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AFFIXATION

Suffixation and prefixation are common ways to form new words in English. Suffixes can change the lexical meaning and grammatical class of a word, such as changing "bake" to the noun "baker". Common suffixes form nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Prefixes typically change or specify the lexical meaning and rarely the grammatical class, such as "rewrite" or "enlarge". Prefixes are often used to indicate negation, repetition, degree, time, number, attitude, and pejoration.

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165 views

AFFIXATION

Suffixation and prefixation are common ways to form new words in English. Suffixes can change the lexical meaning and grammatical class of a word, such as changing "bake" to the noun "baker". Common suffixes form nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Prefixes typically change or specify the lexical meaning and rarely the grammatical class, such as "rewrite" or "enlarge". Prefixes are often used to indicate negation, repetition, degree, time, number, attitude, and pejoration.

Uploaded by

noora
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Affixation

Suffixation

is characteristic of noun and adjective formation -


a suffix usually changes not only the lexical meaning of a -
word but also its grammatical meaning or its word class, e.g.
to bake – baker, beauty - beautiful
Noun-forming suffixes

or: actor, visitor, director-


er/eer: speaker, engineer, opener-
ist: scientist, satirist, journalist-
ess: hostess, stewardess, actress-
ty/ity: cruelty, purity, stupidity-
ure/ture: failure, exposure, mixture-
,dom: freedom, kingdom-
age: passage, marriage, postage-
ance/ence: appearance, preference-
hood: likelihood, brotherhood, neighbourhood-
ing: reading, opening, beginning-
ion/sion/tion/ition/ation: operation, permission, description-
ness: kindness, goodness, wilingness-
y/ery: difficulty, enquiry, robbery, slavery-
ship: partnership, membership, kinship-
ment: government, development, movement-
t: complaint, restraint-
Adjective-forming suffixes

able/ible: comfortable, fashionable, sensible-


ic/atic: atomic, heroic, systematic-
ful: beautiful, helpful, careful-
y: bloody, dirty, sunny-
less: useless, homeless, careless-
al/ial/tial: personal, influential, preferential-
ive/ative/itive: active, creative, sensitive-
ant/ent: pleasant, different, excellent-
en: wooden, golden, woollen-
like: childlike, ladylike-
ing: amusing, interesting, charming-
ous: dangerous, famous, mysterious-
ish: bookish, childish, foolish-
ly: friendly, lovely, manly-
Verb-forming suffixes

ize/ise: civilize, modernize-


ify/fy/efy: simplify, glorify-
en, deepen, sharpen, lengthen-
Adverb-forming suffixes
ly: formally, calmly, easily-
ward/wards: homeward, afterwards, backwards-
wise/ways: clockwise, otherwise, sideways-
fold: twofold, threefold-
Prefixation

a prefix usually changes or concretizes the lexical meaning


of a word and only rarely parts of speech, e. g. write –
rewrite, smoker – non-smoker
Prefixes are sometimes used to form new verb: circle –
.encircle, large – enlarge etc
Negation or opposition
un-: unable, unfair, unpack, unzip
dis-: disagreeable, dislike
a-: amoral, atypical
in-: informal, inexperience
im-: (before b, m, p) impossible, immoral
il-: (before l) illegal, illogical
ir-: (before r) irregular, irrational
non-: nonsmoker, non-scientific
de-: decode, defrost, devalue
Repetition

:Repetition, making it possible


re-: reread, rebuild, reunited
en-/em-: enrich, enlarge, embitter
Degree, measure or size

super-: supersonic, superhuman


semi-: semi-final, semidetached
hyper-: hyperactive, hypersensitive
ultra-: ultrahigh, ultraviolet
over-: overtime, overpopulated
Time and place, order, relation

post-: post-war, postpone, postgraduate


inter-: international, intercontinental
pre-: pre-war, prehistoric, prearrange
ex-: ex-president, ex-husband, ex-film-star
Number and numeral relation

bi-: bilateral, bilabial


uni-: unisex, unicycle, unilateral
auto-: autobiography, autopump, auto-suggestion
multi-: multinational, multi-storey, multilingual
Attitude, collaboration, membership

anti-: antisocial, antiwar, antifreeze


counter-: counter-offensive, counter-revolution
pro-: pro-English, pro-vice-chancellor
Pejoration

mis-: misinform, mislead, misuse


pseudo-: pseudo-scientific, pseudo-intellectual

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