Common Affixes

As requested by teachers, here is a list of common affixes. Teachers are not expected to teach the words from this list; rather, this list is for reference only. Please see the district-adopted materials for specific grade-level roots. Also, see the list entitled Common Greek and Latin Roots. Grades 6, 7, and 8 have common grade-level roots and affixes posted on the Internet under Resources. Upper elementary grades can look to district adopted materials in not only language arts, but also mathematics, science, and social studies to help draw attention to word study involving roots and affixes, as well as looking ahead to the middle school list if desired.

Prefixes
aantiastroautobicodisem-/enexforehemiim-, inintermacro[not, in, on, without] [against] [star] [self] [two] [together, with] [away, apart, negative] [in, within, on] [out] [before, in front of] [half] [not] [between, among] [large] atypical, amoral

antifreeze, antiwar astronomy, astronomical automobile, autonomous bilingual, bimodal co-exist, cooperate disconnect, discover embark, entail exit, export before, foremost hemisphere impossible, incomplete intersection, international macrocosm, macroeconomics

micromisnonpolypreresemisubtriununi-

[small] [wrong] [not, opposite of] [many] [before] [again] [half, partly] [under, below] [three] [not] [one]

microcosm, microeconomics mistaken, misappropriated nonfat, nonfiction polygon, polysyllable preface, preheat repay, revise semicircle, semiconscious submarine, subterranean triangle, tricycle uncomfortable, unhappy unicycle, unisex

Suffixes
-able/-ible -al/-ial -ed -ess -ful -ish -ism -less -ly -ology [able, can do] [of, like] [past tense] [female] [full of] [somewhat like or near] [characteristic of] [without] [in some manner] [study, science]

agreeable, doable magical, partial called, learned lioness helpful, joyful childish heroism careless quietly biology

-s, -es -ward -y

[more than one] [in the direction of] [containing, full of]

books, races forward salty

Noun-Forming Suffixes
-er, -or -ing -tion/-sion -ist -ment -ness -or [one who, what/that/which] [the result of] [act of, state of] [one who] [act of, result of] [state of] [one who]

teacher teaching perfection, erosion violinist, perfectionist amendment, improvement goodness, fullness actor

For additional resources or ideas regarding vocabulary instruction, please contact your academic coach: Shannon Loree, Elementary Language Arts: 350-5057 Laura Gilchrist, Secondary Language Arts: 350-5048