ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
Affixes List
Understanding Affixes:
Root - the form of a word after all affixes are removed
Prefix - a word part added to the beginning of a root or base word to create a new meaning
 A prefix does not show the part of speech. Instead, a prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a root or
base word to create a new meaning.
Suffix - a letter or a group of letters added to the end of a root or base word to change its meaning
 One way to tell the part of speech (POS) of a vocabulary item is to recognize its function or purpose (e.g.,
noun, verb, adjective, adverb). A useful clue to the part of speech of a word is its ending or suffix.
This list includes the minimum affixes students at this course level should be able to read, understand how to use,
and apply by the end of the academic semester. Understanding how prefixes and suffixes combine with word roots to
create new words is an important part of developing vocabulary and analyzing new unknown words.
** Generally, prefixes and suffixes change the meanings of roots, but it is usually the suffix that indicates the part of
speech.
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
In this ENGL 103 course, prefixes/suffixes will be covered over a fourteen-week period. Add more examples
and additional information as you study this affix list.
No.
Prefix
Suffix
Definition
Examples
See examples of words in
red (P. 4)
Additional
Information (add more)
1
-ence
-ance
state, condition, quality
of
Intelligence, difference,
assistance
2
-ful
full of something
beautiful, powerful,
 usually an adjective
careful, colorful, cheerful,
useful, painful, helpful,
successful
International, internet,
intersection
3
Inter-
means between or among
 usually a noun
4
-ion
-ation
-sion
-tion
act of, state of, result of
protection, connection,
permission, depression
 usually a noun
5
-ment
action, process
movement, development
 usually a noun
-means “out” or “out of”
Extract, extend, exclude,
exchange
meaning “any” or
“every”
Whenever, whatever,
whoever
6
7
Ex-
-ever
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
disease, dishonest,
discomfort, disability
disguise, discover,
disappear
Bicycle, bilingual
8
dis-
negative, reversing
9
bi-
two
10
in-
not, no
inexpensive, inhumane,
inconsiderate
11
multi-
many, much
multivitamin, multiply,
multitask
12
non-
not
nonfat, nonsense,
nontoxic, nonprofit
13
pre-
before
prefix, preview, prewrite
14
re-
again, back, repetition
reread, rewrite, return,
recycle, refund, reusable
15
tri-
three
triangle, tricycle
16
un-
not, opposite
unacceptable, unclear,
used to give opposite and
unhealthy, uncomfortable, negative meanings to
unusual, uninhabited,
adjectives, adverbs, and nouns
unimportant, unlikely
17
uni-
one, single
unify, uniform, unique
18
inilimir-
not
illogical, illegal, illiterate.
impatient, impossible,
imbalance, immature.
irregular, irresponsible,
irrelevant.
19
-s
-es
plural, more than one
octopuses
boys, toys, plays, days
parties, babies, cities
boxes, wishes, switches
roofs, beliefs.
leaves, halves, selves.
potatoes, tomatoes
20
-ing
causing a feeling
radios
interesting, boring,
confusing
 il- used before roots
beginning with l
(e.g. illegible)
 im- used before roots
beginning with b, m, p
(e.g. immature, imbalance,
impatient)
 ir- used before roots
beginning with r
(e.g. irregular)
 -y after a vowel → -s
 -y after a consonant → -ies
 words ending in -s, -sh, -ch,
-x, -z → -es
 nouns ending in -f, -fe → -s
 nouns ending in -f, -fe →
change -f to -v and add es
consonant
followed by -o →

-es
 vowel followed by -o → -s
 usually an adjective
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
 present participle of verb
having a feeling
helping, running, seeing,
understanding, carrying,
disguising
interested, bored
-ed
past tense
jumped, helped, visited
 past tense verb
-er
-or
person or thing that does
something
astronomers, writer,
foreigner
actor, creator
chemist, tourist, scientist
bigger, colder, taller,
hotter, earlier, smaller
 usually an noun
21
-ing
action, process
22
-ed
23
24
-ist
 usually an adjective
 used to form the comparative
form of adjectives and adverbs
25
-er
comparative degree
26
-est
superlative degree
Biggest, largest, smartest,
smallest
 usually an adjective
28
-less
without something
careless, helpless,
flightless
 usually an adjective
29
-ness
condition, state of
 usually a noun
30
-able
-ible
can be done
31
-y
full of, covered with
darkness, illness,
weakness, awareness,
wilderness
valuable, suitable,
biodegradable, burnable,
predictable, memorable,
reusable, reasonable
worthy, sleepy, dirty,
cloudy, angry
32
-ly
characteristic of
quickly, slowly, closely,
loudly, comfortably,
friendly
 usually an adverb
33
-ous,
-eous
full of, characterized by
dangerous, adventurous,
religious, mysterious,
courteous
 usually an adjective
inclined, tending toward
an action
Effective, attractive,
impressive, talkative,
active, sensitive
 usually an adjective
 words that end with -de →
change the -de to -s then add
-ive (e.g. intrude → intrusive)
 words that end with silent -e
→ drop the -e then add -ive
-ious
34
-ive
-ative
-tive
 usually an adjective or noun
 (e.g. create → creative)
35
-ish
relating to, characteristic childish, foolish, greenish,  usually an adjective
feverish
of
36
-ward
direction
toward, backward,
homeward
 usually an adverb
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
37
-ship
having a position or skill
Relationship, citizenship,
friendship
 usually a noun
38
-hood
state, condition
childhood, neighborhood
 usually a noun
39
-ate
-ify
-ize
to make something be a
certain way or change it
to that quality
create,activate, identify,
classifying, colonize,
symbolize, strengthen,
widen
 usually a verb
-en
40
-ity
state of, quality of
ability, humanity, activity
 usually a noun
41
-al
related to, characterized
by
global, medical,
environmental
 usually an adjective
42
-ent
Intelligent, government ,
immigrants
 usually a noun or adjective
-ant
causing or performing
an action or existing in a
certain condition
-ic
relating to, characterized energetic, specific, diabetic
by
43
End of Affixes List
usually an adjective
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Words in Context
(References from Reading Explorer 1 Book)
Affixes
1
-ent
-ant
2
-ful
Word
intelligent
government
Page
number
9
120
immigrants
70
colorful
careful
beautiful
cheerful
useful
14
25
33/80/14
37
39
painful
powerful
helpful
successful
3
4
69
International
69
Intersection
69
-ion
-ation
-sion
protection
connection
depression
17
43
38
5
-ment
movement
15
development
114
6
extend
151
except
151
Ex-
permission
Quote from Reading Explorer 1 Book
Many people say dolphins are intelligent.
We sold it to the Canadian government
In some cities, immigrants from a particular country live
or shop in the same neighborhood
the cells become large and produce colorful spots
Be careful when you travel
ancient forests and beautiful lakes and rivers
An upbeat song is one that is lively and cheerful.
The machines are useful in treating depression
Endurance is the ability to keep doing something
40
difficult, unpleasant, or painful for a long time.
Powerful telescopes allow scientists to identify many
52/53/66
more small planets
his is helpful when dealing with large amounts of
141
information.
The following tips will help you become a more
176
successful reader.
internet
inter-
Affix List – 2024-2025
123
Many people today cannot imagine their lives without
internet.
Beijing has one of the world’ busiest international
airports.
New York’s Times Square is located at the intersection
of Broadway and seventh avenue.
Octopuses disguise themselves for their own protection.
Is there a connection between music and language?
it may even be a good way to treat depression
A hacker is someone who can get into a computer
system without permission.
These neurons control the arm movements.
does reading stories to children have on their
development
“Ghost nets” are a serious problem along Australia’s
northern coastline; they can extend for more than
several hundred meters in length
The store is open every day except Sunday
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
7
-ever
Affix List – 2024-2025
extract
151
Whatever
Whoever
165
165
whenever
165
8
14
14
disguise
14
17
53
disdiscover
80
80
90
120
9
non-
disappear
167
nonprofit
151
nonsynthetic
157
10
148
recycle
re-
refund
reusable
11
un-
unusual
153
153
156
154
156
117
119
123
Boyan Slat’s foundation, Ocean Cleanup, is developing
various technologies that can extract plastic waste from
our oceans.
Help yourself to whatever you want from the fridge
Can whoever leaves last please lock the door?
Come over whenever it’s convenient for you—I’m free
all day.
They are masters of disguise…
An octopus can disguise itself in three ways
Another way an octopus disguises itself is by changing
its shape"
The stick insect is an example of an animal that uses
color, texture, and shape to disguise itself."
What tool has been used to discover billions of
galaxies?
Discoveries in a Cube
Often they discovered hundreds of organisms...
How many species were discovered in this BioBlitz?
Three partners and I discovered a very rare type of
meteorite called a pallasite.
Today, people are still investigating Earhart’s and
Noonan’s disappearance.
The Owl Rescue Centre is a nonprofit organization
Scientists are now working to find nonsynthetic
alternatives—called bioplastics—that can help reduce
plastic pollution.
...there has been a huge increase in worldwide plastic
production, but we recycle less than one-fifth of it.
Recycle. We can’t recycle all plastic items, but it is
possible to recycle most bottles and milk or juice
cartons
Machines at most supermarkets take the bottles and give
a refund of up to 2.5 kroner (32 cents) per bottle.
A refund is a sum of money that is returned to you.
buy a reusable bag
Plastic bottles are also collected, and then reused or
melted into new items.
unusual jobs
he talks about his unusual job.
what are some unusual jobs that also pay well?
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
uninhabited
167
unimportant
79
unlike
162
165
Another idea is that Earhart might have landed on a
nearby, uninhabited island called Nikumaroro, where
she later died.
"They may seem unimportant, but, in fact, these sea
creatures and ground dwellers are “the heart of life on
Earth…"
Without the right tools, it is unlikely that Mallory and
Irvine were able to continue to the top.
If something is unlikely to happen, you don’t think it
will happen.
12
il-
illegal
119
It’s illegal to take meteorite pieces from some countries.
13
im-
impossible
119
They’re almost impossible to locate.
-s
animals
79
—you always see the big animals first: birds, mammals,
fish.
83
But we do know they don’t live long—only between 2
and 11 days.
14
Octopuses are famous for their round bodies, big eyes,
and eight arms.
13
Octopuses disguise themselves so predators (e.g.,
dolphins or sharks) don’t see them
cities
66
Which cities will become more powerful in the future?
boxes
151
the center can build more nesting boxes for owls
9
9
14
Understanding dolphin conversation is not easy for
humans.
Sometimes they chase other dolphins carrying objects
Why are octopuses so good at disguising themselves?
Vowel + y = s
14
-es
f+es (ves)
Consonant +y=ies
X + plural = es
15
-ing
(action)
16
17
-ing
(feeling)
-ed
days
Octopuses
themselves
understanding
carrying
disguising
confusing
visited
148
52
“That would be very confusing.”
Have beings from outer space already visited Earth?
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
(past action)
18
astronomers
-er
-or
-ist
19
-er
(comparative)
20
21
-est
-less
22
-ness
23
creators
scientist
tourist
66
80
69
Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers.
Creators of the Global Cities Index predict the most
growth in the following places
Despite their importance, scientists know very little
about most ground organisms.
Times Square in New York City attracts about 50
million people every year, including many international
tourists
smaller
15
An octopus has three hearts: one large central heart and
two smaller ones on either side.
Smaller
bigger
54
The bigger and more general concepts come first, which
are then linked to smaller, more specific concepts.
biggest
145
largest
smartest
smallest
11
11
14
Plastic bags are one of the biggest sources of trash inthe
ocean.
The albatross is one of the world’s largest flying birds
The Smartest Bird
A cell is the smallest living part of an animal or plant.
flightless
101
Ostriches—large flightless birds—live in Africa.
wilderness
33
illness
weakness
darkness
awareness
43
48
106
114
suitable
predictable
-able
51
valuable
burnable
biodegradable
memorable
reusable
reasonable
A wilderness is an area of natural land that is not used
by people.
Because of their illness
.. you think of any weaknesses in Dr. Coan’s methods
Darkness and Magic
raise public awareness of social issues around the world.
38/106/1 What is an example of a song that is not suitable for
16
exercising?
It also seems from recent studies that having a
41
predictable, steady rhythm is important.
81/120 He thinks they are valuable and precious.
clear land of burnable material, like dry grass and dead
125
trees.
149
Most of the plastic in the ocean is biodegradable.
150
To highlight an interesting or memorable phrase:
154
buy a reusable bag
163
A reasonable conclusion
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
24
-iy
quickly
slowly
25
-ous
-ious
26
-ive
attractive
active
18
29/32
impressive
48
143
a female squid can create colorful, attractive
Yasur is one of Vanuatu’s few active volcanoes
Classical music is more effective than other kinds of
music
with impressive engineering techniques.
172
flew toward Howland Island
45
helps you better understand the relationship between
things in the text
70
116
What is in your neighborhood ?
Ludwig II’s childhood home.
effective
28
-ship
relationship
-hood
neighborhood
childhood
create
activate
identify
classify
colonize
symbolize
31
-ity
ability
activity
humanity
32
-al
t moves very quickly / slowly.
If you survive a dangerous situation,
What is the most adventurous trip you have been on
A religious ceremony.
toward
-ate
-ify
-ize
-en
19
Skim the text quickly
18
21
29
-ward
30
11
dangerous
adventurous
religious
27
29
Affix List – 2024-2025
38
People created the beat
45
this activates a different part of the brain
52/85/88 identify many more small planets
focuses on finding and classifying as many species as
89
possible
57
humans should colonize space
137
which symbolized never-ending life.
have developed the amazing ability to change their
appearance very quickly
28/29/30 What is the most dangerous sport or activity you have
/31
tried?
61
the key to the survival of humanity.
14/18/20
medical
147
global
65
environmental
145
We use plastic to make many things, from medical
equipment to TVs
What proportion of global plastic production is used for
packaging?
What do you think are some of the most important
environmental issues today?
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
Words in Context
(External References)
Affixes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
bi
In-
multi-
Pre-
Tri-
Uni-
-ed
(feelings)
Word
Page
number
Bicycle
-
Bilingual
-
inexpensive
-
Inconsiderate
-
inhumane
-
multivitamin
-
multiply
-
multitask
-
prefix
-
preview
-
prewrite
-
tricycle
-
triangle
-
Unify
-
Uniform
-
Unique
-
interested
bored
Quote
Commuting by bicycle has advantages over other modes
of transport
an English/Spanish bilingual program was conducted
during the 1980-81 school year.
A 22-volt lithium-ion battery gives 40 minutes of power
in a relatively inexpensive and lightweight package.
Some people show their lack of respect in the household
through their careless and inconsiderate actions.
Civil rights activists argued that the institutions were
inhumane.
Women need about 0.4 mg of folic acid a day. You can
take a multivitamin or eat plenty of green…
Most processed foods are bad for you and feed the bad
cells which makes them multiply and spread even
farther.
Multitasking will eat up 40 percent of your workday…
Prefix is the a word part added to the beginning of a root
or base word to create a new meaning.
The Center for Data Analysis offered a preview
yesterday of what next year's report will look like
Several collaborative prewriting activities are presented
to encourage students to optimize their peers' help in
obtaining ideas to write.
As your toddler grows and becomes more coordinated,
consider investing in a tricycle for him to pedal…
The top of Al Faisaliah Tower is shaped like a triangle,
and it is one of the oldest towers in Riyadh."
The former British colony unified with the north after
the British withdrawal.
The town police wear dark blue uniforms and flat caps.
You will need one unique access code from the back
page of the book to access online resources
It seemed like people were more interested in eating
than the game.
The crowd are getting bored because both teams did not
ENHS 103 Academic Reading and Vocabulary I
Affix List – 2024-2025
score so far.
8
-y
worthy
sleepy
childish
9
-ish
feverish
foolish
energetic
10
-ic
diabetic
No doubt the other 11 nominees for the prize are good
and worthy champions.
Avoid daytime naps and only head for bed when you are
feeling sleepy.
With adulthood comes the putting away of childish
things.
A feverish child refuses to eat and asks only for cold
drinks.
It would be foolish to go against scientific evidence.
Ten year-olds are incredibly energetic. They can play all
day without feeling exhausted.
There are so many diabetics just like him who could
make small lifestyle changes that would make a massive
difference.