Prefixes and suffixes in English

 

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The prefixes in-, im-, il-, ir-, un-, dis- mean ‘opposite of’ or ‘not’.

Prefixes rules and tips:

im– begin with ‘m’ or ‘p’ immature, impatient

in – begin with ‘c’ incorrect

il– begin with ‘l’ illiterate, illegal

ir–  beginwith ‘r’irregular, irrelevant

There are no rules for in–, un– and dis–

 

inter-between            interactive, international

mis-incorrectly          mislead, misspelt

over- too much          overcook, overweight

under - less than        undercook, underestimate

pre- before                prehistoric, pre-war

post – after                post-election, post-war

re- again                    rewrite, reuse

co - together              co-operate, co-exist

The most common suffixes are -al, -ent, -ive, -ous, -ful, -less

Suffixes which form an adjective:

-al central, political, national, professional

-ent different, dependent, excellent

-ive attractive, effective, imaginative

-ous continuous, dangerous, famous

-ful beautiful, peaceful, careful

-less endless, homeless, careless, thoughtless

-able drinkable, countable, avoidable

 

Suffixes which form a verb:

-ise                            stabilise, characterise, symbolise,specialise

-ate                            differentiate, liquidate, communicate

-fy                            classify, simplify, justify

-en awaken, fasten, shorten.