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Year 7 English — Prefixes and suffixes

Build a new word by adding a prefix or a suffix, and say what the new word means.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.Add a suffix to "kind" to make a noun meaning "the quality of being kind".

  2. 2.Add a suffix to "teach" to name the person who teaches.

  3. 3.Add a suffix to "care" to make a word meaning "without care".

  4. 4.Add a prefix to "understand" to make a word meaning "understand wrongly".

  5. 5.Sort each word part by where it attaches.

    Groups: Prefix — goes before the word · Suffix — goes after the word

    • re-
    • -less
    • dis-
    • -ful
    • un-
    • -ness

  6. 6.Add a prefix to "happy" to make a word meaning "not happy".

  7. 7.Match each suffix to what it adds to the word.

    • -ful
    • -less
    • -ness
    • -ly
    • -able
    • -er
    • a person who does it
    • full of
    • able to be
    • without
    • a quality or a state
    • in that manner

  8. 8.Add a suffix to "hope" to make a word meaning "full of hope".

Answer key — Year 7 English — Prefixes and suffixes

  1. 1. kindness
  2. 2. teacher
  3. 3. careless
  4. 4. misunderstand
  5. 5. un- → Prefix — goes before the word; -ful → Suffix — goes after the word; re- → Prefix — goes before the word; -less → Suffix — goes after the word; dis- → Prefix — goes before the word; -ness → Suffix — goes after the word
  6. 6. unhappy
  7. 7. -ful → full of; -less → without; -ness → a quality or a state; -ly → in that manner; -able → able to be; -er → a person who does it
  8. 8. hopeful