10.

BUILDING WORDS
Objectives:

After studying this lesson, the student will be able to:

* Identify the English common prefixes and suffixes

* Become familiar with common suffix and prefix rules.
* Use English prefixes and suffixes
* Identify words by class/type
* Build word using prefix and suffix
* Build sentence using derivatives.

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 prefixes 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 words.

Prefixes and Suffixes

A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word to create a new meaning.
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word to create a new meaning.

Prefix/Suffix Function Meaning Examples

1. un- to make negative Not unusual, unsound

2 dis- to make negative Not disadvantage, dismiss

3. in- to make negative Not informal, inaccurate

4. il- to make negative Not illegal, illogical

5. im- to make negative Not immoral, immature

6. ir- to make negative Not irreguler, irresponsible

7. non- Out of nonsense, nonessential

8. -ence to make noun State of patience, silence

9. -ment to make noun In a state of development, recruitment

10. -ness to make noun Having the quality of kindness, sadness

11. -ion to make noun Of, Part of doing action, production.

12. -ee to make noun Person affected to/ employee, trainee
Person acting

13. -phobia Excessive fear of xenophobia, claustrophobia

14. -phone Means of reproducing megaphone, saxophone

sound

15. -ful to make adjective Full of beautiful, meaningful

16. -ious to make adjective Having the prestigious, religious

characteristics of

17. -less to make adjective Without useless, meaningless

18. –ish to make adjective Like boyish, girlish

19. -fy to make verb Make into, beautify, simplify

Cause to be
Bring to a state of

20. en- to make verb Put in, on enhappy,endanger

21. em- to make verb Make into, Cause to be empower, embody

22. -en to make verb Make into, Cause to be redden, sadden

23. -ize/-ise to make verb Cause to be, computerize, characterize

Make like,Change into

24. –ly to make adverb Having the qualities of happily, beautifully, nicely

25. re- Again reelection, redo, refund

26. inter- Between interrelated, international

27. pre- Before prepay, preschool

28. super Above superscript, superintendant

29. mis- Wrongly misspell, mispronounce

30. sub- Under submerge, subclause

31. anti- Against, Opposing antibacterial,antithesis,

anticlimax
Various Rules

Rule 1: 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: When the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the silent e in the root word.

Examples:

 care + ing = caring

 use + able = usable

Exceptions to Rule 2: 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: When the suffix begins with a consonant, keep the silent e in the original word.

Examples:

 care + ful = careful

 care + less = careless

Exceptions to Rule 3

Examples:

 true + ly = truly
 argue + ment = argument
Rule 4: 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: 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
Key Takeaways
 A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word that changes the word’s
meaning.
 A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word that changes the word’s meaning.
 Learning the meanings of prefixes and suffixes will help expand your vocabulary,
which will help improve your writing.
Practices:
1. Identify the five words with prefixes in the following paragraph.
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 just
as I gave up my search. As I sat down on the couch in the family room, 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 color-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!
a. _____________ : ...................................................................
b._____________ : ...................................................................
c. _____________ : ..................................................................
d. _____________ : ...................................................................
e. _____________ : ...................................................................
2. On your own sheet of paper, write correctly the forms of the words with their
suffixes.
 refer + ed
 refer + ence
 mope + ing
 approve + al
 green + ness
 benefit + ed
 resubmit + ing
 use + age
 greedy + ly
 excite + ment
3. Match the derivatives with the correct meanings. Write the number of the derivative on the
blank before the definition.

a. transoceanic a. help entertain guests

b. unmannerly b. give the wrong facts
c. presuppose c. place between
d. co-host d. under the surface dirt
e. misinform e. assume in advance
f. disunite f. not well-behaved
g. interpose g. care taken beforehand
h. precaution h. squeeze together
i. subsoil i. across the seas
j. compress j. not regular or steady
k. reconsider k. oversee
l. untenable l. going beyond what is usual
m. supervise m. not able to be defended
n. extraordinary n. think carefully about again
o. inconsistent o. separate
4. The italicized derivatives in each pair of sentences have the same prefix. Read the lettered
sentence to get the meaning of the prefix. Then read the numbered sentence and choose the
correct definition of the derivative. Write the letter of the correct meaning on the blank.

a. The short intermissions between quarters gave the players a rest.

*To make good lasagna, put an interlayer of ricotta cheese between the pasta and the meat
sauce.
a. one layer b. layer between others c. top layer

b. When the liner docked at Southampton, many passengers chose to disembark and visit the city.
*I tried to dissociate my self from the bad behavior of my brother.
 a. join with b. defend c. separate

c. Because of a misprint in the article, what she actually said at the meeting was misquoted.
*Jacob, who drew up the club budget, explained it at the meeting so no would misrepresent the
plan.
a. clearly explain b. state wrongly c. say in public

d. In order to enter the essay contest, you have to confront the task of filling out a long entrance
form.
*All the members of our chess team wanted to conjoin with the Milwaukee chess club to form
an intercity alliance.
a. discuss b. combine c. argue

e. The wet, hot summer created a superabundance of grain.

*With an almost superhuman burst of energy, the track star won.
a. final b. tremendous c. unexpected

5. Write the prefix that has the same meanings as the underlined word or words. Then write the
complete word.

For xample: badly + pronounce = say incorrectly: mis- = mispronounce.

a. beyond + terrestrial = outside the earth’s atmosphere. =

b. out of + patriate = one who lives in a foreign country.=
c. again + enact = repeat the actions of an event.=
d. against + histamine = medicine that fights histamines in the body.=
e. not + compatible = unable to exist in harmony.=
f. badly + understand = understand in correctly.=
g. remove + hydrate = take water away from.=
h. again + arrange = put in proper order once more.=
i. before + fabricate = build beforehand.=
j. below + standard = below the standard.=

6. Fill in the gaps with a suitable word using one of the prefix.

For example:

Common - Australian people often blow noses whenever they like. But in Indonesia that behavior
is uncommon.

a. Advantage - Technology growth enables people to do office duties more effectively but to
some extent there are _________
b. Like - People who are hopeless may _______ struggling to make a living.
c. Happy - The director’s personal decision made his staff ___________
d. Like - ________ your elder brother, you are always responsive to your friends.
e. Mother - What makes me feel sure that she is capable to lead this organization is,
she is _________

7. Fill in the gaps with a suitable word using one of the suffixes above.

For example: Break - A plate made of glass is breakable.

a. Beauty - Even though she is ________ she is not proud of her beauty.
 b. Patient - Because of his ________ every employee obeys him.
c. Product - To increase and improve ________ you should use better methods and machines.
d. Prestige - Nowadays, having more than one credit-card is __________
e. Move - All beds in a good hotel are usually _____________

8. Add the correct prefix to the word to complete each sentence.

a. I wanted to ease my stomach ________comfort, so I drank some ginger root tea.
b. Lenny looked funny in his ________matched shirt and pants.
c. Penelope felt ________glamorous at the party because she was the only one not
wearing a dress.
d. My mother said those ________aging creams do not work, so I should not waste my
money on them.
e. The child’s ________standard performance on the test alarmed his parents.
f. When my sister first saw the meteor, she thought it was a ________natural
phenomenon.
g. Even though she got an excellent job offer, Cherie did not want to ________locate to a
different country.
h. With a small class size, the students get to ________act with the teacher more
frequently.
i. I slipped on the ice because I did not heed the ________cautions about watching my
step.
j. A ________combatant is another word for civilian.

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 suffixes in
your classmate’s paper. Correct each prefix or suffix that is spelled incorrectly.