PII. Prefijos y sufijos en inglés general

 PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES IN GENERAL

Prefixes

A prefix is added at the beginning of a word to change its meaning.

Common prefixes and meanings:

• un-: means “not” or “the opposite of.” Example: unhappy (not happy).

• in- / im- / ir- / il-: means “not.” Examples: incorrect, impossible, irregular, illegal.

• re-: means “again.” Example: rewrite (write again).

• pre-: means “before.” Example: preview (view before).

• dis-: means “not” or “reverse.” Example: disagree (not agree).

• mis-: means “wrongly.” Example: misunderstand (understand wrongly).

• over-: means “too much.” Example: overeat (eat too much).

• under-: means “not enough.” Example: underestimate (estimate too low).

• sub-: means “under.” Example: subway (train under the ground).

• inter-: means “between.” Example: international (between nations).

• trans-: means “across.” Example: transport (carry across).

• anti-: means “against.” Example: antiwar (against war).

• co- / com- / con-: means “together” or “with.” Example: cooperate (work together).

• non-: means “not.” Example: nonfiction (not fiction).

• semi-: means “half” or “partly.” Example: semicircle (half circle).

• mono-: means “one.” Example: monolingual (one language).

• multi-: means “many.” Example: multicultural (many cultures).

Suffixes

A suffix is added at the end of a word to change its form or grammar (verb → noun, adjective → adverb, etc.).

Common suffixes and meanings:

• -er / -or: indicates a person who does something. Example: teacher, actor.

• -ist: means a specialist or someone who practices something. Example: artist.

• -ness: indicates a state or quality. Example: kindness.

• -ment: indicates an action or result. Example: improvement.

• -tion / -sion: indicates a process or action. Example: education.

• -able / -ible: means “able to be.” Example: readable.

• -ous: means “full of.” Example: dangerous.

• -ful: means “full of.” Example: helpful.

• -less: means “without.” Example: hopeless.

• -al: means “related to.” Example: cultural.

• -ic / -ical: means “related to” or “about.” Example: medical.

• -y: means “characterized by.” Example: rainy.

• -ly: turns an adjective into an adverb. Example: quickly.

• -ize / -ise: means “to make” or “to cause.” Example: organize.

• -en: means “to make.” Example: strengthen.

• -ing: indicates ongoing action or a gerund. Example: reading.

• -ed: indicates past action or forms an adjective. Example: cooked.

How Prefixes and Suffixes Change Meaning

• Prefixes change the meaning of the base word.
  Example: happy → unhappy (not happy).

• Suffixes change the word type (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
  Example: happy → happiness (adjective → noun).

Quick Practice Examples

• Rewrite = write again.

• Impossible = not possible.

• Careless = without care.

• Education = process of educating..

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