Word Formation / Prefix–Suffix
Building words using prefixes (at the beginning) and suffixes (at the end) to change meaning and grammatical form.
What is word formation (prefix–suffix)?
Word formation is the process of creating new words from a base word. The two most common tools are:
- Prefix: A group of letters added before a base word to change its meaning.
Example: happy → unhappy (not happy) - Suffix: A group of letters added after a base word to change its form or function.
Example: teach → teacher (person who teaches)
| Type | Form | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prefix | un- + happy | unhappy | not happy |
| Prefix | re- + write | rewrite | write again |
| Suffix | use + -ful | useful | full of use; helpful |
| Suffix | comfort + -able | comfortable | able to give comfort |
“If you know the parts of a word, you can often guess its meaning even in an exam.”
Key points
- Prefix = before the base word.
- Suffix = after the base word.
- One word can have both: un + help + ful.
- Spelling often changes (drop “e”, double letters).
Common Types of Prefixes and Suffixes
Prefixes and suffixes typically show these patterns:
Negatives
Make the meaning negative or opposite.
- un- happy → unhappy
- dis- agree → disagree
- in- correct → incorrect
Time / Number / Order
Show when, how many, or in what order.
- re- write → write again
- pre- view → see before
- bi- cycle → two wheels
Word Class (Noun/Adjective/Verb)
Change the type of word.
- beauty → beautiful (noun → adjective)
- care → careless (noun → adjective)
- modern → modernise (adjective → verb)
People and Fields
Show profession, study, or quality.
- teach → teacher (person)
- history → historian (person)
- music → musician (person)
- biology → biology (study)
Mini Prefix–Suffix Bank
Tip: Build your own bank. Group words by prefix or suffix so you remember them as families.
Practice
A) Multiple Choice (choose the best formed word)
-
Choose the correct word meaning “not polite”:
impolite unpolite dispolite inpolite
-
Best word for “a person who teaches”:
teachist teacher teachee teachment
-
Which word means “able to read and write”?
literateful illiterate literate reliterate
B) Fill in the Blanks (use a prefix or suffix)
- The teacher asked us to ________ (write again) the assignment. (base: write)
- Drinking ________ water can be dangerous. (base: pure)
- My brother is a very ________ person; he never gives up. (base: hope)
- The company will ________ (make more modern) its computer systems. (base: modern)
C) Tiny code sample (breaking a word)
// Simple idea: split a word into prefix, base, suffix
const analyseWord = (word) => {
// pseudo-logic only
return {
prefix: "un",
base: "happy",
suffix: ""
};
};Short Reading
The college plans to introduce a new programme to help underprepared students. A team of experienced teachers will conduct weekly sessions to strengthen basic skills and build confidence. Participants will receive written feedback and can reapply if they need additional support.
Task: Identify the base word and the prefix/suffix in each bold word.
Show Suggested Answers
MCQ
- impolite
- teacher
- literate
Fill in the Blanks
- rewrite (re- + write)
- impure (im- + pure)
- hopeful (hope + -ful)
- modernise / modernize (modern + -ise/-ize)
Reading (base + prefix/suffix)
underprepared → under + prepare + ed
teachers → teach + er + s
weekly → week + ly
strengthen → strong + en
confidence → confide + ence
written → write + ten (spelling change)
reapply → re + apply
Exam tips
- Spot the base word first; then add or remove prefixes/suffixes.
- Negative prefixes: un-, in-/im-, dis-, mis- are very common.
- Check spelling: drop e (use → using), double consonant (fit → fitted).
- Remember: one base word can make many correct exam words.
