How to Know the Difference Between a Prefix and a Suffix - Part 1
Taking a vocabulary exam can be a piece of cake, if you know what to look for, however, for some of us that have had to learn English as a second language, it's quite challenging.
So whether you're getting ready to take the GED (General Educational Development) Exam, the ParaPro Assessment, or the Citizenship Naturalization Exam, it helps to know the difference between a prefix and suffix.
Both, a prefix and a suffix, are linguistic elements that never stand alone; they must be attached to a word that makes sense, either in the beginning or at the end of that word.
But, why in the world do we even have to deal with prefixes and suffixes in the first place? Patience, dear reader and writer, I asked the same question when I was learning English.
The purpose of a prefix and a suffix is to modify the meaning of a word.
Okay, let's get ready for the definition and some examples of a prefix.
I encourage you to look for part 2 because we will then deal with the suffix.
Are you ready? Here are the most important points of a prefix: ·A prefix is a single letter or string of letters set in the beginning of a word to convey a different meaning than the original word.
·A prefix is a linguistic element that never stands alone - it must be attached to a word that makes sense.
·A prefix is always at the beginning of a word - it modifies the meaning of that particular word.
·A prefix always comes before something else - think of the word pre meaning before or early and fix meaning to mend or correct something.
Following are some examples of words that contain a prefix, which may be the first string of letters before the word itself.
Sometimes this string may be 2-6 letters but most commonly it will be 2-3 as the examples below will show.
1.
Mis - means lack of, as in:mis - communication = miscommunication 2.
Dis - means to undo, as in: dis - engage = disengage 3.
De - means to take away from, as in: de - form = deform 4.
Un- means not, as in: un - finished = unfinished 5.
Co - means with, as in:co - worker = coworker 6.
Ir - means not, as in: ir - regular = irregular Notice that the second part of the word is an actual word, but the first part changes the meaning of that word.
Simply put, a prefix is something that always comes before the rest of the word.
So what does all this mean to you? This means that if you know the meaning of the prefix (beginning part of the word), it will be a lot easier to make sense of the rest of the word.
Now here's the beauty of the English language, and believe me, the English language is not boring! It's a living language, and the better grasp we have of it, the better the opportunities we have for success in communication.
I encourage you to look for part 2 on the definition and examples of suffixes.
So whether you're getting ready to take the GED (General Educational Development) Exam, the ParaPro Assessment, or the Citizenship Naturalization Exam, it helps to know the difference between a prefix and suffix.
Both, a prefix and a suffix, are linguistic elements that never stand alone; they must be attached to a word that makes sense, either in the beginning or at the end of that word.
But, why in the world do we even have to deal with prefixes and suffixes in the first place? Patience, dear reader and writer, I asked the same question when I was learning English.
The purpose of a prefix and a suffix is to modify the meaning of a word.
Okay, let's get ready for the definition and some examples of a prefix.
I encourage you to look for part 2 because we will then deal with the suffix.
Are you ready? Here are the most important points of a prefix: ·A prefix is a single letter or string of letters set in the beginning of a word to convey a different meaning than the original word.
·A prefix is a linguistic element that never stands alone - it must be attached to a word that makes sense.
·A prefix is always at the beginning of a word - it modifies the meaning of that particular word.
·A prefix always comes before something else - think of the word pre meaning before or early and fix meaning to mend or correct something.
Following are some examples of words that contain a prefix, which may be the first string of letters before the word itself.
Sometimes this string may be 2-6 letters but most commonly it will be 2-3 as the examples below will show.
1.
Mis - means lack of, as in:mis - communication = miscommunication 2.
Dis - means to undo, as in: dis - engage = disengage 3.
De - means to take away from, as in: de - form = deform 4.
Un- means not, as in: un - finished = unfinished 5.
Co - means with, as in:co - worker = coworker 6.
Ir - means not, as in: ir - regular = irregular Notice that the second part of the word is an actual word, but the first part changes the meaning of that word.
Simply put, a prefix is something that always comes before the rest of the word.
So what does all this mean to you? This means that if you know the meaning of the prefix (beginning part of the word), it will be a lot easier to make sense of the rest of the word.
Now here's the beauty of the English language, and believe me, the English language is not boring! It's a living language, and the better grasp we have of it, the better the opportunities we have for success in communication.
I encourage you to look for part 2 on the definition and examples of suffixes.
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