Hey, everyone, welcome to another English grammar lesson. Today we’re going to be
covering prefixes and suffixes.
So, what exactly are prefixes and suffixes? Well, a prefix
is a word part that comes at the beginning of certain words, and a suffix is a word part
that comes at the end of certain words. And I say “certain” words because not all
words have prefixes and suffixes. The word “dog,” for example, has no prefix or suffix.
The word “chair” has none either. And neither does the word “run.” And these
are all very common words. So, it’s important to remember that prefixes and suffixes are
only used with certain words, not all words. Anyway, prefixes and suffixes change the meaning
of the word they’re attached to. For example, I could have the word “like,” which is
a positive feeling—a positive thing. But if I add the prefix “dis-” to it, it becomes
“dislike,” which is the opposite. To “dislike” something means you have a negative feeling
towards it; you don’t like it. Or maybe I have the word “happy,” and I add the
prefix “un-.” Well, now I have “unhappy,” which is quite different from “happy.”
Now, there are tons and tons of prefixes, but some common ones are dis-, mis-, un-,
re-, pre-, im-, and in-. Again, these are not all of the prefixes in English, but they’re
just some common ones. Now let’s talk about suffixes. Perhaps I have the word “teach.”
That’s an action. I can do that; I can teach. But what if I add the suffix “able” to
it? Well, now I have “teachable,” which is no longer an action but a description.
If someone can be taught—if it is possible to teach them—then we would say that they
are “teachable.” Or maybe I have the word “hope.” Hope is an idea—a concept; it’s
a noun. But if I add the suffix “ful” to the end of it, it becomes “hopeful,”
which is a description—an adjective. Someone who has a lot of hope is “hopeful.” Some
common suffixes would be ­-able, -ism, -ship, -ness, -ment, -less, -ive, and -ous. Now,
some words don’t just have a prefix or a suffix; they have both. For example, let’s
take the word “respect.” Now, respect is an idea; it’s a concept. We show respect;
we earn respect. But what if I added the prefix “dis-” to it? Well, now we have “disrespect,”
which is also an idea—it’s also a concept—but it’s much more negative; it’s the opposite
of what I just had. And what if I then add the suffix “-ful”? Well, now I have the
word “disrespectful,” which is a description of someone or something that is not showing
a lot of respect—that’s maybe treating someone or something poorly. Okay, let’s
look at one more example, and then we’ll try some practice. How about we start with
the word “use.” Use is an action. We use things. But what if I add the prefix “re-”
to it? Well, now it becomes “reuse,” which means to use something again: to use something
another time. And what if I then add the suffix “-able”? Well, now I have the word “reusable,”
which is no longer an action but a description of something—something that can be used
more than once. Maybe a water bottle. Maybe a grocery bag. So, once again, a prefix is
a word part that goes at the beginning of some words—not all—and a suffix is a word
part that comes at the end of certain words. Not all words have prefixes, and not all words
have suffixes. However, certain words have both. Now let’s try some practice. I want
you to identify the prefix and/or suffix in each word below. Okay, let’s look at “painless.”
Well, the base word of “painless” is “pain,” meaning “-less” would be our suffix. Moving
onto “decision.” Well, what is our base word of “decision”? What word does the
word “decision” come from? Answer is “decide,” but that base word has been cut off and changed
a little bit—and that’s because of the suffix “-ion.” Okay, how about “remove”?
Well, “remove” comes from the word “move,” so we should know that our prefix is “re-.”How
about “preview”? Well, our base word here is “view,” meaning our prefix would be
“pre-.” Okay, “enjoyable.” Well, the base word of “enjoyable” is “enjoy,”
meaning we would have the suffix “-able.” How about “replacement”? Well, the base
word is “place,” meaning we have both a prefix, “re-,” and a suffix, “-ment.”
How about “window”? Well, what’s the base word of “window”? “Window,” right?
The base word is the whole word, and so here we have neither a prefix nor a suffix. And
remember—I’ve said this multiple times—not every word you see is going to have a prefix
or a suffix. So don’t just go looking for one on every single word. And finally, “inactivity.”
Well, the base word is “active,” meaning we yet again have a prefix, “in-,” and
a suffix, “-ity.” Awesome! Well, whether you came here for a refresher or are just
now learning this stuff for the first time, I hope this video helped. Be sure to check
out the free practice down in the description, and—uh—we’ll see you next time. Thanks.