Language Awareness
and Analysis
Language Awareness Raising Task on
Prefixes and Suffixes
Prefixes & Suffixes
• Prefixes and suffixes are sets of letters that are added to the beginning or end of another
word. They are not words in their own right and cannot stand on their own in a sentence.
Prefixes
Suffixes
Prefixes are added to the beginning of an
existing word in order to create a new word
with a different meaning. For example:
word
happy
play
Suffixes are added to the end of
an existing word. For example:
prefix
new word
word
suffix
new word
un-
unhappy
fear
-less
fearless
re-
replay
slow
-er
slower
Why should prefixes & suffixes should be
taught?
• Teaching prefixes and suffixes is an important part of building better readers. Roots, prefixes
and suffixes are the essential building blocks of all words. Teaching them help students
understand the meaning behind different vocabulary words and students that learn prefixes
have the capabilities of breaking down unfamiliar words into segments that are easily
understood, learning new words becomes simpler.
• Prefixes, suffixes, and roots are one of the most essential strategies for unlocking the
meaning of new words available to students. By understanding different prefixes and suffixes
meanings, students often have the tools needed for decoding difficult words. Teaching
prefixes and suffixes provide students with skills that will last them throughout their school
years and beyond. Students should learn prefixes in order to demystify the process of spelling
and reading.
How prefixes & suffixes can be taught?
• flash card drills
• Infering the meaning of an unknown word in written context via prefixes
and suffixes
• Through charts and fill in the blanks
• Self-studying the most common prefixes and suffixes
Design of the Task
• Level the participants: Pre-intermediate prep class students (17)
• Duration: 5 weeks
• Steps of the Task:
 A worksheet of prefixes and/or suffixes for each week
 Guess the root and the meaning of the example words as a pre-task (replay-heartless)
 Explanation of what prefixes and suffixes are
 Doing the worksheet of the week (pair-check)
 Brainstorming on other words with the suffixes/prefixes of the week
 At the end of 5 weeks getting feedback via report questions
Report Questions
• Can you be able to infer unknown words now?
• How is your language awareness on the subject improved?