Prefixes and Suffixes to expand your vocabulary

 Understanding prefixes and suffixes is one of the best ways to quickly grow your English vocabulary. These small word parts can help you guess the meaning of new words, improve your spelling, and make your English more flexible and expressive.

Let’s break it down in a simple and practical way, with clear examples and tips to help you remember these powerful tools long term.

Vocabulary building with Prefixes and Suffixes. Image by Englishconv.com

🔹 What are Prefixes and Suffixes?

• Prefix = a word part added at the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
  Example: un- + happy = unhappy (not happy)

• Suffix = a word part added at the end of a word to change its form or meaning.
  Example: teach + -er = teacher (someone who teaches)

🔹 Common Prefixes and how to use them

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
un-	not	unhappy, unfair
re-	again	rewrite, replay
pre-	before	preview, preheat
dis-	opposite, not	disagree, disconnect
mis-	wrong, badly	misunderstand, misuse

📝 Tip: When you see a word with a prefix, cover the prefix and look at the base word to guess the meaning.

🔹 Common Suffixes and how to use them

Suffix	Function	Examples
-er	person who does something	teacher, writer
-ful	full of	beautiful, helpful
-less	without	fearless, hopeless
-ness	state or quality	kindness, darkness
-able	can be done	readable, breakable

📝 Tip: A suffix often changes the part of speech of a word. For example:

• kind (adjective) → kindness (noun)

🔹 Practice time!

Let’s practice using some of these in real situations:

1. Fill in the blanks:

• I always try to be _______ (kind + suffix). → kindness

• He had to _______ (do + prefix) the homework. → redo

2. Match the word with its meaning:

• hopeless → a) full of hope b) without hope

• preview → a) watch after b) watch before
  ✔️ Correct answers: b, b

🔹 How to remember them long term

• 📘 Create a Word Notebook: Write down new prefix/suffix words with their meanings and a sentence.

• 🎧 Use Apps or Flashcards: Tools like Quizlet or Anki make it fun to review.

• 🎤 Speak Them Aloud: Use them in daily conversations or practice speaking alone.

• ✍️ Write Short Paragraphs: Try writing a short story using 5–10 words with prefixes or suffixes.

• 🎯 Set Weekly Vocabulary Goals: Learn 5 new words each week and use them in context.

🔹 Final thoughts

Prefixes and suffixes are like building blocks. Once you understand them, you can unlock hundreds of new words and better understand what you read and hear. With daily practice and creativity, you'll soon find yourself speaking and writing with more confidence.

Keep exploring and playing with words — learning English can be both fun and powerful!