CHAPTER 11

Prefixes and Suffixes

The number of suffixes and prefixes (together called affixes) in the English language is truly astonishing.

There are over fifty of Latin origin, over fifty of Greek origin, about a dozen of Anglo-Saxon origin, and a
few from other languages, including Arabic.
These additions to the original root words are so common and so firmly entrenched in the language that
often they are hard to recognize, as in the following common words. Which part of the word is the root,
and which is the affix?

(^) There are numerous more easily recognized prefixes and suffixes, and we use them enthusiastically
wherever and whenever we can. The rules governing their use are quite simple.
The spelling rule is that the root word and the affix are not changed but simply linked.
(^) Note that there are exceptions. There are times when the y must be changed to i:
(^) when the silent e must be dropped:
(^) or the final consonant must be doubled:
(^) These changes are explained in other chapters.