Prefix-Suffix-Root List by Grade Level (Generally, prefixes and suffixes change the meanings of roots, but it is usually the suffix that denotes the part of speech.) 1st Grade Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional Information -s,-es plural, more than one hats, pigs, boxes, Anglo-Saxon wishes -ing action/ process helping, skipping, Anglo-Saxon Present participle of running, seeing, verb thinking -ed past tense jumped, helped Anglo-Saxon Past tense verb nd 2 Grade (Please review affixes from prior grade.) Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional Information un- not/ opposite unlock, unsafe Anglo-Saxon re- again/ back reread, rewrite, Latin return dis- not/ opposite of dislike, distrust Latin -er person connected teacher, writer, Anglo-Saxon with/ comparative baker, bigger, degree colder, taller -est superlative degree biggest, coldest, Anglo-Saxon Usually an adjective tallest 3rd Grade (Please review affixes from prior grades.) Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional Information dis- not/ opposite of dislike, distrust Latin in- not inactive, insane, Latin 1 inexpensive -ful full of beautiful, painful Anglo-Saxon Usually an adjective -less without careless, helpless Anglo-Saxon -y characterized by/ like cloudy, fishy Anglo-Saxon -ly characteristic of badly, friendly, Anglo-Saxon Usually an adverb quickly th 4 Grade (Please review affixes from prior grades.) Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional Information under- too little/ below underfed, Anglo-Saxon underground over- too much/ above overdone, overhead Anglo-Saxon non- not nonfat, nonsense Latin pre- before preplan, pretest Latin bi- two bicycle, binocular Latin tri- three tricycle, triangle Latin/ Greek quad- four quadrilateral, Latin quadrant oct- eight octagon, octopus Latin/ Greek -ion, –ation act of/ state of/ attention, vision, Anglo-Saxon Noun –sion, -tion result of invitation (See 6th grade for explanation) -ness condition/ state of darkness, fairness Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun -ly characteristic of badly, friendly, Anglo-Saxon Usually an adverb quickly -ment act/ process enjoyment, Latin replacement -er, -or one who/ that which baker, boxer, Latin Usually a noun conductor, survivor Use –or with Latin roots for nouns (inventor, elevator) Use –er with Anglo-Saxon roots (heater, swimmer) 2 th 5 Grade (Please review affixes from prior grades.) Prefix Suffix Root Definition Examples Origin Additional Information semi- half semicircle, Latin semicolon super- above/ on top superfine, Latin of/ beyond superhuman, supersonic multi- many/ much multicolor, Latin multifamily poly- many/ much polygon, Greek polysyllable tele- distant/far Television, Greek telephone mis- bad or badly/ misbehave, Latin wrong or misread, wrongly misspell inter- between intercept, Latin interview, interstate mid- middle midnight, Anglo-Saxon midweek sub- under, beneath, subway, subsoil, Latin below/ substitute secondary deca- deci- ten decathlon, Latin/ Greek decade, decimal, decimeter kilo- 1,000 kilogram, Greek kilowatt milli- mille- 1,000 millennium, Latin millimeter 3 centi- 100 centimeter, Latin centipede -able, -ible can be done enjoyable, Latin -able ending words sensible, likable have roots that can stand alone. enjoyable -ible ending words have roots that can not stand alone. sensible -ian, -an one having a electrician, Latin Usually a noun certain skill/ magician, relating to/ American, belonging to suburban -ship condition of/ championship, Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun skill friendship, hardship, leadership -ist one who does a artist, tourist Latin/ Greek Usually a noun specific action -logy, -ology science of/ biology, Greek study of chronology -ism act/ belief/ patriotism, Latin/ Greek Usually a noun practice of idealism, absenteeism, -ence, -ance act/ condition persistence, Latin Usually a noun of excellence, -ence and –ance assistance, sound alike because importance of the schwa. –ence is used somewhat more often than – ance. -ess feminine actress, lioness Latin/ Greek Usually a noun 4 max(i) great maximum, Latin maximize meter, metr measure diameter, Greek odometer, metric, perimeter photo light photograph, Greek telephoto, photocopy port to carry portable, Latin transport phobia, irrational fear aquaphobia, Greek There are names for phobic, or hatred/ one claustrophobic more than 500 phobe who fears/ technophobe phobias, most of hates which come from the field of medicine. rupt break/ burst bankrupt, Latin FYI: Erupt means to rupture, explode. (The disruptive volcano erupted.) Irrupt means to rush or burst in. (The police irrupted into the hideout.) scrib, script to write describe, Latin Verbs usually use manuscript scribe, as in prescribe; nouns usually use script, as in prescription. gram, graph written/ drawn autograph, Greek paragraph, telegram dict to say/ tell diction, dictator Latin ject to throw inject, objection Latin 5 spect, spec to see/ watch/ prospect, Latin observe respect, specimen th 6 Grade (Please review affixes and roots from prior grades.) Prefix Suffix Root Definition Examples Origin Additional Information en-, em- to cause to be/ encounter, Latin to put into or enable, employ, onto/ to go into embark, encircle or onto fore- before/ earlier forearm, Anglo-Saxon foreword de- reduce down/ defeat, deform, Latin away from decrease trans- across/ change/ transformation, Latin through transportation, transfer anti- opposite/ antibiotic, Greek against antifreeze di-, dia- two/ through/ digraph, Greek across dialogue, diagonal ex- out of/ away extract, exhale, Latin/ Greek from extend auto- self autograph, Greek automatic in- (il-, im-, ir-) not inability, Latin il- used before roots impatient, beginning with l irregular, illegal illegible im- used before roots beginning with b, m, p immature, imbalance, impatient 6 ir- used before roots beginning with r irregular in- (il-, im-, ir-) in/ on/ toward infer, illustrate, Same prefix usage is improve, irrigate applied as above bio- life biography, Greek biological mini- small miniature, Latin From the Latin word minimum miniature… Modern generations shortened miniature to mini-. micro- small/ minute microbiology, Greek microscope uni- one/ single unicorn, Latin unicycle, uniform -en made of/ to wooden, Anglo-Saxon make dampen, tighten -dom condition of boredom, Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun freedom, kingdom -ity state of/ quality prosperity, Latin Usually a noun of equality -al, -ial related to/ colonial, Latin Usually an adjective characterized biennial, dental, by betrayal -ion, -ation act of/ state of/ tension, Anglo-Saxon The real suffix is –sion, -tion result of attention, –ion. Putting s or t in elevation, union front of –ion is simply determined by the spelling of the root. Usually a noun -ish relating to/ childish, foolish Anglo-Saxon Usually an adjective characteristic 7 of -ent, -ant an action/ student, Latin Often a noun condition contestant, The suffix –ant often immigrant indicates a person noun. -ent, -ant causing a obedient, Latin Often an adjective specific action absorbent, -ent and –ant sound abundant, alike because of the elegant schwa. –ent is used somewhat more often than –ant. -hood the state/ the boyhood, Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun condition/ the likelihood History of the suffix quality –hood Old English: -had Middle English: - hod Modern English: -hood aqua water aquarium, Latin aquamarine act put in motion/ action, react, Latin process of transact doing mit to send emit, transmit Latin anni, annu, year anniversary, Latin Usually a noun enni semiannual, millennium arch chief/ ruler archenemy, Greek matriarch duct, duc lead induce, conduct Latin geo earth/ ground/ geography, Greek soil geology man hand manicure, Latin manually 8 nym, onym name/ word antonym, Greek synonym phon voice/ sound telephone, Greek symphony therm heat thermometer, Greek thermostat tox poison toxic, Latin toxicology scope to watch/ see horoscope, Greek microscope, telescope th 7 Grade (Please review affixes and roots from prior grades.) Prefix Suffix Root Definition Examples Origin Additional Information ante- in front of/ antecedent, Latin Fun information – before antebellum antepenultimate means next to the next to the last…this word can usually be found on the SAT. ab- from/ away absent, absorb, Latin abnormal a- on/ in/ to across, aboard, Anglo-Saxon/ aside Latin a- without/ not atypical, amoral, Anglo-Saxon/ asocial Latin co-, con-, com- together/ with cooperate, Latin Concrete – meaning concede, to harden or to grow combine together pro- forward/ proceed, Latin/ Greek Some words with before/ in pronoun, pro- as a prefix are support of prohibit often hyphenated, so be sure to check the dictionary. 9 intra- within intranet, Latin intramural mega- great/ huge megabyte, Greek megaphone post- after/ following postpone, Latin postwar -ous, full of/ adventurous, Latin Usually an adjective -ious, characterized nervous, -eous by mysterious, courteous -ive, inclined/ festive, Latin Words that end with -itive, tending toward talkative, active, –de (intrude) change -ative an action sensitive the –de to s then add –ive (intrusive). Words that end with silent e (create) drop the e then add –ive (creative). -ic relating to/ energetic, Latin/ Greek Usually an adjective characterized historic by -ize to make/ to fertilize, Latin/ Greek Usually a verb cause to criticize, become apologize -fy, -ify to make satisfy, magnify Latin Usually a verb -age result of an manage, Latin action/ drainage, collection acreage -some characterized awesome, Anglo-Saxon Primarily used with by a specified