Session 7-10

ENG-101
English Comprehension
Lessons: 07-10
Virtual University of Pakistan

Word Formation: Suffix
Lesson No. 07
Word Formation
 When you are reading, you will come across unfamiliar
words. It is often possible to guess the meanings of these words
if you understand the way words are generally formed in
English. Learning the use and meaning of words in English can
be made easier, and even enjoyable, if you understand
something about the way in which many English words are
formed.
An English word can be divided into three parts:

Prefix
Stem
Suffix.
Word Formation
Prefix
Pre-means ‘before’ and therefore, is what comes before the
stem.
Example
Consider as an example, the prefix de-(meaning ‘reduce’ or
‘reverse’) in a word like demagnetize (‘to deprive of
magnetism’).
Suffix
A suffix is what is attached to the end of the stem.
Example
Consider as an example the suffix -er (meaning (‘someone
who’) in programmer (‘the person who programs’).
Both prefixes and suffixes are referred to as affixes.
Stem
 The stem of a word is its basic form, the
fundamental element which is common to all the other
forms of the word. A prefix is a form which is fixed to
the beginning of a stem; a suffix is a form which is
fixed to the end of a stem.
Example
Stem = measure
Suffix= measurable
Prefix =immeasurable
Difference between Prefix and Suffix
Prefix: it changes the meaning of the word
Example: Pleasant/un-pleasant
Suffix: it changes the form of the word.

Example: Follow/follow-ed
Examples of some Suffixes
Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverb
-ance -ize -able -ly
-ence -ate -ible
-or -fy -less
-er -en -ic
-ist -ify -ical
-ness -d -ish
-ment
P R A C T I C E
Nation
Nation (Noun)
Nation-al (Adjective)
Nation-al-ity (Noun)
Nation-al-ize (Verb)
Nation-al-iz-ation (Noun)
Nation-al-ism (Noun)
Inter-nation-al-ly (Adverb)
Locating Base Words
 It is sometimes difficult to locate base word, because their
spellings frequently change when suffixes are added to
them.
 If a base word ends in e, the e may be dropped when a suffix
is added to it.
 Mature +it y=maturity
 If a base word ends in y, the y may be changed to i ,when a
suffix is added to it:
 harmony +ous=harmonious
 Base words may undergo other spelling changes when
suffixes are added to them:
 reclaim+ation=reclamation (the I in reclaim is dropped)
Recap
An English word can be divided into three parts: a
prefix, a stem and a suffix. Prefix is what comes

before the stem. A suffix is what is attached to the end
of the stem. A stem is the root of the word. Both
prefixes and suffixes are referred to as Affixes.
Word Formation- Prefixes
Lesson -08
Prefix
A prefix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the

beginning of a stem/ base word e.g. in untrue the prefix is
un- and the stem/base word is true.
They change the meaning of the base word. Un + happy =

unhappy Re + do = redo Prefixes
Synonyms
Synonyms are words that have the same or nearly the same
meaning. For example, big large, huge, enormous
monumental, gigantic, immense, and colossal are synonyms.
Synonyms have two characteristics
1.Most synonyms have similar meanings in only one of
their senses e.g., appropriate and apt are synonyms when
they are used to indicate that something is ‘fit’ for a specific
purpose.
He made an appropriate remark
He made an apt remark
Synonyms
2.Synonyms often have shades of meaning in addition to the
meaning they share.
 For instance blame and denounce are synonyms that refer

to the act of making an unfavourable judgement.
However, to blame is to fix the responsibility for an error
whereas to denounce is to state intense disapproval in
public.
Recap
We have dealt with “Vocabulary Building” in this

lesson by focussing on Affixes-Prefixes.
Reading: Description, Locating
Information, Organizing Information
Lesson No.09
Characteristics
When you read a text about some topic like an article, you
need to do the following things to locate some
information.
i. remember to try and understand the meaning of new

words and expressions from the context.
ii. Don’t check new words in the dictionary until you

have read the whole text.
Context clues used to find word meaning:
the surrounding text

examples of the new word
synonyms: a word that means the same as
another word
antonyms: a word opposite in meaning to
another word
Locating Information
Exercise-1
Using the surrounding text, choose the meaning of
the bold-faced word.
On an impulse, Carla bought a lot of merchandise at the
store’s “going out of business” sale. She later regretted
that she hadn’t planned her purchases more carefully.
1. dare
2. review
3. sudden wish or urge
Exercise-2
Using the surrounding text, choose the meaning of the
bold-faced word.
“Mr. Allen,” said the instructor, “please cease cracking your

gum in class.”
1. enjoy
2. begin
3. stop
Organizing Information
A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develop
an idea. In nearly every paragraph, there is one idea that is

more important than others. This idea is called the main
idea of the paragraph and is usually found at the beginning
of the paragraph.
Sample Paragraph
It is the incredible speed of computers along with their

memory capacity that make them so useful and valuable.
Computers can solve problems in a fraction of time. For
this reason, they are used in business to keep the record of
accounts and airlines, train lines and bus lines use them to
keep track of ticket sales. As for memory, modern
computers can store information with high accuracy and
reliability. A computer can put data into its ‘memory’ and
retrieve it in a few millionths of a second. It also has a
storage capacity for as many as a million items.
If you were to organize this paragraph into its three
components, it would look like this:
Main idea: It is the incredible speed of computers along

with their memory capacity that make them so useful and
valuable
Major details: a. Computers can solve problems in a
fraction of time
b. As for memory, modern computers can store information
with high accuracy and reliability
Minor Details: a. Computers are used in business to keep
their accounts.
b. Airlines train lines bus lines use them to keep track of
ticket sales
Reading: Word Forms, Contextual
References
Lesson No.10
Words Forms
First choose the appropriate form of the words to
complete the sentences. Then check the differences of
meaning in your dictionary.
measurement, measure, measured, measurable
a. The analog computer is essentially used for problems is

involving ……………
b. Because computer equipment is often bulky, the area used
for a computer installation must be………… out carefully.
c. The number of employees a computer company has can
be seen as a…….. of its success in the business world.
Answers:
a. The analog computer is essentially used for problems is
involving measurement.
b. b. Because computer equipment is often bulky, the area

used for a computer installation must be measured out
carefully.
c. The number of employees a computer company has can

be seen as a measure of its success in the business
world.
Contextual Reference
i. The students have spent many hours studying for their
examinations. The antecedent of ‘their’ is ‘students’.
ii. Each of the wild horses raced for its freedom.
iii. Neither of my sons ever feels like cleaning his room.
 The worst thing about my note writing letters is that

you never get any back.
i. The writer begins with the first person pronoun my, but
then shifts to the second person pronoun you).

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ENG-101

Virtual University of Pakistan

An English word can be divided into three parts:

Prefix: it changes the meaning of the word

Suffix: it changes the form of the word.

An English word can be divided into three parts: a

prefix, a stem and a suffix. Prefix is what comes

A prefix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the

They change the meaning of the base word. Un + happy =

 For instance blame and denounce are synonyms that refer

We have dealt with “Vocabulary Building” in this

i. remember to try and understand the meaning of new

ii. Don’t check new words in the dictionary until you

the surrounding text

synonyms: a word that means the same as

“Mr. Allen,” said the instructor, “please cease cracking your

A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develop

an idea. In nearly every paragraph, there is one idea that is

It is the incredible speed of computers along with their

Main idea: It is the incredible speed of computers along

a. The analog computer is essentially used for problems is

b. b. Because computer equipment is often bulky, the area

c. The number of employees a computer company has can

ii. Each of the wild horses raced for its freedom.

iii. Neither of my sons ever feels like cleaning his room.

 The worst thing about my note writing letters is that

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