Matières
Niveaux
Prefixes & Suffixes
Fiche | Anglais
Secondaire
1-5
What Are Prefixes & Suffixes?
Prefixes and suffixes are affixes: letters or groups of letters attached to words to create new words.
Prefixes are placed at the beginning of words. Suffixes are placed at the end of words.
The base word without any prefixes or suffixes is called a root word.
A word with an added prefix or suffix is called a derived word.
Derived words can have a different meaning and can belong to a different word class than their root word.
Prefixes
Adding the prefix para- to the word normal changes the meaning, but both words are adjectives.
It is possible to add both a prefix and a suffix to a root word to create a derived word.
Adding the prefix re- and the suffix -ance to the verb to appear changes the meaning of the word. Reappearance means to appear again.
Forming New Words With Prefixes and Suffixes
Some root words can form many new words.
For example, many affixes can be added to the word love to create derived words.
Below are some examples of words formed from the word love.
Adding prefixes and/or suffixes to a root word often changes its class.
When adding a suffix that begins with a vowel to a root word ending with the letter -e, remove the -e before adding the suffix.