Prefixes:
* Change the meaning:
* un- (undo, unhappy): negates the original meaning
* pre- (pre-game, pre-existing): indicates something that comes before
* re- (rewrite, redo): indicates repetition or a change
* mis- (misunderstand, misinterpret): indicates something is wrong or incorrect
* Change the word class:
* en- (enlarge, enable): turns nouns or adjectives into verbs
Suffixes:
* Change the meaning:
* -ness (happiness, sadness): creates nouns from adjectives
* -ful (careful, helpful): adds the meaning of 'full of'
* -less (careless, useless): negates the meaning of the base word
* -ly (slowly, happily): turns adjectives into adverbs
* Change the word class:
* -er (worker, teacher): creates nouns indicating a person who does something
* -tion (creation, education): creates nouns indicating an action or process
* -ize (modernize, legalize): creates verbs from nouns or adjectives
Infixes:
* Often change the meaning: While less common in English, infixes can change the meaning of a word.
* In some languages, they can express intensity or emphasis.
Here are some examples:
* Happy: This word has a positive meaning.
* Unhappy: The prefix "un-" turns the meaning into its opposite - negative.
* Happily: The suffix "-ly" turns the adjective "happy" into an adverb describing how something is done.
* Happiness: The suffix "-ness" turns the adjective "happy" into a noun representing the state of being happy.
Understanding affixes helps you decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words, expand your vocabulary, and express yourself more precisely.