Download Stems, Prefixes and Suffixes

English Grammar Tutorial:
Stems, Prefixes and Suffixes
The following document will help you learn about stems,
prefixes and suffixes. If you don’t have a good internet
connection, you can download the PDF to this document here and
make use of the lesson offline.
Stems
A stem is the main part of a word. Sometimes it is called the
root of a word.
Examples:
mainly
helpful
rejoice
playing
unpack
The words in bold are called stems or roots. Stems are the
main part of all the words in the examples.
Test yourself
Look at the examples again and say out loudly the stems
of each word.
Make a list of words in which you can recognise the
stems.
Letters attached to the start of the stem are called prefixes.
Letters attached to the end of the stem are called suffixes.
Prefixes
A prefix is attached to the start of a word.
Examples:
rewrite
unscramble
mislead
dismiss
A word can have 2 prefixes.
Examples: over + re + act = overreact
stand = misunderstand
mis + under +
List of common prefixes
Prefix
Meaning
Examples
anti
against; opposing
antidepressant
de
opposite
derail
dis
opposite of; not
disobey
en/em
cause to
engulf; embed
fore
before
foreground
in/im
in; into
indoors
in/im; il;
ir
not
incorrect; illegal;
irrelevant
inter
between; among
interchange
mid
middle
midnight
mis
wrongly
mislead
non
not
nonfiction
over
too much; over;
above
overgrown
para
beside
paramedic
post
after
postpone
pre
before
prehistoric
re
again
regain
semi
half
semiconscious
sub
below; under
submarine
super
above; beyond
supernatural
trans
through; Across
transnational
un
not; opposite of
unmarried
under
below; under
underperform
Suffixes
A suffix is attached to the end of a word.
Examples:
kindness
suggesting
prepared
useful
A word can have 2 suffixes.
Examples:
wonder + ful + ly = wonderfully
Note: sometimes, an extra consonant is added to a word just
before the suffix.
Examples:
suffix ing)
stopping
(note the extra p before the
In some cases, the vowel e ending a word is removed
before the suffix.
Examples:
truly
come
coming
true
A word can have both a prefix and a suffix at the same
time.
Examples:
Overcooked
unhappily
understanding
List of common suffixes
Suffix
Meaning
Examples
able; ible
can be done; is; can be
available;
accessible
al; ial
having characteristics of
emotional;
residential
ed
past tense verbs
talked
en
made of
strengthen
er
comparative; more
stronger
er; or; ar
person connected with
baker; conductor;
beggar
est
most
strongest
ful
full of
fearful
iI
relating to; characterised
by
analytic
ing
verb form; present
participle
eating
ion; tion;
ation;
ition
act; process
action; preparation
ily
manner of
steadily
ity; ty
state of
activity; infinity
adjective form of a noun
expensive
less
without
careless
ly
characteristic of; manner
of
friendly; happily
ive; ative;
itive
ment
action; result; process
retirement
ness
state of; condition of
sadness
ous; eous;
ious
possessing the qualities of
joyous; courageous;
glorious
s; es
plural of nouns
films; boxes
y
characterised by
funny
Test yourself
Say out loud the examples of prefix and suffix above
Make a list of 5 different words with prefixes and 5
with suffixes
Make a list of words that have a prefix as well as a
suffix
If you want to keep practising stems prefixes and suffixes,
you can download this document here and use it offline.