Vocabulary building
Adding affixes to existing words
(the base or root) to form new words is common in academic English. Prefixes
are added to the front of the base (like
dislike), whereas suffixes are added to the end of the
base (active
activate). Prefixes usually do not change the class of
the base word, but suffixes usually do change the class of the word.
The most common prefixes used to
form new verbs in academic English are: re-, dis-, over-, un-, mis-, out-.
The most common suffixes are: -ise, -en, -ate, -(i)fy. By far the most
common affix in academic English is -ise.
Verbs
e.g. prefix + verb
verb
Prefix
|
Meaning
|
Examples
|
re-
|
again or back
|
restructure, revisit, reappear,
rebuild, refinance
|
dis-
|
reverses the meaning of the verb
|
disappear, disallow, disarm,
disconnect, discontinue
|
over-
|
too much
|
overbook, oversleep, overwork
|
un-
|
reverses the meaning of the verb
|
unbend, uncouple, unfasten
|
mis-
|
badly or wrongly
|
mislead, misinform, misidentify
|
out-
|
more or better than others
|
outperform, outbid
|
be-
|
make or cause
|
befriend, belittle
|
co-
|
together
|
co-exist, co-operate, co-own
|
de-
|
do the opposite of
|
devalue, deselect
|
fore-
|
earlier, before
|
foreclose, foresee
|
inter-
|
between
|
interact, intermix, interface
|
pre-
|
before
|
pre-expose, prejudge, pretest
|
sub-
|
under/below
|
subcontract, subdivide
|
trans-
|
across, over
|
transform, transcribe, transplant
|
under-
|
not enough
|
underfund, undersell, undervalue,
underdevelop
|
e.g. Suffix used to form verbs with
the meaning "cause to be".
Suffix
|
Example
|
-ise
|
stabilise, characterise,
symbolise, visualise, specialise
|
-ate
|
differentiate, liquidate,
pollinate, duplicate, fabricate
|
-fy
|
classify, exemplify, simplify,
justify
|
-en
|
awaken, fasten, shorten, moisten
|
Nouns
The most common prefixes used to
form new nouns in academic English are: co- and sub-. The most
common suffixes are: -tion, -ity, -er, -ness, -ism, -ment, -ant,
-ship, -age, -ery. By far the most common noun affix in academic English is
-tion.
e.g. prefix + noun
noun
Prefix
|
Meaning
|
Examples
|
anti-
|
against
|
anticlimax, antidote, antithesis
|
auto-
|
self
|
autobiography, automobile
|
bi-
|
two
|
bilingualism, biculturalism,
bi-metalism
|
co-
|
joint
|
co-founder, co-owner,
co-descendant
|
counter-
|
against
|
counter-argument, counter-example,
counter-proposal
|
dis-
|
the converse of
|
discomfort, dislike
|
ex-
|
former
|
ex-chairman, ex-hunter
|
hyper-
|
extreme
|
hyperinflation, hypersurface
|
in-
|
the converse of
|
inattention, incoherence,
incompatibility
|
in-
|
inside
|
inpatient,
|
inter-
|
between
|
interaction, inter-change,
interference
|
kilo-
|
thousand
|
kilobyte
|
mal-
|
bad
|
malfunction, maltreatment,
malnutrition
|
mega-
|
million
|
megabyte
|
mis-
|
wrong
|
misconduct, misdeed, mismanagement
|
mini-
|
small
|
mini-publication, mini-theory
|
mono-
|
one
|
monosyllable, monograph, monogamy
|
neo-
|
new
|
neo-colonialism, neo-impressionism
|
out-
|
separate
|
outbuilding,
|
poly-
|
many
|
polysyllable
|
pseudo-
|
false
|
pseudo-expert
|
re-
|
again
|
re-organisation, re-assessment,
re-examination
|
semi-
|
half
|
semicircle, semi-darkness
|
sub-
|
below
|
subset, subdivision
|
super-
|
more than, above
|
superset, superimposition,
superpowers
|
sur-
|
over and above
|
surtax
|
tele-
|
distant
|
telecommunications,
|
tri-
|
three
|
tripartism
|
ultra-
|
beyond
|
ultrasound
|
under-
|
below, too little
|
underpayment, under-development,
undergraduate
|
vice-
|
deputy
|
vice-president
|
e.g. Suffix added to a verb (V),
noun (N) or adjective (A)
noun
Suffix
|
Meaning
|
Examples
|
-tion
-sion |
action/instance of V-ing
|
alteration, demonstration
expansion, inclusion, admission |
-er
|
person who V-s
something used for V-ing |
advertiser, driver,
computer, silencer |
-ment
|
action/instance of V-ing
|
development, punishment,
unemployment
|
-ant
-ent |
person who V-s
|
assistant, consultant
student |
-age
|
action/result of V
|
breakage, wastage, package
|
-al
|
action/result of V
|
denial, proposal, refusal,
dismissal
|
-ence
-ance |
action/result of V
|
preference, dependence,
interference
attendance, acceptance, endurance |
-ery/-ry
|
action/instance of V-ing
place of V-ing |
bribery, robbery, misery
refinery, bakery |
Suffix
|
Meaning
|
Examples
|
-er
|
person concerned with N
|
astronomer, geographer
|
-ism
|
doctrine of N
|
Marxism, Maoism, Thatcherism
|
-ship
|
state of being N
|
friendship, citizenship,
leadership
|
-age
|
collection of N
|
baggage, plumage
|
Suffix
|
Meaning
|
Examples
|
-ity
|
state or quality of being A
|
ability, similarity,
responsibility, curiosity
|
-ness
|
state or quality of being A
|
darkness, preparedness,
consciousness
|
-cy
|
state or quality of being A
|
urgency, efficiency, frequency
|
Adjectives
Many adjectives are formed from a base of a different
class with a suffix (e.g. -less, -ous). Adjectives can also be formed
from other adjectives, especially by the negative prefixes (un-, in- and
non-).
The most common suffixes are -al, -ent, -ive, -ous, -ful,
-less.
e.g. Suffix added to verbs or nouns
adjective
Suffix
|
Example
|
Suffix
|
Example
|
-al
|
central, political, national,
optional, professional
|
-ful
|
beautiful, peaceful, careful
|
-ent
|
different, dependent, excellent
|
-less
|
endless, homeless, careless, thoughtless
|
-ive
|
attractive, effective,
imaginative, repetitive
|
-able
|
drinkable, countable, avoidable,
|
-ous
|
continuous, dangerous, famous
|
|
|
e.g. negative + adjective
adjective
Prefix
|
Examples
|
un-
|
unfortunate, uncomfortable, unjust
|
im-/in-/ir-/il-
|
immature, impatient, improbable,
inconvenient, irreplaceable, illegal
|
non-
|
non-fiction, non-political,
non-neutral
|
dis-
|
disloyal, dissimilar, dishonest
|
Mixed
e.g. base with both prefix and suffix
Adjectives: uncomfortable, unavoidable, unimaginative, inactive,
semi-circular
Nouns: disappointment, misinformation, reformulation.