Page 163 - New Grammar with a Smile 8

Prefixes and

4 Suffixes

Read these words and notice the highlighted parts.

unjust forehead sustainable inconsolable deserving
childhood uphold underprivileged grateful locality

The letters un-, fore-, -able, in-, -ing, -hood, up-, under-, -ful, and -ity are
called affixes.

Those that come at the beginning of a word are called prefixes and those that come
at the end of a word are called suffixes.

A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to create a new word which has a
different meaning. For example,
• un + happy = unhappy

A suffix is added to the end of a word to create a new word which has a
different meaning. For example,
• complain + ing = complaining

Here are some common affixes with their meanings and examples.

Prefix Meaning Examples

ab- away from absent, abnormal

ad- to, toward advance, addition

after- later, behind aftermath, afterward

anti- against, opposed antibiotic, antigravity

auto- self automobile, autobiography

bi- two bicycle, biceps

com-, con-, co- with, together commune, concrete

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