Affixes are prefixes and suffixes. Combined with roots, they create word families. Spect means look: inspect, spectator, respect. Port means carry: transport, portable, export.
Prefixes such as trans- (across), inter- (between), semi- (half), co- (together) and bi- (two) add precise meanings. Suffixes such as -ify and -ise make verbs: simplify, modernise.
Breaking a word into its parts gives you a strong guess at its meaning, which you can check in context or a dictionary.
Many science and geography words are built this way, so learning roots helps in every subject, not only English.
Worked example
Use the parts to explain “transatlantic”.
- Trans- means across.
- Atlantic is the ocean; -ic makes an adjective.
Answer:crossing the Atlantic Ocean
Key words
- affix
- a prefix or suffix
- word family
- words that share a root
- etymology
- where a word comes from
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: L.6.4b