Transcript Affixes - Sophia

Affixes
Created by Kathryn Reilly
Affix Background
• Affixes are attachments to other words.
• Think of words as building blocks.
• Some words only contain a single block.
• However, other words contain several blocks, or
affixes, which have been added to the beginning,
middle or end of the word.
Affix Background
• A single word may contain more than one affix.
• For example:
Un-
Undesirable
•
•
•
•
Un- is a prefix meaning not
-able is a suffix meaning given to
Undesirable means given to not being desired
Sometimes a root word’s spelling may change to
accommodate affixes.
Prefixes and Suffixes
• Prefixes and suffixes are the most common
affixes.
• A prefix adds an affix to the beginning of a root
word.
• A suffix adds an affix after the end of a word.
• An affix’s meaning is always consistent; it never
changes.
Affixes Example: Prefix
• Adding a prefix to a root
word changes the meaning
of the word.
• Root: sphere
• Prefix: hemi• New Word: hemisphere
– Half of a sphere
– The Earth has two
hemispheres.
hemi-
sphere
Affixes Example: Suffix
• Adding a suffix to a root
word changes the meaning
of the word.
• Root: king
• Suffix: -dom
• New Word: kingdom
– Place where a king rules
– Kingdoms lost their
popularity with the rise of
democracy.
king
-dom
Common Affixes
Common Prefixes
• A• Anti• De• Dis• Inter• Non• over• Super• Un-
Common Suffixes
• -able
• -er
• -ful
• -ic
• -less
• -ment
• -ness
• ology
Less Common Affixes
• Although prefixes and suffixes are the most
common affixes, there are several others!
• Interfix – connects two root words together to
create a compound.
• Mother-in-law, speed-o-meter
• Duplifix – recreates part of the root word
• Itsy-bitsy
Affix Review
• Affixes may be added to root words.
• They may be added at the beginning, in the middle, or
at the end.
• Prefixes and suffixes are the most common affix forms.
• More than one affix may be added to a root word.
• Learning common affixes may eliminate the need for a
dictionary!