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Prefixes
A prefix comes at the beginning of a word. It adds something to the meaning. Here are some
common prefixes.
anti = against
auto = of / by oneself
bi = two, twice
de = away / from
en = make / cause to become
ex = previously
ex = out of
fore = before/in advance
hyper = extremely / too
in = inside / into
inter = between
mal= badly / wrongly
micro = small
mini = small
mis = badly / wrongly
mono = one
multi = many
out = more / better
over = too much
post = after
pre = before
pro = in favour of
pseudo = false
re = again
semi = half
sub = under / less
super = big / more
trans = across
co = together
under = too little anti-nuclear protestors, anti-aircraft guns
autograph, auto pilot, autobiography
bicycle, bilateral, biannual, bilingual
de-ink, de-ice, de-forest
enrich, enlarge, encourage, enable, endanger
ex-wife, ex-director, ex-student, ex-soldier
extract, exhale, excommunicate
foretell, forefathers, forecast, foreword, foreknow, foretime
hyperacid, hypercritical, hypermarket, hypersonic, hyperphysical
internal, insert, income, inarch, inarm, inboard, inbuilt
inter-city trains, international, interchange, intercity
maladapt, maladjusted, maladministration
microcassete, microwave, microscopic
minibus, miniskirt, minicomputer, minify
misuse, misbehave, misgovern, miscount, misunderstanding, misadvice
monorail, monolingual, monotone, monocycle
a multinational company, a multi-storey car-park
outnumber the opposition, outplayed their opponents
overcrowded, ill from overwork, an overgrown
a post-dated cheque, the post-war period
the pre-war years, prehistoric times, preface
pro-government forces, pro-European policies
pseudonym, pseudo-inter texture, pseudo-classic, pseudo-graph
rewrite, redo, remarry, recount, re-employ, re-read
semi-skilled workers, semi-conscious state, semi-political, semi-solar
subnormal intelligence, sub-zero temperatures
superstore, superhuman, supermarket, super-fast, super-bus
transatlantic, transplant, transcode, transsexual
co-exist, co-production, co-driver, co-author
2. undercooked food, underage, underpaid, undercover
There are some negative prefixes used to express an opposite.
a un: unhappy, unfair, unofficial, unemployed, unplug a machine, unpack a suitcase, undo,
undress, unlock, unveil, unwrap...
This is the most common way of expressing an opposite.
b in: inexact, independent, indirect, inexpert, injustice, inedible
NOTE: We do not use in before l, m, p or r. We use il, im and ir instead.
- illegal, illogical, illiterate
- immobile, immoral, impossible, impatient
- irrelevant, irresponsible
c dis: dishonest, disunited, disagree, disappear, dislike, disable, disadvantage, disapprove,
disbelieve, disconnect, disqualify
d non: non-alcoholic drinks, a non-stop flight, a non-smoker
e de: defrost a fridge, the depopulation of the countryside, the decentralization of
government, depopulate
Suffixes
Nouns
+ Abstract nouns
1. Verb + ment: payment, movement, government, arrangement, development
2. Verb + ion/tion/ation/ition:
correct correction, discuss discussion, describe description
inform information, invite invitation, translate translation
add addition, repeat repetition, compete competition
3. Verb with d/t sion: decide decision, erode erossion, permit permission
4. Verb + ance/ence: performance, acceptance, existence, preference
5. Verb + ing: building, feelings, greeting, meeting, meaning, beginning, savings, living
6. Verb + al: refusal, dismissal, approval, signal, proposal, denial
7. Verb + age: drainage, marriage, postage, stoppage, breakage
8. Noun + hood: boyhood, neighbourhood, husbandhood, sisterhood
9. Noun + ship: friendship, sonship, championship
10. Noun + dom: kingdom, stardom, wisedom
11. Noun + ful: mouthful, handful, spoonful, cupful, roomful
12. Adjective + ty/ity: certainty, royalty, stupidity, nationality, security
13. Adjective + ness: happiness, illness, freshness, forgetfulness, blindness
14. Adjective in ent ence: silent silence
Others are: absence, intelligence, independence, violence…
Examples of ant ance are: distance, importance.
+ Nouns for people
1. Verb + er/or: walker, owner, builder, driver, doctor, editor
There are very many such nouns, especially with er.
NOTE: We also use er in nouns for things, especially machines. e.g. a computer, a food mixer
2. Noun/Verb/Adjective + ist: journalist, motorist, nationalist, tourist
NOTE: We can use ism to form an abstract noun. e.g. journalism, nationalism
3. Verb + ant/ent: applicant, assistant, inhabitant, servant, student
4. Noun + an/ian: republican, electrician, historian, musician
5. Noun + ess: (female) waitress, actress, hostess, stewardess, princess
6. Verb + ee: employee, payee, interviewee, trainee
This suffix usually has a passive meaning. Compare er and ee.
The company is the biggest employer in the town. It has two thousand employees / workers.
NOTE: 1. Sometimes two related words have a different vowel sound.
Adj N: proud pride, hot heat
V N: bleed blood, feed food, fill full, lose loss, sell sale, shoot shot,
sing song, sit seat, tell tale
2. There can be a different consonant sound. That's what I believe. That's my belief.
Also: advise advice, believe belief, descend descent, prove proof,
speak speech, fly flight, fail failure
3. Sometimes more than one sound changes:
V N: choose choice, lend loan, live life, succeed success, think thought,
die death N Adj.: sun solar
+ The same form of Verb and Noun.
3. Many words can be both verbs and nouns.
Verb: You mustn't delay. I hope I win.
Noun: a short delay my hope of victory
Some words of this kind are: answer, attack, attempt, call, care, change, climb, control, copy, cost,
damage, dance, delay, doubt, drink, drive, experience, fall, help, hit, hope, interest, joke, laugh,
look, love, need, promise, rest, ride, run, search, sleep, smile, sound, swim, talk, trouble, visit,
wait, walk, wash, wish.
2. + Some verbs and nouns differ in their stress. The verb is usually stressed on the second
syllable, and the noun is stressed on the first.
Verb: How do you trans`port the goods? Noun: What `transport do you use?
The stress can make a difference to the vowel sounds. For example, progress as a verb is
/pr ∂ 'gres/ and as a noun /'pr ∂υgres/. (Verb: 2 – Noun: 1)
+ Some words of this kind are: conflict, contest, contrast, decrease, discount, export, import,
increase, permit, produce, progress, protest, rebel, record, refund, suspect, transfer, transport…
Verbs:
1. Adjective + ize:
2. Adjective + en:
3. N/Adj. + ify: modernize, popularize, privatize, centralize, legalize
shorten, widen, brighten, harden, loosen
simplify, solidify, clarify, beautify
+ Some concrete nouns can also be verbs.
He pocketed the money. (= put it in his pocket)
We've wallpapered this room. (= put wallpaper on it)
The man was gunned down. (= shot with a gun)
The goods were shipped to America. (= taken by ship)
Some others are: bottle (wine), box, brake, butter (bread), garage (a car), glue, hammer, mail, oil,
parcel, (tele)phone ...
+ Some adjectives can also be verbs. .
This wind will soon dry the clothes. (= make them dry)
The clothes will soon dry. (= become dry)
Some words of this kind are: calm, cool, dry, empty, narrow, smooth, warm, wet…
Adjectives:
1. Noun + al:
2. Noun + ic:
3. Noun/Verb + ive:
4. Noun + ful:
5. Noun + less:
6. Noun + ous:
7. Noun + y:
8. Noun + like:
9. Noun + ish:
10. Noun + ly national, industrial, cultural, additional, original
heroic, artistic, photographic, energetic, chaotic, entomic, poetic
active, effective, exclusive, informative, expensive
careful, hopeful, peaceful, beautiful, harmful
careless, hopeless, worthless, powerless less means ‘without’.
Painful and painless are opposites.
dangerous, luxurious, famous, courageous
salty, healthy, thirsty, wealthy, greedy, guilty
godlike, lifelike, homelike, childlike
childish, selfish, foolish
manly, daily, cowardly
Other adjective suffixes:
1. Verb + a(i)ble:
2. Adj. + ish:
3. Noun + ed: readable, eatable, loveable, forcible, visible, reducible
youngish, coolish, oldish, prettyish, reddish, sweetish, yellowish
balconied, beared man, kind-hearted woman
