Affix- a word element, such as a prefix or a suffix, that
occurs before or after a root or base word to modify its
meaning.
Root- the form of a word after all affixes are removed;
meaning: base, root, stem, theme
What are roots and root words?
 Many English words are formed by taking basic words and
adding combinations of prefixes and suffixes to them. A
basic word to which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) are
added is called a root word because it forms the basis of a
new word. The root word is also a word in its own right. For
example, the word lovely consists of the word love and the
suffix -ly.
 In contrast, a root is the basis of a new word, but it does not
typically form a stand-alone word on its own. For example,
the word reject is made up of the prefix re- and the Latin
root -ject, which is not a stand-alone word.
Understanding the meanings of the common word roots can
help us deduce the meanings of new words that we encounter.
Root
Meaning
Example
-auto- (Greek)
self
Automatic, autopsy
-bio- (Greek)
life
Biology, biography
-audi- (Latin)
hear
Audible, audience
-dict- (Latin)
say
Diction, dictate
-duc- (Latin)
lead,make
Deduce, produce
-geo- (Greek)
earth
Geography, geology
-terr-(Latin)
earth
Territory, Terrain
-graph- (Greek)
write
Autograph, graph
-mand-, -mend- (Latin)
order
Recommend, demand
-path- (Greek)
feel
Empathy, pathetic
-sens-, -sent- (Latin)
feel
Resent, sensitive
-vid-, -vis- (Latin)
see
Visible, video
Parts of an Affix:
Prefix- an element
placed at the beginning
of a word to adjust or
qualify its meaning.
 Example: De-, non-, re-,
un-.
 Can be used in words
such as: decomposition,
nonrefundable, restart,
and unlikely.
 Suffix- an element placed
at the end of a word to
form a derivative,
frequently one that
converts the stem into
another part of speech.
 Example: -ness, -less,
-ian, -ology
 Can be words such as:
viciousness, speechless,
magician, biology
A PREFIX is a letter or a group of letters attached to the beginning of a word
that partly indicates its meaning. For example, the word prefix itself begins
with a prefix--pre-, which generally means "before.“
Be careful: some prefixes (such as in-) have more than one meaning (in this
example, "not" and "into").
Prefix
Meaning
Example
Auto-
self
Autopilot, Autobiography
Com-, Con-
with
Companion, Contact
De-
off, away from
Devalue, denial
Mis-
wrong
Misunderstand, Misprint
Re-
again, back
Retake, retreat
Un-
not, opposite
Unattractive, unusual
Mono-
one
Monogamy, Monotonous
Omni-
all, every
Omniscient, Omnify
A SUFFIX is a letter or a group of letters attached to the end of a word to form
a new word or to alter the grammatical function of the original word. For
example, the verb read can be made into the noun reader by adding the suffix
-er; read can be made into the adjective readable by adding the suffix -able.
Suffix
Meaning
Example
-ance, -ence
state of quality of
Defiance, eminence
-able
can be done
Unable, readable
-est
most
Oldest, greediest
-ic, -ical
pertaining to
Musical, mythic
-ive
having the nature of
Productive, creative
-er
more, one who
Reader, slower
-less
without
Useless, fearless
-y
characterized by
Sleepy, needy
-logy
study, theory
Psychology, biology
To sum it all up
 Many of our words come to us from Greek or Latin.
 They don’t come to us complete; they come in parts.
 These parts are called Roots and Affixes.
 There are two different kind of affixes: Prefixes and
Suffixes.



The part at the beginning of a word is a prefix.
The part in the middle is the root or root word.
The part at the end is the suffix.
Put it all together:
 Put the prefixes, roots, and suffixes together and you
end up with words.
 Keep in mind that not all words have all three parts.
 Some simply have a prefix and a root.
 Others, just a root and suffix.