{"id":51439,"date":"2019-05-14T18:02:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T18:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=51439"},"modified":"2026-03-28T11:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:05:27","slug":"affix-definition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/affix-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"Affixes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_ow6CQasA3UM\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_ow6CQasA3UM\" data-source-videoID=\"ow6CQasA3UM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Affixes Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Affixes\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_ow6CQasA3UM:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_ow6CQasA3UM {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/566-affixes-prefix-infix-suffix-resized-3.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_ow6CQasA3UM\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_ow6CQasA3UM\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Affixes\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_ow6CQasA3UM\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_ow6CQasA3UM\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_ow6CQasA3UM\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction Njq_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"Njq\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"Njq_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"Njq\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Prefixes\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Prefixes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Suffixes\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Suffixes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Infixes\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Infixes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Combining_Forms\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Combining Forms<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>One way to better understand the meaning behind words is to look at the different parts of each word and understand each part\u2019s meaning separately, like squares in a patchwork quilt. Many English words are made by taking basic words and adding combinations to the beginning or end of the word to change the meaning. The basic word is called the root word, and the added portion is called the affix. There are three main affixes we use: prefixes, suffixes, and infixes.<\/p>\n<p>An affix added to the front of a word is known as a <strong>prefix<\/strong>. One added to the back of a word is the <strong>suffix<\/strong>. Guess where an <strong>infix<\/strong> appears? That\u2019s right, the middle of the word.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start by talking about prefixes. <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Prefixes\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Prefixes<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe four most common prefixes are <em>dis-<\/em>, <em>in-<\/em>, <em>re-<\/em>, and <em>un-<\/em>. Let me show you what I mean.<\/p>\n<p>The word <em>form<\/em> can mean to create something. If you add the prefix <em>re-<\/em> to the beginning of the word, we get the word <em>reform<\/em>, which means to form over again. In fact, <em>re-<\/em> is connected to an original Latin word that means \u201cagain.\u201d If you add it to <em>say<\/em> or <em>do<\/em> you get the same effect\u2014<em>resay<\/em> means to say something over again, and <em>redo<\/em> means to do something over again.<\/p>\n<p>Can you spot the prefix in the word <em>disclaim<\/em>? <em>Dis-<\/em> is a Latin prefix that functions like a negative. Often, if you see <em>dis-<\/em>, you can put <em>not<\/em> in its place. <em>Discontent<\/em> means \u201cnot content.\u201d <em>Disability<\/em> means \u201clacking ability.\u201d <em>Disbelief<\/em> means not believing. <em>Disclaim<\/em> means to \u201cnot claim\u201d\u2014to deny or refuse to acknowledge.<\/p>\n<p>Now that you have a good idea of what a prefix is, let\u2019s talk about suffixes.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Suffixes\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Suffixes<\/h2>\n<p>\nLike I mentioned before, an affix at the back of a word is a suffix. The four most common suffixes are <em>-ed<\/em>, <em>-ing<\/em>, <em>-ly<\/em>, and <em>-es<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at each of these suffixes attached to the root word <em>love<\/em> for illustration. If you add the first, you get the word <em>loved<\/em>, a past tense verb of the root word. The second suffix gives us <em>loving<\/em>, the third <em>lovely<\/em>, and the fourth <em>loves<\/em>. Each suffix changes the meaning of the word slightly, while maintaining the root meaning of the word <em>love<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Now let\u2019s talk about the third kind of affix.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Infixes\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Infixes<\/h2>\n<p>\nInfixes go inside the word. There are actually very few infixes in the English language. but you will see them with certain plural words. Let\u2019s look at the word <em>cupful<\/em> and the word <em>passerby<\/em> as examples. How would you make these two words plural? Contrary to what you may be used to saying, it\u2019s incorrect to say \u201ccupfuls\u201d and \u201cpasserbies\u201d\u2014the correct English plural for these words is <em>cupsful<\/em> and <em>passersby<\/em> respectively. The infix <em>s<\/em> appears in the middle of both words.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Combining_Forms\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Combining Forms<\/h2>\n<p>\nBefore we leave our topic of affixes, let\u2019s talk about one area of grammar that often gets lumped into the affix category: combining forms. <\/p>\n<p>A combining form is a form of a word that only appears as a part of another word. Think of the word <em>clockwise.<\/em> The suffix <em>-wise<\/em> is an adverb combining form that helps tells us the direction of the action. In the word <em>photograph<\/em>, <em>-graph<\/em> is actually a noun combining form that tacks onto the word <em>photo<\/em> to make a new word. These aren\u2019t affixes, exactly. They have more substance. <\/p>\n<p>Unlike affixes, combining forms can actually connect with an affix to form a real word. While you can\u2019t put <em>dis-<\/em> and <em>re-<\/em> together to make a word, you can put <em>wise<\/em> and <em>-ly<\/em> together and you\u2019ll get the word <em>wisely<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In summation, prefixes, suffixes, and infixes are small add-ons to root words. Combining forms are slightly larger add-ons that often have some stand-alone quality. Understanding the various parts of words like this helps us understand the overall meaning of the word.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/parts-of-a-sentence\/\">Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":158117,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-51439","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-parts-of-a-sentence-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/51439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51439"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/51439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280775,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/51439\/revisions\/280775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}