Discussant: Balatico Jean Lee C.

1-A BSE-ENG

FLOW

First Activity: ‘Run to the Board’ – this game intend to activate students’ brain in
vocabulary words. The topic is Prefixes and Suffixes. Split the class into two, each group must
have 5 members. In 3 minutes the participants must write all the words they know. Group who
write many prefixes and suffixes win.

Discuss how words are divided. Explain the prefix and its meanings and examples.

Activity 1. Think and write on your paper two words that contain each of the following
prefixes: ab-, com-, dis-, ex-, in-, inter-, pre-, re-.

Explain suffix and its meanings and examples.

Activity 2. Using slant lines (/), separate the suffix from the rest of the words below.
Then write a brief definition of the word.

EXAMPLE 1. Beastly
2.Beast/ly (like a beast)

1. Modernize
2. Eatable
3. Beautiful
4. Homeless
5. Durable

Explain roots and its meanings and examples.

Quiz 1-15
 PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES

Morphological level of a language constitutes a significant part in the structure of a

language. Prefixes and suffixes should be taken in the same respect. The reason is that they
have a very big area of usage in English language. Learners use them widely, and sometimes,
they may have been misused. The aim of this lesson at first is to clarify the topic of prefixes and
suffixes.

How Words Are Divided?

Many words that can be divided have two or more parts: a core called a root and one or
more parts added to it. The parts that are added are called affixes—literally, “something fixed
or attached to something else.” An affix added before the root is called a prefix; one added
after a root is called a suffix.

PREFIXES ROOT SUFFIXES EXAMPLE

dis- put- -able disputable
post- war postwar
sole -ly solely
soft -en, -ing softeniing
il- leg- -ible illegible
un- self --ish,-ly unselfishly
under- hand -ed underhanded
bliss -ful blissful

Roots are often independent words, as in the case of war, self and hand in the table
above. They are then called free forms. But some roots, like -clude in conclude, are not words
by themselves. Such roots are called bound forms. Most affixes are bound forms.

PREFIX

 “A term used in morphology referring to an affix which is added initially to a root or

stem” David Crystal (1991) Dictionary of Linguistic and Phonetics.
 “One or two syllable additions at the beginning of a word that changes its meaning but
do not change its part of speech”. (Maclin, 1992:387)
 “A prefix is an affix attached before a root or a stem or a base like re-un- and in-“
Katamba (1993)

There are many prefixes in English language. This is mostly because of the borrowed words
from many other languages. Prefixes have many uses, and they are in different structures. This
also depends on the effects of other languages on English. In order to understand the meaning
and use of a prefix, it should be examined with its meaning and related examples. Here is a list
of some English prefixes with their meanings and some examples.
 PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLES
Old English
a- in, on, of, up, to abed, afoot
for- away, off, from forget, forswear
fore- before, previous foretell, forefathers
mis- bad, poorly, not misspell, misfire
un- not, opposing unfold, untrue

Latin
ab- from, away, off abdicate, abjure
ante- before, previous antecedent, antedate
bi- two, twice bisect, biennial
circum- around circumspect, circumference
com- with, together, very commotion, complicate
contra- against, opposing contradict, contravene
dis- away, off, down, not dissent, disappear
ex- out extract
in- not, opposing incapable, ineligible
inter- among, between intercede, interrupt
post- after, following postpone, postscript
pre- before prevent, preclude
re- back, backward, again revoke, recur
retro- back, backward retrospect, retrograde
sub- under, beneath subjugate, substitute
trans- across, beyond, over transact, transport

Greek
a- without, lacking atheist, agnostic
anti- against, opposing antipathy, antitoxin
apo from, away apology, apostate
cata- down, away, thoroughly catastrophe, cataclysm
dia- through, across, apart diameter, diagnose
hyper- excessive, over hypercritical, hypertension
hypo- under, beneath hypodermic, hypothesis
pro- before prognosis, program
sym with, together sympathy, symphony

If a word was a noun before the addition of the prefix, it stayed as a noun.

If it was a verb before the addition of a prefix, after the addition of the prefix it
stayed as a verb again.
 From all these said what is understood is that the term prefix is related to morphology, and
it is a kind of affix. It comes before a root, a stem or a base. It is also a kind of bound
morpheme, that is to say, it cannot be used in a sentence separately. It has to be used with a
free morpheme.

SUFFIXES

Suffixes you will recall are affixes added after the root, or at the end of a word. There
are two main kinds of suffixes: those that provide a grammatical signal of some kind but do not
greatly alter the basic meaning of the word and those that, by being added, create new words.
The endings –s, -ed, and –ing are suffixes of the first kind; by adding them to work (works,
worked, working) we indicate something about number and tense, but we do not change the
essential meaning of the word. This kind of suffix is a grammatical suffix.

Grammatical suffixes are important in grammar, but in vocabulary we are more

concerned with the second kind of suffixes—those that make new words. By adding –ful to
thank, we get a different word: thankful. Adding –hood to girl gives us girlhood, again a
different word. Suffixes that change meaning in this way are called derivational suffixes. Notice
in the following examples that the addition of a derivational suffix often gives a new part of
speech as well as new meaning.

ROOT SUFFIX RESULT

friend (n.) -ly friendly (adj.)
critic (n.) -ize criticize (v.)
prefer (v.) -ence preference (n.)
child (n.) -hood childhood (n.)

In suffixation, the part of speech of a word may undergo a change as well. For example,
a noun may become a verb after the addition of a suffix, or a verb may become an adjective
similarly.

Since derivational suffixes so often determine the part of speech of English words, we
can classify them according to the parts of speech.

NOUN SUFFIXES MEANING EXAMPLES

Old English
-dom state, rank, condition serfdom, wisdom
-er doer, maker hunter, dancer
-hood state, condition manhood, statehood
-ness quality, state greatness, tallness
-th act, state, quality warmth, width
Foreign (Latin, French, Greek)
-age process, state, rank passage, bondage
-ance act, condition, fact acceptance, vigilance
-ard one that does(esp. drunkard, wizard
excessively)
-ate rank, office delegate, primate
-ation action, state, result occupation, starvation
-cy state, condition accuracy, captaincy
-er doer, dealer in, result baker, diner, rejoinder
-ess feminine waitress, lioness
-ion action, result, state union, fusion
-ism -act, manner, doctrine barbarism, socialism
-ist doer, believer monopolist, socialist
-ition action, state, result sedition, expedition
-ity state, quality, condition acidity, civility
-ment means, result, action refreshment, disappointment
-or doer, office, action juror, elevator, honor
-tude quality, state, result magnitude, fortitude
-ty quality, state enmity, activity
ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES MEANING EXAMPLES
Old English
-en made of, like wooden, ashen
-ful full of, marked by thankful, zestful
-ish suggesting, like churlish, childish
-less lacking, without hopeless, countless
-like like, similar childlike, dreamlike
-ly like, of the nature of friendly, queenly
-some apt to, showing tiresome, lonesome
-ward in the direction of backward, homeward
Foreign
-able able, likely capable, tolerable
-ate having, showing separate, desolate
-esque in the style of, like picturesque, grotesque
-fic making, causing terrific, beatific
-ible able, likely, fit edible, possible, divisible
-ous marked by, given to religious, riotous
VERB SUFFIXES MEANING EXAMPLES
Old English
-en cause to be, become deepen, strengthen
Foreign
-ate become, form, treat animate, sublimate
-esce become, grow, continue convalesce, acquiesce
-fy make, cause, cause to have glorify, fortify
-ish do, make, perform punish, finish
-ize make, cause to be, treat with sterilize, motorize, criticize
Roots

A root is the core of a word—the part to which prefixes and suffixes are added. To find
the root, you usually have only to remove any affix there may be. For example, removal of the
affixes a- and –ous from amorphous leaves us with –morph-, a root meaning “form or shape.”
The root -clysm-, meaning “falling,” remains after we remove the prefix cata-, meaning “down,”
from cataclysm.

Roots have more specific and definite meanings than either prefixes or suffixes, and a
particular root appears in fewer different words. The following list contains some of the
common roots in English.

ROOT MEANING EXAMPLES

-ag-, -act- do, drive, impel agent, reaction
-am-, -amic- friend, love amatory, amicable
-aqu- water aquatic, aqueduct, aquarium
-aud-, -audit- hear audible, auditorium
-ben-, -bene- well, good benefit, benediction
-capit- head capital, decapitate
-carn- flesh carnal, carnivorous
-cent- hundred century, percent
-clud-, -clus- close, shut conclude, seclusion
-cogn- know, be acquainted recognize, cognizant
-cred- belief, trust incredible, credulity
-crypt- hidden, secret crypt, cryptic
-duc-, -duct- lead educate, conductor
-fer- bear, yield transfer, fertile
-fid- belief, faith fidelity, perfidious
-fin- end, limit final, indefinite
-frag-, -fract- break fragment, fraction, fragile

References:

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (2005) Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition

Fifth Course Prefixes and Suffixes
Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies Vol.2 No. 1 (2006).
Ways of Creating Prefixes and Suffixes and Foreign Language Teaching
APPLICATION a. Incapable
b. Capability
Quiz c. capable
1. What is the meaning of the word 9. What prefix would you add to the word
prefix? “finished” to show that there is still
a. A word within a group some work to be done?
b. A group of letters put before a a. Un
root word which changes its b. Dis
meaning c. Mis
c. A group of letters put at the end 10. What prefix would you add to the word
of a root word which changes its “view” to indicate that you see
meaning something before other people do?
2. is the core of a word—the part to a. Re
which prefixes and suffixes are added. b. Pre
a. Bound morpheme c. Dis
b. Root 11. What is the meaning of the prefix –uni?
c. Free Morpheme a. Below
3. What do you do if you reread a book? b. Half
a. Don’t read it c. One
b. Read it again d. Four
c. Read it for the first time 12. What is the meaning of the prefix anti?
4. A suffix is a group of letters that you a. against
add to the start of a root word. b. away
a. True c. after
b. False d. among
5. Which of the following is a suffix? 13. What does the word contradict mean?
a. Pre a. Kindness
b. Un b. Against
c. Ed c. Indulgence
6. Which of the following is not a suffix? 14. What are the two types of suffixes?
a. Ful a. Free and Bound?
b. Ing b. Root and morphology
c. Re c. Grammatical and Derivational
7. Which suffix can you add to the end of
the hunt to make a new word? 15. If you heard that a band had reformed,
a. ism what would this mean?
b. er a. Formed again
c. ing b. Formed for the first time
8. If you take away the prefix and the c. Formed for the last time
suffix, what is left of the word
“incapability”