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Understanding how words are formed is a key skill for mastering English vocabulary, especially for competitive exams like the BPSC Judiciary. The study of word formation falls under morphology, which is the branch of linguistics that looks at the structure of words.
Two important building blocks in morphology are prefixes and suffixes. These are small groups of letters added to a root word (the main part of a word) to change its meaning or grammatical function.
By learning prefixes and suffixes, you can:
Let's start by exploring what prefixes and suffixes are, and how they work.
A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a root word. Prefixes modify the meaning of the root word but usually do not change its grammatical category (such as noun, verb, adjective).
For example, the prefix un- means "not." When added to the root word happy, it forms unhappy, meaning "not happy."
| Prefix | Meaning | Example Word | Meaning of Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| un- | not | unfair | not fair |
| re- | again, back | rebuild | build again |
| in- / im- | not, into | incorrect / implant | not correct / put into |
| dis- | not, opposite of | disagree | not agree |
| bi- | two | bicycle | a vehicle with two wheels |
| tri- | three | triangle | a shape with three sides |
Recognizing prefixes helps you quickly guess the meaning of new words. For example, if you know pre- means "before," then preview means "to view before." This skill saves time during exams.
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a root word. Unlike prefixes, suffixes often change the grammatical category (or word class) of the root word. This means a suffix can turn a verb into a noun, an adjective into an adverb, and so on.
For example, adding the suffix -ness to the adjective happy creates the noun happiness, which means "the state of being happy."
| Suffix | Word Class Formed | Example Word | Meaning of Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ment | Noun | development | the process of developing |
| -tion | Noun | completion | the act of completing |
| -ness | Noun | kindness | the quality of being kind |
| -able | Adjective | readable | able to be read |
| -ful | Adjective | beautiful | full of beauty |
| -ize | Verb | modernize | to make modern |
Suffixes help you identify the role of a word in a sentence (noun, verb, adjective, etc.). This is crucial for grammar questions and for understanding sentence meaning.
Words are often formed by adding prefixes and/or suffixes to a root word. This process changes the meaning and sometimes the grammatical class of the word.
For example:
un- means "not" -> "not happy")-ness turns adjective into noun -> "state of being happy")graph TD Root[Root Word: happy] Prefix[Prefix: un- (not)] Suffix[Suffix: -ness (state/quality)] Unhappy[Unhappy (not happy)] Happiness[Happiness (state of being happy)] Unhappiness[Unhappiness (state of being not happy)] Prefix --> Unhappy Root --> Unhappy Root --> Happiness Suffix --> Happiness Prefix --> Unhappiness Root --> Unhappiness Suffix --> Unhappiness
This flowchart shows how adding prefixes and suffixes changes the word's meaning and sometimes its grammatical role.
Step 1: Identify the prefix at the beginning of the word. Here, un- is the prefix.
Step 2: Identify the root word after the prefix. The root word is happy.
Step 3: Understand the meaning of the prefix un-, which means "not."
Step 4: Combine the meanings: unhappy means "not happy."
Answer: The prefix is un- (not), root word is happy, so unhappy means "not happy."
-ment to form a noun from the verb develop and explain the meaning. Step 1: Identify the root word: develop (verb).
Step 2: Add the suffix -ment to form development.
Step 3: Understand that -ment forms nouns indicating an action or process.
Step 4: So, development means "the process of developing."
Answer: Adding -ment to develop forms the noun development, meaning "process of developing."
Step 1: Identify the relationship between the first pair.
Happy is an adjective; Happiness is a noun formed by adding the suffix -ness.
Step 2: Apply the same logic to Able, which is an adjective.
Step 3: The noun form of able is ability, formed by adding the suffix -ity.
Answer: Happy : Happiness :: Able : Ability
Step 1: Identify the prefix: dis-, which means "not" or "opposite of."
Step 2: Identify the root word: agree, meaning "to consent."
Step 3: Combine meanings: disagree means "not agree."
Answer: The prefix dis- negates the root agree, so disagree means "not agree."
-ful and explain the meaning. Step 1: Identify the root word: beauty (noun).
Step 2: Add the suffix -ful to form beautiful.
Step 3: Understand that -ful means "full of."
Step 4: So, beautiful means "full of beauty."
Answer: Adding -ful to beauty forms the adjective beautiful, meaning "full of beauty."
When to use: When encountering unfamiliar words in exam questions to deduce meaning.
When to use: During word analogy or vocabulary questions.
When to use: When deciding if a word is noun, verb, adjective, or adverb in questions.
When to use: When unsure about the correct answer in multiple-choice questions.
When to use: For exam preparation and timed practice sessions.
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