1. An Overview of Prefixes and Suffixes

Prefixes and suffixes are word parts that carry meaning. For example, the prefix re- means again, and the suffix -est means the superlative. Prefixes are added to the beginning of words; suffixes are added to the end of words. 

Prefixes and suffixes are types of morphemes, the smallest units of meaning in a language — and an important concept for students to learn. They are the building blocks of our language!

Prefixes are word parts added to the beginning of a word; suffixes are word parts added to the end of a word. 

A morpheme can be a word or word part, and it may be one or more syllables. For example, cat is a single-syllable word that has one morpheme. When you add the suffix -s to cat, the word has two morphemes, and the meaning is changed to more than one cat. 

Words can also have more than one prefix or suffix. For example, unreliable has five syllables (un-re-li-a-ble) and  three morphemes (un-reli-able), including a prefix (un-) and a suffix (-able). Although children will be learning how to read and spell prefixes and suffixes, we emphasize their meaning in our instruction. This builds morphological awareness, which is a component of language comprehension and pays dividends for vocabulary! 

When children understand how prefixes and suffixes work to change the meaning of a word, it contributes to their word knowledge. By learning the meanings of prefixes and suffixes, they are able to build new words and to make meaning of larger words they encounter in text.