Essential Academic English: Prefixes & Suffixes

Explore the anti- prefix, meaning against or opposite, with examples like anticlockwise, anti-terrorism, and antibiotic, and note hyphen usage. Compare ante- meaning before birth and practice forming anti- words.

Explore the prefix auto, from Greek origin, meaning 'happens by itself,' with examples like automobile, autobiography, autograph, autopilot, and automatic, and learn how these words move language forward.

Explore the prefix bi-, meaning two, and see how it signals two parts in words like bicycle, bilingual, bisexual, and biplane, with notes on biannual and biweekly timing.

Explore how the prefix bio means life and connect it to biology, biography, biological, and biosphere, while distinguishing bi versus bio and terms like antenatal, autobiography, antibiotic, and biplane.

Learn the prefix co-, meaning doing things together, with examples like co-chair and co-star, and understand hyphen usage, biosphere, and the relation of bio to life.

Discover the de- prefix and its meaning to reverse or remove completely, with examples like defrost, decompose, deconstruct, and dehumidifier, and note not all words come from the prefix.

Explore the dis- prefix, its meaning of removal or negation, and example words like disable, dislike, disappear, disagree, and dishonest, with notes on origin from French and Latin.

Explore the en-/em- prefixes and their use to give or put into, forming verbs from nouns such as empower, enrage, envision, and embed.

Explore the fore- prefix, meaning before or in front of, tracing its Old English roots and uses like forehead, forecast, forehand, forefather, with notes on language blends in English.

Explore the meanings and origins of homo and hetero, with Greek and Latin roots and examples like Homo sapiens, homosexual, and heterosexual, plus homophones and homographs.

Explore the meaning of hydro as water, with examples like hydro power, hydro electric, hydrology, and hydrophobic. Learn how water's kinetic energy turns a dam's turbine into electricity.

Explore the inter- prefix, its Latin and French roots, and how it signals things done together or between nations. Learn examples like international, interdepartmental, interchange, and interact.

Learn that micro means small and macro means large, with examples like microscope, microwave, and microorganism, and note hyphen use and Greek roots in microeconomics.

Explore the prefix mid, derived from German and meaning middle, and learn where to place a hyphen, with examples like midday, midnight, and midweek.

Explore the mis- prefix and its negative meaning, with examples like misinformation, misidentify, misbehave, and mislead, and trace its German, Latin, and French origins for everyday English use.

Explore how the prefix non- means not, with examples like non-payment and non-stop, note its Latin origin and absence meaning, and the hyphen usage differences between British and American English.

Explore the prefix over, meaning to go over or via something, with examples like overheard, overboard, overtake, and overweight. Trace its origins to German, Dutch, Latin, and French.

Explore the prefix photo, meaning light, through words like photograph, photocopy, and photosensitive, and learn about its Greek origin and how photosynthesis powers plants.

Explore how the prefix post means after an event, not just mail, with examples like post-war, post-mortem, post-script, and post-graduate, and learn when to hyphenate to avoid ambiguity.

Explore the prefixes pre and post, their meanings, hyphen usage, and when to join vowels, with examples like pre-war, pre-school, pre-intermediate, and postgraduate in the Common European Framework.

Explore how the prefix re means again and forms words such as recycle, rewatch, review, and reproduce. Grasp hyphen usage and how cycle, view, and reproduction illustrate the pattern.

Learn the meaning of semi as half, with examples such as semicircle, semi-final, semi-pro, and note hemi as the Greek form; compare everyday Latin usage for hemisphere terms.

Explore the prefix sub, meaning under or near, with Latin roots and joined forms. Learn how words like submarine, subterranean, subway, subpar, and substitutes illustrate under usage.

Explore the prefix super, meaning above and beyond, with examples like superhuman, superpower, superstar, and superlative; learn its Latin roots and how it signals the best.

Explore the prefix trans- and its core meaning of across and moving, with examples like transport, transfer, transcribe, translate, and a note on transgender usage.

Explore the prefix tri, meaning three, and connect it to words like triangle, tricycle, trident, and triceratops, noting three sides, three angles, and three horns.

Explore the un- prefix and its meaning of not, across adjectives, verbs, and nouns, with examples like unhappy, unfair, and unemployed.

Explore the prefix under, meaning below or beneath, with examples like underwater and underground. Learn when under is a prefix or a standalone word and how to space related terms.

Explore the prefix uni, its Latin origin meaning one, and see it in university, unicycle, uniform, unisex, and universe, while recalling the unit's prefix recap.

review core prefixes and their meanings, including anti, ante, auto, bio, co, dis, pre, post, and trans. a unit test follows, with worksheets to reinforce learning.

Explore how the suffix able turns base words into adjectives meaning capable, with examples like breakable, available, audible, and visible, and contrast with inaudible and unbreakable.

Explore how the suffix -al changes grammar by turning verbs into nouns and nouns into adjectives, with examples like survival, refusal, natural, and accidental, and note Latin or French roots.

Explore the suffixes -er and -or, turning verbs into roles and forming comparatives, with examples like teacher, footballer, northerner. Learn how -est forms superlatives and note that easterner is uncommon.

Learn how to form English superlatives: add est for one-syllable adjectives, use most for two-syllable or longer ones, and note irregulars like good to best.

Explore the suffix full and how it forms adjectives from verbs to express having lots of something, with examples like joyful, beautiful, careful, and shameful.

Explore how the suffix ic forms adjectives like metallic, germanic, and periodic, signaling qualities, origins, or recurrence. Learn these patterns from Essential Academic English: Prefixes & Suffixes for clear writing.

Explore prefixes and suffixes, focusing on the ing suffix to form gerunds and turn verbs into nouns, with examples like running, thinking, sleeping, and eating.

Explore the suffix ism, a Greek-Latin and French origin that forms nouns denoting belief or quality; examples include realism, Darwinism, fascism, and baptism.

Learn how the suffix -tion (shun) turns verbs into nouns, with spellings like sion and cia, illustrated by evaporation, starvation, relation, completion, and admiration.