around | circumvent |
| co- | with | co-conspirator, co-pilot |
| com-, con- | with | companion, contact |
| contra- | against | contradiction |
| de- | off | delist, devalue |
| dis- | not | disappear |
| en- | put into | enclose, envelop |
| ex- | out of, former | extract, ex-governor |
| extra- | beyond, more than | extracurricular |
| hetero- | different | heterosexual |
| homo- | same | homonym, homophone |
| hyper- | over, more | hyperactive |
| il-, im-, in-, ir- | not, without | illegal, impractical, inconsiderate, irresponsible |
| in- | into | insert |
| inter- | between | internet, intersection, |
| intra- | inside | intranet, intravenous |
| macro- | large | macronutrients |
| micro- | small | microscope |
| mono- | one | monocle |
| non- | not, without | nonentity, nonstarter, |
| omni- | all, every | omnipresent, omniscient |
| post- | after | post-mortem |
| pre-, pro- | before, forward | precede, project |
| sub- | under | submarine, substandard |
| syn- | same time | synchronize |
|
| super- | above | supervisor, superhuman |
| trans- | across | transmit |
|
| tri- | three | tripod, triceratops |
| un- | not | undone, unfinished, |
| uni- | one | unicorn, unilaterally |
A List of Common Suffixes
Here is a list of common suffixes with some examples:
| Suffix | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| -able, -ible | can be done | comfortable, passable |
| -al, -ial | having the characteristics of | personal |
| -ed | past-tense verbs (weak verbs) | danced, jumped |
| -en | made of | golden, wooden |
| -er | comparative | tidier, nicer |
| -er, -or | one who | actor, narrator, worker |
| -est | superlative | nicest, greatest |
| -ful | full or full of | cupful, careful |
| -ic | having characteristics of | linguistic, sarcastic |
| -ing | verb form (present participle and gerund) | dancing, singing |
| -ion, -tion, -ation, ition | act or process | attraction, attrition |
| -ity, -ty | state of | humility, infinity |
| -ive, -ative, itive | adjective form of a noun | expensive, plaintive |
| -less | without | topless, fearless |
| -ly | adverb ending | nicely, quickly |
| -ment | action or process | enjoyment, entrenchment |
| -ness | state of, condition of | eagerness, kindness |
| -ous, -eous, -ious | possessing the qualities of | erroneous, joyous |
| -s, -es | plural | tables, foxes |
| -y | characterized by | fatty, happy, jumpy |
Why Affixes Are Important
There are five good reasons to know about affixes.
(Reason 1) Using an affix to reduce the word count in your sentence
- Not aware > unaware
- Not sure > unsure
- Check again > recheck (Incidentally, be careful with the word recheck. It means to perform a second check. All too often, it is mistakenly used for a first check.)
- to bake cakes > baking cakes
- a comparison of the data shows > comparing the data shows
(Reason 2) Breaking down long words to help with spelling
- Anti-dis-establ-ish-ment-arian-ism
(Reason 3) Breaking down long words to help with decoding their meaning
- disrespectfully breaks down to dis-respect-ful-ly (Dissecting disrespectfully gets you to something like "not-respect-full of-adverb," which would lead to something like "done in a manner that is full of no respect." That's a pretty good clue as its meaning.)
- lonelinesslessness (With three suffixes, this is the concept of no loneliness.)
- semihemidemisemiquaver (With four prefixes, this a hundred twenty-eighth note.)
(Reason 4) Knowing whether to use a hyphen with a prefix
The guidance governing whether to use a hyphen with a prefix is quite complicated, but, luckily, this is one of those times when you're safe to fly by the seat of your pants. This is a good rule of thumb: Don't use a hyphen after prefix, but if it looks too unwieldy, use one. Read more about using hyphens in prefixes.
(Reason 5) Knowing when to capitalize a prefix
A prefix is not written with a capital letter unless it starts the sentence or is an integral part of a proper noun.
- Ex-President Smith will meet ex-President Jones later. (The first prefix (Ex-) starts the sentence, so the capital letter is correct.)
- Please show me the Baxter Inter-Department Programme. (The prefix Inter- is part of the proper noun, so the capital letter is correct.)
- Will you attend this year's anti-Nazi rally? (The prefix anti- is not part of the proper noun, so the lowercase letter is correct.)
Key Points
- Use an affix to create a new word that allows you to reduce your word count and smooth the flow of your sentence.
- Identify the affixes in a word to help with spelling it and decoding its meaning.
- Don't use a hyphen with a prefix, but if you can't bear how it looks, use one.
This page was written by Craig Shrives.
