Affixes Worksheet Meanings of Common Prefixes and Suffixes
Affixes are parts added to words to modify their meaning, and they can be divided into prefixes, suffixes, and infixes. Here’s a breakdown of some common prefixes and suffixes with their meanings:
Prefixes:
- un-: Not, opposite of
- Example: happy → unhappy (not happy)
- re-: Again, back
- Example: do → redo (do again)
- pre-: Before
- Example: view → preview (view before)
- dis-: Not, opposite of
- Example: agree → disagree (not agree)
- in- / im-: Not, into
- Example: visible → invisible (not visible)
- Example: possible → impossible (not possible)
- mis-: Wrong, badly
- Example: understand → misunderstand (understand wrongly)
- ex-: Out, away
- Example: port → export (send out)
- sub-: Under, below
- Example: marine → submarine (underwater vehicle)
- trans-: Across, beyond
- Example: form → transform (change completely)
- auto-: Self
- Example: biography → autobiography (a self-written life story)
Suffixes:
- -ing: Denotes an action or process
- Example: run → running (the act of running)
- -ed: Past tense of verbs
- Example: walk → walked (completed action in the past)
- -ly: Characteristic of
- Example: quick → quickly (in a quick manner)
- -ness: State or quality of
- Example: happy → happiness (the state of being happy)
- -ment: Action or result of
- Example: achieve → achievement (the result of achieving)
- -able / -ible: Capable of being
- Example: read → readable (able to be read)
- Example: access → accessible (able to be accessed)
- -ful: Full of
- Example: joy → joyful (full of joy)
- -er / -or: One who does an action
- Example: teach → teacher (one who teaches)
- Example: act → actor (one who acts)
- -ion / -tion: Action or process
- Example: inform → information (the action of informing)
- -ity: State or quality
- Example: active → activity (the state of being active)
These affixes help to change the meaning of a root word, providing a better understanding of its context or function.
