USING PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES 41
-ive: performing or tending towards (an action); having the nature of
cooperative (marked by a willingness to cooperate; done with or working with
others for a common purpose), defensive (serving to defend or protect)-ous, -ose: full of, having the quality of, relating to
glorious (having or deserving glory, famous), nauseous (causing nausea, sickening)◗ Verb Suffixes
-ate: to make, cause to be or become
deteriorate (to make worse, impair; to make inferior in quality or character),
irritate (to cause annoyance or disturbance in; to make impatient, angry,
annoyed)-ify, -fy: to make, form into
beautify (to make beautiful), specify (to state explicitly or in detail)-ize: to cause to be or become, to bring about
colonize (to establish a colony), democratize (to make or become democratic)TIPS AND STRATEGIES
A good knowledge of prefixes and suffixes is an invaluable asset when you are build-
ing your vocabulary and studying for the TOEFL iBT. Here are some specific tips
and strategies to use as you develop this skill and prepare for your test.
● Take the time to memorize the most common prefixes and suffixes. By
memorizing these essential word parts, you will be able to learn new words
more quickly and better determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
● Use words that you are very familiar with as examples when you study pre-
fixes and suffixes. The more familiar the word is to you (e.g., co operate ), the
easier it will be for you to remember the meaning of the prefix or suffix.
● Remember that you use prefixes and suffixes every day, all the time. Do not
feel intimidated by the long lists in this chapter or in Appendix B. You
already know much of this material.
● Remember that prefixes and suffixes alone do not create meaning; rather,
they change or add to the meaning of the root word. Use as many