Affix- a word element, such as a prefix or a suffix, that occurs before or after a root or base word to modify its meaning. Root- the form of a word after all affixes are removed; meaning: base, root, stem, theme

What are roots and root words? Many English words are formed by taking basic words and adding combinations of prefixes and suffixes to them. A basic word to which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) are added is called a root word because it forms the basis of a new word. The root word is also a word in its own right. For example, the word lovely consists of the word love and the suffix -ly. In contrast, a root is the basis of a new word, but it does not typically form a stand-alone word on its own. For example, the word reject is made up of the prefix re- and the Latin root -ject, which is not a stand-alone word.

Understanding the meanings of the common word roots can help us deduce the meanings of new words that we encounter. RootMeaningExample -auto- (Greek)selfAutomatic, autopsy -bio- (Greek)lifeBiology, biography -audi- (Latin)hearAudible, audience -dict- (Latin)sayDiction, dictate -duc- (Latin)lead,makeDeduce, produce -geo- (Greek)earthGeography, geology -terr-(Latin)earthTerritory, Terrain -graph- (Greek)writeAutograph, graph -mand-, -mend- (Latin)orderRecommend, demand -path- (Greek)feelEmpathy, pathetic -sens-, -sent- (Latin)feelResent, sensitive -vid-, -vis- (Latin)seeVisible, video

Parts of an Affix: Prefix- an element placed at the beginning of a word to adjust or qualify its meaning. Example: De-, non-, re-, un-. Can be used in words such as: decomposition, nonrefundable, restart, and unlikely. Suffix- an element placed at the end of a word to form a derivative, frequently one that converts the stem into another part of speech. Example: -ness, -less, -ian, -ology Can be words such as: viciousness, speechless, magician, biology

A PREFIX is a letter or a group of letters attached to the beginning of a word that partly indicates its meaning. For example, the word prefix itself begins with a prefix--pre-, which generally means "before.“ Be careful: some prefixes (such as in-) have more than one meaning (in this example, "not" and "into"). PrefixMeaningExample Auto-selfAutopilot, Autobiography Com-, Con-withCompanion, Contact De-off, away fromDevalue, denial Mis-wrongMisunderstand, Misprint Re-again, backRetake, retreat Un-not, oppositeUnattractive, unusual Mono-oneMonogamy, Monotonous Omni-all, everyOmniscient, Omnify

A SUFFIX is a letter or a group of letters attached to the end of a word to form a new word or to alter the grammatical function of the original word. For example, the verb read can be made into the noun reader by adding the suffix -er; read can be made into the adjective readable by adding the suffix -able. SuffixMeaningExample -ance, -encestate of quality ofDefiance, eminence -ablecan be doneUnable, readable -estmostOldest, greediest -ic, -icalpertaining toMusical, mythic -ivehaving the nature ofProductive, creative -ermore, one whoReader, slower -lesswithoutUseless, fearless -ycharacterized bySleepy, needy -logystudy, theoryPsychology, biology

To sum it all up Many of our words come to us from Greek or Latin. They don’t come to us complete; they come in parts. These parts are called Roots and Affixes. There are two different kind of affixes: Prefixes and Suffixes. The part at the beginning of a word is a prefix. The part in the middle is the root or root word. The part at the end is the suffix.

Put it all together: Put the prefixes, roots, and suffixes together and you end up with words. Keep in mind that not all words have all three parts. Some simply have a prefix and a root. Others, just a root and suffix.