Vocabulary
Prefixes and suffixes
Build a new word by adding a prefix or a suffix, and say what the new word means.
English builds new words out of old ones. Take a word you know, bolt something onto the front or the back, and you have a word you have never seen before but can still read. That is why a reader who knows twenty prefixes can guess at hundreds of words.
A prefix changes the meaning
It goes on the front and usually flips or shifts what the word means. Lucky becomes unlucky. Paint becomes repaint. Judge becomes misjudge.
A suffix often changes the job
It goes on the back and frequently turns the word into a different part of speech. Dark is an adjective; darkness is a noun. Sing is a verb; singer is a noun.
Worked example
What does "overcrowded" mean?
Peel off the prefix: over-.
Always find the root word first, then read the parts back on.
Have a go
Add a suffix to "use" to make a word meaning "without use".
Ready to practise?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.