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When reading technical English, the reader will come across unfamiliar words. It is often possible for him to guess the meanings of these words if he understands the way in which words in English are generally formed.
An English word can be divided into three parts: a prefix, a root and a suffix. A prefix is what comes before the root. Consider as an example, the prefix in– (meaning ‘not’) in a word like inaccurate. A suffix is what is attached to the end of the root. Consider as an example the suffix –ist (meaning ‘a person concerned with’) in physicist. Both prefixes and suffixes are referred to as affixes.
Affixes
Prefixes | + | [Root] | + | Suffixes |
Prefixes usually change the meaning of the word; for example, dis– changes a word to the negative. Disagree means ‘not agree, be different’. Suffixes, on the other hand, change the word from one part of speech to another. –ly added to the adjective accurate gives the adverb accurately. Let us now consider some suffixes and their usual meanings.
Suffixes
Nouns | Verbs | Adjectives | Adverbs |
–ance | –ize | –able | –ly |
–ment | –ate | –ous | |
–er | –en | –less | |
–ity | –ify | –ical | |
–ist | –ish | ||
–ness | –ive |