List of Common suffixes
suffixes meaning examples
-able/-ible liable / that can be of /capable of Renewable , washable , disposable , believable, responsible
-ai /ial has the property of personal , industrial , financial , critical , musical
-ance state /condition or quality acceptance , inheritance , performance , assistance ,importance
-ant quality or state / full of assistant, distant, important, pleasant, ignorant, relevant, tolerant
-ate to make cooperate, coordinate , decorate ,collaborate , donate , animate
-ary like / connected with / belonging to legendary , imaginary ,necessary , secondary, voluntary
-cy state or quality literacy , accuracy , frequency , fluency , democracy ,privacy
-ed past from turned , collected , cooked , killed
-en made of (adjective) golden , wooden
-en to make (verb) lengthen , widen , shorten , soften , threaten
-ence quality or state reference, residence , difference ,violence , existence , competence
-ent one who resident , president
-er Comparative (-er than …. ) taller , shorter , bigger , smaller , faster
hopeful , painful , careful , joyful , skilful ,peaceful , successful ,
-ful full of / with -adjective-
harmful ,wonderful
-hood state / condition / period fatherhood, neighbourhood, adulthood, womanhood, brotherhood
-ic having the property of / connected with heroic , economic , automatic , periodic , allergic ,fantastic
-ify make …./cause…. -verb- clarify , justify , purify , solidify , classify , qualify , verify , identify
-ion act / process action, addition, occupation, description, explanation, classification
-ish like / similar to / of a nationality childish , girlish , mannish , Spanish , British ,foolish
-ist person with specific knowledge. optimist , typist , specialist , stylist , socialist ,novelist , dentist
connection / function / disposition / character detective , destructive , impressive , massive ,productive , creative ,
-ive
/quality / tendency / inclination active , attentive , passive , relative ,addictive
-ity state / quality or condition sanity , ambiguity ,, ability , purity , fraternity ,dignity
-ize / -ise bring about a state or condition / make modernize , colonize , advertise , summarise , analyse
-ness quality / state of being -noun- kindness , openness , darkness , awareness , happiness ,greatness
satisfactory , discriminatory , repository ,contradictory ,
-ory the state of being / relating to
compulsory
-ous full of / having marvellous , religious , famous, fabulous
-ship State of having a specific position leadership , relationship , championship , citizenship, membership
List of Common prefixes
Prefix Meaning Examples
anti against, opposed to antibiotic, antiwar, anti-virus, antifreeze
auto self/by oneself autobiography – autograph – autodidact – automatic
bi two bicycle – bilingual – bilateral
co with – together co-worker , co-producer , co-author
counter against, opposing counter-clockwise , counteract , counter-attack
de undo / opposite action / remove depress , demotivate , decode , degenerate
dislike , distrust , disable , disagree , disorganised, disarm
dis not / the opposite of
,disadvantage ,disable , disobey
en cause to be or become enlarge ,enrich ,endanger ,enable ,enact
ex former / previous ex-teacher , ex-president , ex-student, ex-wife
not ( used before a word beginning with the
il illegal ,illogical ,illicit ,illegitimate
letter “L” like legal)
not ( used before a word beginning with the immature ,impossible ,improbable ,imperfect -impersonal
im
letter “m” like mature or “p” like possible) ,immodest ,immobile
indistinct , inaccurate , indecent , inhuman ,incorrect ,
in not / opposite to
incapable , insufficient , incomprehensible , incomparable
in in , movement to insert , instil , inbuilt
inter among / between / connected international , inter-ship , intercontinental , internet
not ( used before a word beginning with the
ir irrational , irregular , irresistible , irresponsible ,irrelevant
letter “r” like rational)
mis wrongly / badly mislead , mistake , misunderstand
mono one / having one monolingual , monosyllabic
multi many multicultural , multilingual , multimedia
new / based on something old but in a new
neo neocolonialism , neoclassic , neonatal ,non-conservative
form
non not non-governmental , nonsense , non-essential
out more / to a greater extent outnumber , outlive , outrage , outlaw
over above / too much overcook , overheat , overdo , overeat , overpaid
poly many polyglot , polyclinic , polygamy
post after /come after postwar , post-conflict , post-communism ,post-colonialism
pseudo false pseudonym , pseudo-scientist ,
pre before / come before prehistoric , prefix , pretest , predict , prepare
pro in favour of pro-American , pro-capitalist , proactive
re back / do again redo , rewrite , rename , revisit
self by oneself self-made , self-sufficient , self-service ,self-taught , selfish
half semi half-baked , halfway , half-time
sub under / beneath submarine , subject , subordinate , subway
super above / beyond superpower , superman , superstar
tele far telephone , telescope , telecommunicate , telescope
trans across transcontinental , transatlantic , transfer , transform
un not unknown , unjust , unkind , unsafe , unable
under below / beneath / not enough , insufficient underline , under-age , underemployed , underpaid
