Gateway to Grammar: English Prefixes and Suffixes

You can really help yourself learning English by learning the building blocks of our weird little language. Prefixes (letters added to the beginning of a word) and Suffixes (letters added to the end of the word) tell you a lot about meaning! Here are some helpful examples!

Prefixes (before the word)

·         Pre = before! -> Prefix (fixed before the word), premature (before ready), premade (made before), premeditated (thought about before)

·         Un = not -> unnatural (not natural), unbelievable (not believable), unable (not able)

Suffixes (after the word)

·         Able = possible -> drinkable (possible to drink), winnable (possible to win), sinkable (possible to sink)

·         Er and ee = person doing something, person being done to -> Interviewer (person who interviews others), interviewee (person who is being interviewed and wants the job), Trainer (teachers others), trainee (is learning and being taught by the trainer).

So just learning the prefixes and suffixes can help you understand many new words! Be careful you are looking at a real suffix or prefix though. You should be able to take a word with a prefix or suffix apart and have a real world left- > unnatural is un + natural. Beer is not be+er it is a word with no prefix.

If you like the way I teach English, you can find out more about the different online lessons I teach at www.wrightenglish.com.