Book excerpt: AFFIX A letter or group of letters added to the beginning or end of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning. Examples – im- in impossible; ntier- in international -able in agreeable; -er in learner English Affixes could be divided into two groups: Prefixes and Suffixes PREFIX A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning. Examples – im- in impossible; inter- in international; un- in unaffected SUFFIX A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to get a new word with a changed meaning. Examples – -able in agreeable; -er in learner; -ness in quickness Sample This: ENGLISH PREFIXES – A a- Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns General meaning: not, without Examples: acellular / amoral / apolitical / atheism / atheist / atypical ****** ad- Used to form: nouns and verbs General meaning: addition, tendency Examples: adjoin / adjudge / admixture ****** ambi- Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns General meaning: both of two Examples: ambidexterity / ambidextrous / ambivalence / ambivalent ****** ante- Used to form: adjectives, nouns and verbs General meaning: prior to; in front of Examples: antedate / antenatal / anterior / ante-room ****** anti- Used to form: adjectives and nouns General meaning: against; the opposite of; preventing Examples: anti-aircraft / anti-bacterial / antibiotic / antibody / anti-choice / anticlerical / anticlimax / anticlockwise / anticoagulant / anti-competitive / anti-copying / anti-corruption / anticyclone / antidepressant / anti-drug / anti-encroachment / anti-extremism / antifreeze / anti-globalization / anti-graft / antigravity / anti-hate / anti-hero / anti-inflammatory / anti-liquor / anti-lock / anti-malarial / anti-national / antioxidant / antiparticle / anti-people / anti-personnel / antiperspirant / anti-poaching / antipyretic / antiretroviral / anti-rowdy / anti-sabotage / antiseptic / antisocial / anti-stalking / antitank / anti-terror / anti-terrorism / anti-theft / antitrust / antiviral / antivirus ****** ENGLISH SUFFIXES – A -able Used to form: adjectives, adverbs and nouns General meaning: that can, should or must be done; having the characteristic of Examples: adaptable / agreeable / amenable / amicable / appreciable / approachable / assessable / avertable / avoidable / believable / breakable / calculable / changeable / chargeable / comfortable / companionable / computable / conceivable / controllable / curable / decipherable / declarable / desirable / detectable / detestable / doable / enjoyable / escapable / excitable / explainable / explicable / exploitable / fashionable / foreseeable / graspable / honorable / imaginable / imperturbable / indubitable / inevitable / justifiable / manageable / moveable / noticeable / observable / payable / pleasurable / portable / preventable / punishable / quantifiable / questionable / ratable / reachable / readable / reasonable / reckonable / recognizable / reliable / reputable / respectable / serviceable / sociable / stoppable / taxable / traceable / transferable / translatable / transportable / understandable / usable / utilizable / variable / washable / wearable / workable ****** -ability Used to form: nouns General meaning: a level of skill, intelligence, etc. Example: capability / curability / excitability / inescapability / inevitability / playability / preventability / serviceability / unavoidability / usability / workability ****** -ably Used to form: adverbs General meaning: skillful and well; in a particular manner Examples: affably / capably / charitably / comfortably / demonstrably / indisputably / inevitably / irritably / notably / noticeably / presumably / probably / reasonably / remarkably ****** -acy Used to form: nouns General meaning: the position, quality, state or status of Examples: accuracy / adequacy / delicacy / democracy / intimacy / primacy / privacy / supremacy ******