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Prefix and Suffix
Ta msa Pa ndy a
R esea rch scho la r
M KBU

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“
What is the definition of a prefix?
The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary
defines a prefix as “a letter or group of
letters added to the beginning of a
word to change its meaning, such as
un- in unhappy and pre- in preheat”. 2

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“
What is the definition of a suffix?
A suffix is defined as “a letter or
group of letters added to the end of a
word to make another word, such as -
ly in quickly or -ness in sadness”,
according to the Oxford Learner’s
Dictionary. 3

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What Is a Prefix and a Suffix? – Meaning and
Definition
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Prefix Suffix
• A prefix is a short morphological unit
that is added to the beginning of a root
word in order to alter its meaning
and/or function. It can be just a single
letter or two to five letters. The
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a
prefix as “a letter or group of letters
added to the beginning of a word to
change its meaning, such as un-
in unhappy and pre- in preheat”.
• A suffix, on the other hand, is a short
morphological unit that follows the
root word. In other words, it is added
to the end of the root word. A suffix
can contain two to four letters. It is
defined as “a letter or group of letters
added to the end of a word to make
another word, such as -
ly in quickly or -ness in sadness”,
according to the Oxford Learner’s
Dictionary.

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Just for an example
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PREFIXS SUFFIXES
• Root word: Marine – Submarine • Root word: Kind- Kindness

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Spelling Rules to Be Followed When Adding a
Prefix or a Suffix
• When adding a prefix,
• You are not supposed make any changes to
the spelling of the base word; you can just
write the prefix followed by the base word.
For example, popular unpopular.
• In the case of prefixes such as ‘non’ and
‘ex’, you might have to add a hyphen in
between the prefix and the root word. For
example, non-violence, ex-serviceman.
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When adding a suffix,
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 The spelling of the root word might/might not change.
 For all words that end with consonants other than ‘y’, you
can simply add the suffix to the end of the root word. For
example, quick quickly.
 For words ending with ‘y’, you will have to remove the
‘y’, add an ‘i’ and then add suffixes such as ‘al’ or ‘ly’.
For instance, try trial, happy happily.

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List of Commonly-
Used Prefixes with
Examples
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• Un- (undo, unfold)
• Im- (impolite, immature)
• In- (intolerant)
• IL- (illogical, illegible)
• Ir- (irregular, irresponsible)
• Dis- (disinterested,
disobedient)
• Mis- (misunderstand, misinterpret)
• Pro- (proactive)
• Sub- (subconscious, substandard)
• Pre- (preset, predetermine)
• Non- (nonexistent, non-violence)
• Anti- (antifungal, antiviral)
• Post- (postmodern, postoperative)
• Inter- (interdependent, interrelated)

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The most common suffixes are
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• -ly (quickly, softly)
• -ty (loyalty, sincerity)
• -ry (bravery, mockery)
• -er (larger, brighter)
• -al (parental, bacterial)
• -est (fastest, biggest)
• -age (usage, breakage)
• -ing (trying, binding)
• -ful (truthful, fruitful)
• -ment (shipment, basement)
• -ness (happiness, blindness)
• -able (bearable, eatable)
• -ible (sensible, convertible)
• -less (fearless, baseless)
• -ship (friendship, internship)
• -hood (parenthood, brotherhood)
• -sion (conversion, invasion)
• -tion (invention, exhibition)

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Thank You 1