How does prefixes change the meaning of a word

You will come across the many different suffixes and prefixes used in English the more you use it, so try to read and practice as widely as possible! Look out for them in your everyday activities, and see if you can spot the root word in each example. March 3, But what exactly are prefixes and suffixes?

And how can you use them? What is a prefix? What is a suffix? Write a paragraph describing one of your life goals. Include five words with prefixes and five words with suffixes. Correct each prefix or suffix that is spelled incorrectly. Skip to main content. Search for:. Become familiar with common suffix rules. Prefixes A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word to create a new meaning. Tip The main rule to remember when adding a prefix to a word is not to add letters or leave out any letters.

Table 3. Rule 1 When adding the suffixes — ness and — ly to a word, the spelling of the word does not change.

Rule 2 When the suffix begins with a vowel, drop the silent e in the root word. Rule 3 When the suffix begins with a consonant, keep the silent e in the original word. Rule 4 When the word ends in a consonant plus y , change the y to i before any suffix not beginning with i.

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. Learning the meanings of prefixes and suffixes will help expand your vocabulary, which will help improve your writing.

Exercises 1. They can make a word negative, show repetition, or indicate opinion. The words disappear a combination of dis- and appear , unhappy , and undo all illustrate this guideline. Follow this rule even if the spelling results in double consonants, such as in the words misspell , irredeemable , and cooperation. You should use a hyphen when joining a prefix to a proper noun, as in pro-American.

There should always be a hyphen after the prefix self- as in self-esteem , and after the prefix ex- when it means former as in ex-husband. Hyphens can also prevent misreading, mispronunciation, or confusion with other words. For example, you should hyphenate re-cover to cover again to avoid confusing it with recover to regain or repair.

Some of the most common prefixes in the English language are dis- , in- , and un- , which make words negative. For instance, adding the prefix un- to the word kind creates the word unkind , meaning not kind. Another common prefix, re- , indicates repetition. Other prefixes can indicate position: s ub meaning under or below is found in common words like subway and submarine.

Supra- which means above often appears in medical terminology, such as supraclavicular nerves , which lie on top of veins and bones.