Muskan

· 07 Jan 2022

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What is prefix & suffix

An affix is a small group of letters (morpheme) added to a word to form a new word and modify its meaning. A prefix is added in the beginning of the existing word while a suffix is added in the end of an existing or root word. Therefore, prefixes and suffixes are known as the affixes because they have almost similar meanings, however, they are opposite of each other.

What is a prefix?
A prefix is a word or a group of letters which is added in the front of an existing or old word to form a new word. We can also call a prefix ‘a half word’ because it helps in adding meaning to the existing word. When a prefix is added to the old word, the meaning of the new word also changes. The examples of prefixes can be un, im, re, etc. Let's understand it with the following:

Un (prefix) + important (existing word) = Unimportant
Im (prefix) + proper (existing word) = Improper
Re (prefix) + try (existing word) = Retry
There are four most common prefixes which are dis-, in-, re- and un-. These prefixes accounted for 95% of the prefix morphemes.

Note: Sometimes, a hyphen is used with some prefixes. Example:
Re (prefix) + establish(existing word) = Re-establish

Rules to use hyphens with prefixes:
There are absolutely rules to use hyphens with prefixes which can be explained as under:
1.    Use hyphen with proper noun- Use hyphen with a prefix if you are adding it to a proper noun. If your prefix is to be used before a proper noun such as with a name then hyphen must be used after the prefix. Examples: Un-British, Pro-Nazi, etc.

2.    Use a hyphen with vowels unless it is an ‘o’- Ignore ‘o’ as a vowel here for using prefixes. Use a hyphen if the prefix ends with the same vowel and the existing word begins with the same vowel. Example: Semi-industrious, re-enter, re-establish

3.    Use hyphens with ex- and self- examples: ex-wife, self-awareness, etc.


What is a suffix?
A suffix is a word or group of letters added at the end of the existing words to provide a new meaning to the word. It also ensures that it fits grammatically to the sentence. Let’s understand with the examples:

Slow (existing word) + ly (suffix) = slowly (new word)
Sleep (existing word) + ing (suffix) = sleeping (new word)
Want (existing word) + ed (suffix) = wanted (new word)

The spelling of a root or existing word changes when a suffix is added however it happens in some cases. For example, the words ending with -y are preceded by a consonant, in such cases y changes into i like beauty - beautiful and ugly - ugliness. In other words ending in -e, in those cases e can be dropped when adding suffixes to them. Eg. use + able = usable and adore + able= adorable.
Note: When we add a suffix to an existing word, it also changes its parts of speech from one to another (eg. from noun to adjective).
1.    joy (noun) - joyous (adjective)
2.    tender (noun) - tenderness (adjective)

Types of suffixes:
There are two types of suffixes which can be explained as under:
1.    Derivational suffix: A derivational suffix indicates what type of word it is such as the addition of -ly to an adjective to form an adverb.
2.    Inflectional suffix: An inflectional suffix tells something about the word's grammatical behavior such as the addition of -s to a noun to form a plural.

Understanding the meanings of the common prefixes and suffixes can help you figure out and understand the meanings of new words you discover or encounter. It also enhances your vocabulary and learning spellings.

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