The prefixes and suffixes listed below are recurrent in academic and scientific prose. The prefixes have been grouped according to meaning: the suffixes according to the grammatical classes of which they are markers.
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Prefixes |
Example |
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the opposite, negation of something a- anti- counter- contra- de- dis ill- im in- ir non- un |
amoral anti-modernist counteraction contradict devalue disadvantage illegal impersonal inaccurate irrelevant non-response unrepresentative |
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bad, wrong mal- mis |
malformation misinterpret |
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quantity bi-/ tri/ etc. cent- dec equi macro- micro- mono- multi- a lot, too much hyper- out- over- super- ultra- little, too little sub- under- |
bilingual, trilingual centenary decade equivalent macroeconomics microeconomics monolingual multipurpose hyperinflation outlive overestimate superhuman ultramodern subsequent underestimate |
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temporal ex- fore- neo- post- pre- |
ex-husband foresee neo-Protestantism post-war prerequisite |
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to make or cause to beb be- em- en- |
befriend embody enable |
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6. relations co- inter- intra intro- mid- semi- trans vice- |
co-author international intravenous introduction midway semiprecious transaction vice-president |
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7. other important prefixes pro- in favor of re- again self- of or by oneself |
pro-feminist re-examine self-conscious |
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SUFFIXES | |||||||
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Nouns |
Adjectives |
Adverbs |
Verbs | ||||
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-ability -age -an -ance/ -ence -ary -ate -ation -cracy -cy -dom -ee --er/-ar/-or -ery -ese -ful -hood -ics -ism -ist -ite -ity/ -ty -ment -ology/-logy -ship -ster -ure |
capability marriage historian importance/ library electorate information democracy efficiency freedom employee employer/ registrar/actor machinery japanese handful adulthood politics egotism psychologist Thatcherite similarity/ novelty development sociology relationship barrister procedure |
-able -al -an -ant -ary/-ory -ate -en -er -ese -est -ful -ic -ical -ish -ist -ite -ive -less -ly -ous -some -th -ward(s) -wide |
capable social Marxian important imaginary/ introductory passionate golden larger Japanese soundest powerful historic political selfish feminist intensive helpless friendly famous troublesome ninth backward worldwide |
-er -est -ly -ward(s) |
faster closest individually forward |
-ate -en -ify -ize (-ise) |
formulate threaten simplify maximize (A.E.) maximise (B.E.) |
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