English 9 / Unit 10: Vocabulary and Research Skills
10.3 Prefixes and Suffixes
Notes
A prefix comes before a root and changes its meaning. A suffix comes after and often changes the part of speech.
| Prefix | Meaning | Suffix | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| un-, in-, dis- | not | -able, -ible | able to be |
| re- | again | -less | without |
| pre- | before | -ful | full of |
| mis- | wrongly | -ology | study of |
| anti- | against | -ist | person who |
| sub- | under | -tion | act or state of (noun) |
| trans- | across | -ly | in a way (adverb) |
| bene- / mal- | good / bad | -ize | to make (verb) |
- Example: Unbreakable = un (not) + break + able = not able to be broken.
Practice
What does "misinterpret" most likely mean?
"Mis-" means wrongly.
A "malevolent" character most likely:
"Mal-" means bad; "vol" means wish.
Adding "-less" to "fear" creates a word meaning:
"-less" means without.
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