Word Formations using Prefixes and Suffixes (Affixes) English Grammar

Word Formations: Formation of new words means modifying the base word, many a time, for a different parts of speech. Many words are there that can be used as different parts of speech without any modification i.e. with the same spelling structure and this is done by conversion of words .

Primary Words

The words that belong to the original stock of words in the language are known as primary words. Primary or base words are not formed with the help of any prefixes or suffixes. They are not derived, developed or compounded from other words, in fact, it is from these words that other words are formed.

For example – eat, sun, night, clock, force, sing

Types of Word formation

There are four main kinds of word formation:

1. Primary Derivatives: (lose-loss, prove-proof, advise-advice)
2. Secondary Derivatives–
   • Prefixes (unable, befriend)
   • Suffixes (Secondary derivatives) – (employer, reasonable)
3. Conversion: (water as verb and water as noun or adjective)
4. compounds: (earmark, backyard)

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Primary Derivatives

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Primary derivatives are formed by making some change in the primary word. These changes are brought by modifying the internal structure i.e. letters of the word by replacing and also together with adding new letters.

For example,

broad: breadth
break: breach
heal: health
lose: loss

Note: The most important class of words formed by internal change consists of the past tenses of primary verbs. These, however, are not usually classed as derivatives.

See some examples of change in word class:

Verb	Noun
advise	advice
bear	bier
bind	bond
break	breach
bless	bliss
burn	brand
choose	choice
chop	chip
deal	dole
deem	doom
float	fleet
grieve	grief
live	life
lose	loss
prove	proof
sing	song
sit	seat
speak	speech
strike	stroke
strive	strife
wake	watch
weave	web

Noun	Verb
bath	bathe
belief	believe
blood	bleed
breath	breathe
brood	breed
cloth	clothe
food	feed
tale	tell
wreath	wreathe
gold	gild
glass	glaze
grass	graze
half	halve
knot	knit
price	prize
sale	sell
sooth	soothe
thief	thieve

Adjective	Noun
dull	dolt
hot	heat
proud	pride
Noun	Adjective
milk wit	milk wise
Verb	Adjective
float	fleet
lie	low
Adjective	Verb
hale	heal

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Secondary Derivatives

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Secondary derivatives are words formed by affixation i.e. the addition of a prefix or a suffix to the base word For example,

• tonight (to- + night)
• welcome (wel- + come)
• foolishness (foolish + ness)
• comfortable (comfort + able)

Base word	Affixation	Word
able	un + able	unable
employ	employ + er	employer
polar	bi + polar	bipolar
follow	follow + ing	following

Prefixes

A prefix  is a letter or a group of letters which is placed at the beginning of a word to qualify its meaning and form a new word. They can indicate negation, repetition, a specific time or place, and more.

For example,

Un: undo, unzip, unhappy
Dis: disagree, disable, disappear
In: inflate, indicate, insist
Re: replay, refurbish, rebuild
Pre: preview, prescribe, prevent
Post: postpone, postgraduate, postscript
Bio: biography, biology, biosphere

A prefix  may qualify the meaning of a word in various ways. 

Base word	Prefixed Word	Type of Meaning
power	empower	change of Parts of Speech – noun to verb
possible	impossible	opposite
able	unable	opposite/negation
payment	non–payment	negation
war	pre–war	time (before) or sequence
terrestrial	extraterrestrial	place (outside of/beyond)
cook	overcook	manner (too much)
start	restart	repetition
colour	tri colour	Express number
bus	mini bus	degree or size

Different Kinds of Prefixes

Negative Prefixes

a-	without, not	asocial, amorphous, abiotic, atrophy
anti-	against	anti national, antibacterial, antibiotics
de-	down, reduce	descend, decry, deject, demote, decline
dis-	opposite of	disinterested, disproportionate, displeasure
dis-	apart, off, away	disband, disturb, disburse, dismiss
dys-	bad	dystopia, dysfunctional, dyslexia
il-	not	illogical, illegitimate, illegible
im-	not	improbable, impossible, impenetrable
in-	not	incomplete, indecisive, independent
ir-	not	irresponsive, irresponsible, irrevocable
mal-	bad/ badly	malfunction, malevolent, malediction, malnutrition
mis-	wrong/wrongly	misinterpret, misunderstand, miscalculation
mis-	hate	misogynist, misogamist, misanthrope
non-	not	nonviolent, nonchalant, non-invasive
un-	not	uncomfortable, unbearable, unforgivable

Prefixes Expressing Size or Degree

equi-	equal	equidistant, equivalent, equisonant
hemi-	half	hemisphere
macro-	big	macroeconomics, macrocosm, macro level
maxi-	big	maximum, maximal, maxim
mega-	big	megalomaniac, megapolis, megapixel
micro-	small, tiny	microscope, microorganism, microcosm, micromanage
mini-	small	minimum, minicomputer, miniature
Prefix	Meaning	Usage
semi-	half	semicircle, semiconductor, semi-active, semicolon

Prefixes Showing Position or Location

ab-	away	abduct, abstain, abjure, abdicate
by-	near	bypass, bygone, by-product
circum-	around	circumspect, circumnavigate, circumscribe, circumvent
contra-	against	contravene, contradict, contralto, contrast
de-	down	descend, decline, demote, decrease
dia-	across	diagonal, diaphanous, diachronic, diagnosis
epi-	upon	epidermis, epilogue, epitaph
ex-	out	exterior, external, extraneous, extract
hyper-	over	hypertrophy, hyperactivity, hyperbole, hypertension
hypo-	under	hypothermia, hypothyroid
in-/ im-	inside	internal, induce, imbibe, impregnate, influence
infra-	below	infrared, infravision, infrarealism
inter-	between	interstellar, intermediate, interval, intervene
meta-	beyond	metastasis, metabolise, metamorphic, metaphysics
mid-	between	midterm, middle, midday
ob-	against	obloquy, obnoxious, object, obfuscate
per-	through	percolate, pervade, perfect, perforated, perceive
peri-	around	perimeter, periscope, perimortem
post-	back	postern, posterior
pro-	for	prologue, provide, protect, project, procreate
sub-, suc-, sus-	under	subterranean, susceptible, submit, submarine
super-	over, above	superfluous, supersede, superintendent, supervisor
sur-	over	surface, surfeit, surrender, survive, surcharge
syn-, sym-	together	synthesis, syndicate, sympathy
trans-	across	transfer, transport, transgress, transmit
ultra-	beyond	ultraviolet, ultramodern, ultra-royalist, ultrasonic
under-	under	underground, underachiever, underestimate

Prefixes Showing Time & Sequence

after-	after	after-effects, afterthought
ante-	before	antediluvian, antebellum
chron-	time	chronology, chronicle
fore-	before	foretell, forestall, foresight
post-	after	posterity, posthumous, postlude, post-marital
pre-	before	prevent, prepare, predict, premonition, prelude
prime-	first	primary, primordial, prima donna, primate, primeval
pro-	before	progenitor, proceed, prologue, prophecy, prophylactic
re-	again	recur, recount, rethink
retro-	before	retrogression, retroflex, retrospect

Prefixes Showing Numbers and Amount

bi-	two	bicentennial, biannual, bicycle, bigamous, bipolar
cent-	hundred	century, century, centipede
dec-	ten	decade, decimal, decathlon
dodeca-	twelve	dodecahedron, dodecaphony
du-, di-	two	duo, dual, dicotyledon, dichromatic
giga-	billion	gigabyte
hector-	thousand	hector, hectogram
hendeca-	eleven	hendeca colic, hendecagonal
hepta-	seven	heptagonal, heptathlon
hex-	six	hexagon, hexadecimal, hexameter
kilo-	thousand	kilogram
mega-	million	megaton, megahertz
mono-	one	monotheism, monologue, monochromatic, monarch
multi-	many	multimillionaire, multipurpose
nov-	nine	novena, November
octa-	eight	octagon, October, octopus, octuplets
penta-	five	pentagram, pentacle, pentagon
poly-	many	polynomial, polygon, polymath
quad-	four	quadruple, quadruplets, quadrilateral
quint-	five	quintuplets, quintal
sept-	seven	septuagenarian, septuplets
sex-	six	sextuplets, sextet
tetra-	four	tetrapods, tetrameter
tri-	three	trident, tricolour, triumvirate, trifecta, trilogy, tripod
uni-	one	universe, unitary, union, unanimous, unity

Some Miscellaneous Prefixes

alb-	white	albino, albinism
ambi-	both	ambidextrous, ambivalent, ambiguous
amo-, ami	love	amorous, amicable, amiable
amphi-	both	amphibian, amphitheatre
aqua-	water	aqueduct, aquatic
auto-	self	automated, autonomous, autocrat
bene-	good	benevolent, benediction, benign
bio-	life	biology, biohazard, biosphere
bon-	good	bon voyage, bonhomie, bonafide
cario-	heart	cardiovascular, cardiogram
co-, com-, con-	together, joint	co-dependent, companion, congregation
en-, em-	make, become	engender, empower, endanger
eu-	good	euthanasia, eulogy, euphemism
homo-	same	homonym, homophone, homoeopathy
hydr-	water	hydrogen, hydraulic, hydrophobia
ig-	bad	ignominy, ignoble, ignorant
neo-, nov-	new	neologism, novelty
pan-	all	panacea, pan Asiatic, panorama
Prefix	Meaning	Usage
pseudo-	fake	pseudonym

The Most Common Prefixes

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
anti-	against/opposed to	anti-government, anti-racist, anti-war
auto-	self	autobiography, automobile
de-	reverse or change	de-classify, decontaminate, demotivate
dis-	reverse or remove	disagree, displeasure, disqualify
down-	reduce or lower	downgrade, downhearted
extra-	beyond	extraordinary, extraterrestrial
hyper-	extreme	hyperactive, hypertension
il-, im-, in-, ir-	not	illegal, impossible, insecure, irregular
inter-	between	interactive, international
mega-	very big, important	megabyte, mega-deal, megaton
mid-	middle	midday, midnight, mid-October
mis-	incorrectly, badly	misaligned, mislead, misspelt
non-	not	non-payment, non-smoking
over-	too much	overcook, overcharge, overrate
out-	go beyond	outdo, out-perform, outrun
post-	after	post-election, post-war
pre-	before	prehistoric, pre-war
pro-	in favour of	pro-communist, pro-democracy
re-	again	reconsider, redo, rewrite
semi-	half	semicircle, semi-retired
sub-	under, below	submarine, sub-Saharan
super-	above, beyond	super-hero, supermodel
tele-	at a distance	television, telepathic
trans-	across	transatlantic, transfer
under-	less than, beneath	undercook, underestimate
up-	make or move higher	upgrade, uphill

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Suffixes

A suffix is a group of letters that are fixed to the end of a root word or a base word. Often, the suffix causes a spelling change to the original word.

Examples:

1. beauty, duty + -ful → beautiful, dutiful (-y changes to i)
2. heavy, ready + -ness → heaviness, readiness (-y changes to i)
3. able, possible + -ity → ability, possibility (-le changes to il)
4. permit, omit+ -ion → permission, omission (-t changes to ss)

A suffix may be used to change the meaning of a word in various ways. It can be used to form—

Functions of Suffix

Change the part of speech of the word

Verb Formation

Verbs can be formed by adding suffixes ‘ize’  and ‘ify’ after nouns and adjectives.

Example:s-

i. Memory + ize = Memorize.  (Here, the new word ‘Memorize’ is  created using the noun ‘Memory’ and suffix  ‘ize’)

ii. Stable + ize = Stabilize.  (Here, the new word ‘Stabilize’ is  created using the adjective ‘Stable’ and suffix  ‘ize’)

iii. Beauty + ify = Beautify. (Here, the new word ‘Beautify’ is  created using the noun ‘Beauty’ and suffix  ‘ify’)

Adverb Formation

Adverbs can be formed by adding ‘ly’ after  the adjectives.

Examples:-

i. Slow + ly = Slowly.

 (Here, the new word ‘Slowly’ is created  using the adjective ‘Slow’and suffix ‘ly’)

ii. Easy + ly = Easily.

 (Here, the new word ‘Easily’ is created  using the adjective ‘Easy’and suffix ‘ly’)

Noun Formation

Nouns can be formed by adding ‘er’, ‘ment’,  ‘and’ ‘ation’ after verbs. And also ‘ity’ / ‘ty’  and ‘ness’ can be added after adjectives to  form nouns.

Example:-

i. Build + er = Builder.

ii. Achieve + ment = Achievement.

iii. Starve + ation = Starvation.

iv. Opportune + ity = Opportunity

Adjective Formation

An adjective can be formed by adding ‘y’,  ‘ic’, ‘ical’, ‘ful’, and ‘less’ after. The ending  ‘able’ can be added after verbs to form  adjectives.

Examples:-

i. Luck + y = Lucky.

ii. Democrat + ic = Democratic.

iii. Irony + ical = Ironical.

iv. Prefer + able = Preferable.

Indicate whether the number is singular or plural

girl (singular noun)	girls (plural noun)
stratum (singular noun )	strata (plural noun)
lifts (singular verb)	lift (plural verb)

Indicate the tense of the verb

hopped (past)	hopping (continuous)
steal (past)	stolen (past participle)

Indicate the gender of a noun

host (masculine)	hostess (feminine)
steward (masculine)	stewardess (feminine)
executor (masculine)	executrix (feminine)

Different Types of Suffixes used to Change Word Classes

Suffixes forming Nouns

Suffix	Meaning & Usage	Examples (Formation of Nouns)
-al	state	refusal, betrayal, perusal
-ance, -ence, -ancy, -ency	quality or state	militancy, performance
-er/-or	doer	painter, trainer, actor
-graph	record	telegraph, phonograph, polygraph
-ian	someone who does	Gandhian, guardian, politician
-ice	condition	malice, novice, justice
-ing	name of an activity	reading, gardening, sleeping
-ism	belief	Hinduism, communism, fascism
-ist	doer	pacifist, pianist, altruist
-ity	state	continuity, annuity
-logy	the study	geology, neurology
-mania	madness	monomania, bibliomania, egomani
-ment	state	abandonment, refinement, entertainment
-ness	state	happiness, completeness, fullness
-orium, -arium	place	sanitarium, aquarium, crematorium
-ory	place	dormitory, reformatory, laboratory
-phobia	fear	hydrophobia, cynophobia, mysophobia
-ship	state of	friendship, kinship, sportsmanship
-sion, -tion	the process of	expansion, determination, connection
-tion	condition	condition, relation
-ure	state	composure, exposure, leisure

Suffixes forming Verbs

Suffix	Meanings	Examples (Formation of Verbs)
-able	to make	enable, disable
-ate	Latin origin verbs	recreate, abate, mediate
-ed	simple past or participle form	killed, toyed, booked
-en	verbs formed from adjectives	broken, frozen, sunken
-er	actions that have a repetitive quality	blabber, snicker, mutter
-fy	do	magnify, specify, rectify
-ing	action in continuation	hearing, yearning, making
-ise	to make/do	revolutionise, apologise, despise
-ish	become or do	flourish, banish, demolish
-nt	to do	prevent, augment, content
-s, -es	simple present tense form	criticises, runs, laughs

Suffixes forming Adjectives

Suffixes	Meanings	Examples (Formation of Adjectives)
-able, -ible	having the quality of	flexible, available, eatable
-al	related to	ventral, global, musical
-ant	doing	dependent, buoyant, resilient
-er, -est	comparative and superlative qualities	fatter, tallest
-esque	like, having the quality	statuesque, picturesque
-ful	full of	beautiful, boastful, grateful
-ic	having the quality	terrific, generic, specific
-ing	participle form of an adjective	interesting, frustrating, sleeping
-istic	having the quality	realistic, artistic, surrealistic
-ive	having the nature of	pensive, aggressive, massive
-ose	full of	verbose, grandiose
-ous, -ious	full of	gaseous, spacious, gracious

Suffixes forming Adverbs

Suffixes	Meanings	Examples (Formation of Adjectives)
-ably	with a quality	comfortably, admirably, disagreeably
-ibly	with a quality	audibly, horribly, negligibly
-s	shows time or place	backwards, always, forwards
-wise	shows manner or position	clockwise, otherwise, lengthwise

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Conversions

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Conversion is a process in word formation where a word changes its syntactic category or part of speech without any changes in its form and  spelling and  without adding any prefixes or suffixes   It is also known as zero-derivation, because the new word is formed without any explicit morphological process. 

Here are some examples of conversion of words in word formation:

1. Email: The word “email” originally started as a noun, but it was later converted into a verb, as in “I will email you.”
2. Skate: The word “skate” can be used as a noun (“I bought new skates”) or as a verb (“I like to skate on the lake”).
3. Text: The word “text” began as a noun, but it was later converted into a verb, as in “I will text you.”
4. Google: The word “Google” was originally the name of a search engine, but it has since been converted into a verb, as in “I will Google that later.”
5. Bottle: The word “bottle” can function as both a noun, as in “I bought a bottle of water,” and a verb, as in “I will bottle this sauce for later use.”
6. Smoke: The word “smoke” can function as both a noun, as in “The smoke was thick,” and a verb, as in “I will smoke this fish to preserve it.”
7. Friend: The word “friend” can function as both a noun, as in “He is my friend,” and a verb, as in “I will friend you on Facebook.”
8. Skim: The word “skim” can function as both a verb, as in “I will skim the book for information,” and a noun, as in “The skim on the top of the milk.”
9. Chair: The word “chair” can function as both a noun, as in “I sat in the chair,” and a verb, as in “I will chair the meeting.”

Conversion is a common process in English, and it is often used to create new words that are more efficient or effective in communicating a particular idea or concept. However, it can also be confusing, especially for non-native speakers, because the same word can function as different parts of speech in different contexts.

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Compound Words

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What are Compound Words?

Compound words are words that are created by combining two or more words to create a new word that has a different meaning. The new word may be a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.

There are three types of compound words:

• Closed or solid compound words: These are compound words that are written as a single word, such as “toothbrush” or “sunflower.”
• Hyphenated compound words: These are compound words that are written with a hyphen, such as “mother-in-law” or “self-esteem.”
• Open or spaced compound words: These are compound words that are written as separate words, such as “swimming pool” or “ice cream.”

Some examples of Compound Nouns

• Moonlight
• Toothpaste
• Raincoat
• Football
• Sunflower
• Headphones
• Newspaper
• Butterfly
• Cupcake
• Pancake
• Snowflake
• Waterfall
• Fisherman
• Bookshelf
• Firefighter
• Backpack
• Toothbrush
• Strawberry
• Doorbell
• Railroad

Compound words can be formed by combining words with similar or different meanings. For example, “blackboard” combines the colors “black” and “board,” while “firefighter” combines “fire” and “fighter.” Compound words are a common feature of many languages and can be found in both everyday conversation and in formal writing.

Compound verbs

Compound verbs can be formed in a number of ways.

Study these examples.

1. noun + verb: backbite, brainwash, browbeat, earmark, henpeck, typewrite, waylay
2. adjective + verb: dry-clean, safeguard, whitewash
3. adverb + adjective: foretell, ill-use, overhear, overthrow, outdo, undertake, upset

Compound verbs can be used either transitively or intransitively.

For example,

• intransitive: ice-skate, play-act
• transitive: blow-dry, cross-examine, tape-record, baby-sit

Some compound verbs can be used transitively as well as intransitively. For example,
• ad-lib • criss-cross • mass-produce
• bottle-feed • deep-fry • spring-clean
• bulk-buy • double-check • stir-fry
• chain-smoke • double-park • tie-dye

Examples of Compound Verbs

• Break up
• Come across
• Cut down
• Get over
• Give up
• Go back
• Look forward
• Make up
• Pick up
• Put off
• Run away
• Set up
• Take over
• Turn down
• Wake up

These compound verbs can be phrasal verbs, which means they are formed by combining a verb with a particle or preposition. For example, “look forward” is a phrasal verb, formed by combining the verb “look” with the preposition “forward” to create the compound verb “look forward,” which means to anticipate or be excited about something in the future.

Compound Adjectives

Compound adjectives are formed by combining two or more words to create a single adjective that describes a noun. Here are three common ways to form compound adjectives:

1. Noun + Noun: This involves combining two nouns to create a compound adjective. For example, “coffee mug” becomes “coffee-flavored” when used as an adjective, as in “I prefer coffee-flavored ice cream.”
2. Adjective + Noun: This involves combining an adjective and a noun to create a compound adjective. For example, “fast car” becomes “fast-moving” when used as an adjective, as in “The fast-moving car caught my attention.”
3. Adverb + Adjective: This involves combining an adverb and an adjective to create a compound adjective. For example, “hard work” becomes “hardworking” when used as an adjective, as in “She is a hardworking student.”

Examples of Compound Adjectives

• Bright-eyed
• Blue-green
• Cold-blooded
• Deep-seated
• Four-legged
• Good-natured
• Hard-working
• High-pitched
• Long-term
• Open-minded
• Quick-witted
• Short-sighted
• Soft-spoken
• Straightforward
• Thin-skinned
• Two-faced
• Well-behaved
• Well-known
• Wide-eyed
• Yellow-bellied

Compound Adverbs

Compound adverbs are formed by combining two or more words to create an adverb that modifies the verb in a sentence. Here are three common ways to form compound adverbs:

1. Adverb + Adverb: This involves combining two adverbs to create a compound adverb. For example, “well” and “together” become “well-together” to form the compound adverb “well-together” meaning in harmony or cooperation.
2. Adjective + Adverb: This involves combining an adjective and an adverb to create a compound adverb. For example, “fast” and “forward” become “fast-forward” to form the compound adverb “fast-forward,” which means moving quickly and efficiently.
3. Preposition + Adverb: This involves combining a preposition and an adverb to create a compound adverb. For example, “up” and “ahead” become “up ahead” to form the compound adverb “up ahead,” which means further along or in the distance.

Some examples of Compound Adverbs:

• Afterward
• Ahead of time
• All together
• Anywhere
• Anyway
• Backward
• By chance
• Downstairs
• Everyday
• Forever
• Hereafter
• Inwardly
• Likewise
• Meanwhile
• Nonetheless
• Onward
• Overhead
• Sideways
• Somewhat
• Upstairs

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