Vocabulario Bilingüe

Vocabulary building
Affixes and roots
Adding affixes to existing words (the base or root) to form new words is common in academic English. Prefixes are added to the front of the base (like dislike), whereas suffixes are added to the end of the base (active activate). Prefixes usually do not change the class of the base word, but suffixes usually do change the class of the word.
The most commonprefixes used to form new verbs in academic English are: re-, dis-, over-, un-, mis-, out-. The most common suffixes are: -ise, -en, -ate, -(i)fy. By far the most common affix in academic English is -ise.
Verbs
e.g. prefix + verb verb
Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
re- | again or back | restructure, revisit, reappear, rebuild, refinance |
dis- | reverses the meaning of the verb |disappear, disallow, disarm, disconnect, discontinue |
over- | too much | overbook, oversleep, overwork |
un- | reverses the meaning of the verb | unbend, uncouple, unfasten |
mis- | badly or wrongly | mislead, misinform, misidentify |
out- | more or better than others | outperform, outbid |
be- | make or cause | befriend, belittle |
co- | together | co-exist, co-operate, co-own |
de- | dothe opposite of | devalue, deselect |
fore- | earlier, before | foreclose, foresee |
inter- | between | interact, intermix, interface |
pre- | before | pre-expose, prejudge, pretest |
sub- | under/below | subcontract, subdivide |
trans- | across, over | transform, transcribe, transplant |
under- | not enough | underfund, undersell, undervalue, underdevelop |
Exercise
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e.g. Suffixused to form verbs with the meaning "cause to be".
Suffix | Example |
-ise | stabilise, characterise, symbolise, visualise, specialise |
-ate | differentiate, liquidate, pollinate, duplicate, fabricate |
-fy | classify, exemplify, simplify, justify |
-en | awaken, fasten, shorten, moisten |
Exercise
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Nouns
The most common prefixes used to form new nouns in academic English are: co-and sub-. The most common suffixes are: -tion, -ity, -er, -ness, -ism, -ment, -ant, -ship, -age, -ery. By far the most common noun affix in academic English is -tion.
e.g. prefix + noun noun
Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
anti- | against | anticlimax, antidote, antithesis |
auto- | self | autobiography, automobile |
bi- | two | bilingualism, biculturalism, bi-metalism |
co- | joint |co-founder, co-owner, co-descendant |
counter- | against | counter-argument, counter-example, counter-proposal |
dis- | the converse of | discomfort, dislike |
ex- | former | ex-chairman, ex-hunter |
hyper- | extreme | hyperinflation, hypersurface |
in- | the converse of | inattention, incoherence, incompatibility |
in- | inside | inpatient, |
inter- | between | interaction,inter-change, interference |
kilo- | thousand | kilobyte |
mal- | bad | malfunction, maltreatment, malnutrition |
mega- | million | megabyte |
mis- | wrong | misconduct, misdeed, mismanagement |
mini- | small | mini-publication, mini-theory |
mono- | one | monosyllable, monograph, monogamy |
neo- | new | neo-colonialism, neo-impressionism |
out- | separate | outbuilding, |
poly- | many |polysyllable |
pseudo- | false | pseudo-expert |
re- | again | re-organisation, re-assessment, re-examination |
semi- | half | semicircle, semi-darkness |
sub- | below | subset, subdivision |
super- | more than, above | superset, superimposition, superpowers |
sur- | over and above | surtax |
tele- | distant | telecommunications, |
tri- | three | tripartism |
ultra- | beyond |ultrasound |
under- | below, too little | underpayment, under-development, undergraduate |
vice- | deputy | vice-president |
Exercise
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e.g. Suffix added to a verb (V), noun (N) or adjective (A) noun
Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
-tion
-sion | action/instance of V-ing | alteration, demonstration
expansion, inclusion, admission |
-er | person who V-s
something used for V-ing |...