AFFIXES (PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES) English I Pre-AP Vocabulary
Prefix : a word element that comes before the root. It changes the meaning of the word or creates a new word. Suffix : a word element that comes after the root. It changes the meaning of the word and often the way it is used (i.e., will turn a noun into a verb, a verb into a noun, etc.)
Prefixes Set #1 Word Root Definition Example Words A-, an- apathy, amoral, anaerobic
Ab- abnormal, abduct, absent, abhor
Ad- adapt, addict, adhere, admit
Aero- aerobic, aerobiology, aerospace
Amphi- amphibian, amphitheater
Ante- antebellum, antecede, antecedent
Anti-, ant- antiaircraft, antifreeze, antibiotics
Bi- bifacial, bifocal, biennial
Hyper- hyperactive, hypercritical, hypertension
Il- illegal, illegible, illiterate, illogical
Prefixes Set #2 Word Root Definition Example Words Inter- interaction, intercede, interchange
Micro- microscope, microcosm, microbiology
Mono- monosyllable, monoxide
Neo- neonatal, neoclassicism
Pan- pantheon, pandemic
Per- percolate, perceive
Post- postglacial, postgraduate, posterior
Pre- preamble, prearrange, precaution
Super- superabundant, superhuman, supercilious
Trans- transatlantic, transcend, transcribe, transfer
Suffixes Word Root Definition Example Words -able, -ible intelligible, probable, inevitable
-al, -ial potential, musical, national
-cle, -ial corpuscle, cubicle, particle
-ent fraudulent, dependent, negligent, evident
-ic comic, historic, poetic, public
-ism barbarism, heroism, altruism
-logy biology, ecology, geology
-or actor, auditor, doctor, donor
-tude solitude, multitude, aptitude
-y thrifty, jealousy, frequency, sticky
What will be on the quiz ? • True/False Questions : You will be given a sentence with a word containing one of the prefixes or suffixes and will have to determine whether the statement made by the sentence is true or false based on your knowledge of the meaning of the affix. o Example: The belligerent woman quietly and calmly removed herself from the argument. (Answer: False) • Sentence Completion Questions: You will rely on your knowledge of the meanings of prefixes and suffixes to complete sentences with words containing those affixes. You will not have to make up these words on your own; you will have a word bank. o Example: We thought moving to our new house would be easy, but the complicated the situation. It contained far too much water, and no one could pick it up! (Answer: aquarium) • Word Definition Questions: You will be given a word bank of words that contain a prefix or suffix and a list of definitions. Using your knowledge of the meanings of the affixes, you will match each word to its corresponding definition. o Example: The killing of another human being (Answer: homicide)