Ensayo

Building Vocabulary: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes

Page 1

Building Vocabulary: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
Many studies show the importance of building children’s vocabulary. One study has shown that a set of 20 prefixes and 14 roots, and knowing how to use them, will unlock the meaning of over 100,000 words. A similar study showed that a set of 29 prefixes and 25 roots will give themeaning to over 125,000 words. Imagine adding suffixes! Below are lists of prefixes, suffixes, and roots – with their meanings and example words. ∗ Reviewing these also can help many ELL students to see relationships between and among languages. Many prefixes have a basis in Latin – also the basis for Spanish, French, and Italian – or Greek.

Table 1: 32 Prefixes Prefix Meaning
a, ab, abs ad, a,ac, af, ag, an, ar, at, as anti bi, bis circum, cir com, con, co, col de dis, dif, di epi equ, equi ex, e, ef in, il, ir, im, en in, il, ig, ir, im away from to, toward against two around with, together away from, down, the opposite of apart upon, on top of equal out, from in, into not absent abscond adapt adhere annex attract antifreeze antisocial bicycle biannual biennial circumscribe circlecombine contact collect co-worker depart decline dislike dishonest distant epitaph epilogue equalize equitable exit eject exhale inject impose inactive ignoble irreversible irritate

Example words and meanings
not to be present, away abscond – to run away to fit into to stick to to add or join to draw near a substance to prevent freezing refers to someone who’s not social two wheeled cycle twiceeach year every two years to draw around a figure that goes all around to bring together to touch together to bring together co-worker to go away from to turn down not to like not honest away writing upon a tombstone speech at the end, on top of the rest to make equal fair, equal to go out to throw out to breathe out to put into to force into not active not noble not reversible to put intodiscomfort

∗

This document revised from Gary Gruber’s work on increasing children’s test scores: Dr. Gary Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids, Grades 3, 4, & 5. (1986); Dr. Gary Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids, Grades 6, 7, 8, & 9. (1986); and Gruber's Complete Preparation for the SAT (9th Edition, 2001) -- all published by Collins, New York City. Developed by JudithWilde, PhD for Beta Group – Albuquerque, NM and Arlington, VA (rev 8/06). Reprinted by NCELA with permission. Multiple copies permitted for educational purposes and with this credit line.

Building Vocabulary: Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes

Page 2

Prefix
inter mal, male mis

Meaning
between, among bad, ill, wrong wrong, badly international interpose malpractice malfunction mistreatmistake misplace monopoly monotone monologue monosyllable nonsense nonprofit obstacle obvious obviate omnipresent omnipotent pervade perceive polysyllable polygon postpone postmortem preview prehistoric preface proceed prowar promote retell recall recede secede seclude submarine subway subliminal superstar superimpose transverse unidirectional unanimous unilateral uninterested unhelpful unethicalExample words and meanings
among nations to put between bad practice fail to function, bad function to treat badly to get wrong to put in wrong place one ownership one note speech by one person one syllable not making sense not making a profit something that stands in the way of right in front of, apparent to do away with, make unnecessary always present, everywhere all powerful to pass through, tospread through to become aware through sight many syllables figure with many sides to do after after death a viewing earlier than another before written history a statement before an article or book to go forward supporting the war to raise or move forward to tell again to call back to go back to withdraw, become apart to stay apart from others under water a path or way to move under ground...