English Prefixes and Suffixes Exercises - Part 2

English Prefixes and Suffixes Exercises about: choosing the right suffix or prefix to make new words, identifying parts of speech, giving prefixed and suffixed word meanings, defining affixes meanings and making nouns, adjectives, verbs ans adverbs.

Exercise 1                     Answers

Use the word in brackets to create a new word. Be very careful at analyzing which part of the speech is missing in your sentence so you can use the right prefix or suffix:

1. How long is the __________ from Rome to Paris ? (fly)

2. I have a very good __________ with both my parents. (relation)

3. Pulling my front tooth didn’t hurt. -It was completely __________. (pain)

4. I can tell from your __________ that you’re not really happy. (express)

5. We offer free __________ for purchases over 100$. (deliver)

6. James hasn’t had a lot of __________ lately, so I hope he’ll do well with his new company. (succeed)

7. It is __________ colder today than it was yesterday. (certain)

8. What __________ is he? Spanish or Portuguese? (nation)

9. You have the __________. - You can either go by bus or walk. (choose)

10. My best friend has a great __________. (person)

11. You need a lot of __________ to write a good story. (imagine)

12. The lesson was __________. I almost fell asleep. (bore)

13. Don’t be so __________. This is the second vase you have broken this month. (care)

14. It’s simply __________. I have won the lottery. (believe)

15. I have to hold a __________ at my brother’s wedding. (speak)

16. There’s a lot of __________ about that on the internet. (inform)

17. The children were very __________ when the teacher came in. (noise)

18. The film was a bit __________. I didn’t really understand what happened. (confuse)

19. He has to wear these gloves for __________ reasons. (safe)

20. Sally was __________ for two years before she found a new job. (employ)

21. In India, there are a lot of __________ in the streets. (beg)

22. When I gave up smoking, I started putting on more __________. (weigh)

23. I had no __________ in finding the right street. (difficult)

24. He talked about __________ and peace in our world. (free)

25. __________, I was invited to watch the new film. (lucky)

26. The __________ of our rainforest is a serious problem. (destroy)

27. Animals in the zoo don’t live in their __________ environment. (nature)

28. __________ does not have anything to do with how much money you have. (happy)

29. Thank you for being so __________ yesterday. (help)

30. He has been a long- __________ runner for a few years now. (distant)

31. The bill should have been less than this. I think the waiter has __________ us. (charge)

32. Teachers don’t earn enough. They’re definitely __________. (pay)

33. Do you prefer watching a dubbed film or one which is __________. (title)

34. Is that dictionary __________ or is it French-English? (lingual)

35. Famous people often write their __________ when they are still quite young. (biography)

36. You should always install a good __________ software to protect your computer. (virus)

37. You must have __________ Steve when he gave you the directions. We’re lost. (understood)

38. My first computer only had half a __________ of memory. (byte)

39. I like to wear __________ clothes when I’m at home. (comfort)

40. We had a __________ night last night. The baby just wouldn’t stop crying! (sleep)

41. My mom’s one of the most __________ people I know. She’s always happy! (cheer)

42. One of the main problems facing governments today is __________. (terror)

43. Since Jane’s been going to the gym, she’s noticed a definite __________ in the way she looks and feels. (improve)

44. The rate of __________ has been very low in my country this year. (inflate)

45. Martin’s biggest __________ is that he can’t concentrate for very long. (weak)

46. Medicine bottles have to be __________; so that young children can’t open them. (child)

Exercise 2                     Answers

Write the meaning of each word based on the suffix attached to it. You may need to see suffixes meanings:

example : joyful ➡ full of joy

singer	....................................
worthless	....................................
tallest	....................................
cheerful	....................................
doable	....................................
slower	....................................
youngest	....................................
breakable	....................................
fearless	....................................
careful	....................................

Exercise 3                     Answers

Write the meaning of each word based on the prefix attached to it. You may need to see prefixes meanings:

example : unhappy ➡ not happy

dishonest	....................................
replay	....................................
underwater	....................................
preview	....................................
unable	....................................
redo	....................................
preschool	....................................
untied	....................................
mistreat	....................................
underage	....................................

Exercise 4                     Answers

Make as many words as you can, adding prefixes to the left and suffixes to the right of the stems below. You may use a prefixes and suffixes lists.

Stem	Adjective	Nouns	Verbs
help	……….	……….	……….
kind	……….	……….	……….
literate	……….	……….	……….
loyal	……….	……….	……….
mature	……….	……….	……….
popular	……….	……….	……….
rely	……….	……….	……….
sense	……….	……….	……….
success	……….	……….	……….
thought	……….	……….	……….
understand	……….	……….	……….
use	……….	……….	……….

Exercise 5                     Answers

Try to find two beginnings for each of the suffixes below. What parts of speech are they?

Stem	Words	Part of Speech
-ion	……….	……….
-ness	……….	……….
-er	……….	……….
-(i)ly	……….	……….
-less	……….	……….
-able	……….	……….
-ous	……….	……….
-ate	……….	……….
-ment	……….	……….
-ist	……….	……….
-cy	……….	……….
-al	……….	……….
-ful	……….	……….
-ical	……….	……….
-ance/ence	……….	……….
-ive	……….	……….

Exercise 6                     Answers

Match the (prefix/suffix) with its definition below. 

Choose from the following: muta, pre, aud, post, psych, ize, dox, fid, urb, anti

..........................	= fear
..........................	= faith
..........................	= city
..........................	= mind
..........................	= before
..........................	= belief
..........................	= make
..........................	= change
..........................	= against
..........................	= after

Exercise 7                     Answers

Put the word in brackets into the correct form. You will have to use prefixes and/or suffixes. Some rules to follow:

1. He was sitting ____________ in his seat on the train. (comfort)

2. There was a ____________ light coming from the window. (green) 

3. This word is very difficult to spell, and even worse, it's ____________. (pronounce)

4. He's lost his book again. I don't know where he has ____________ it this time. (place)

5. You shouldn't have done that! It was very ____________ of you. (think)

6. He didn't pass his exam. He was ____________ for the second time. (succeed)

7. Some of the shanty towns are dreadfully ____________. (crowd)

8. There is a very high ____________ that they will be late. (likely)

9. You need to be a highly trained ____________ to understand this report. (economy)

10. She arrived late at work because she had ____________. (sleep)

11. He was accused of ____________ documents. (false)

12. They had to ____________ the lion before they could catch it. (tranquil)

19. He needed to ____________ the temperature. (regular)

20. There was a three-hour ____________ because of the strike. (stop)

21. I try not to go to the supermarket at 5 pm because it's ____________. (practice)

22. It is very ____________ to run air-conditioning with the door open. (economy)

23. His ____________ has been expected for the last half an hour. (arrive)

24. She looked at her ____________ in the mirror. (reflect)

25. I told him my plan but he wasn't very ____________. (receive)

26. She had no ____________ of going to see him. (intend)

27. He spent half an hour ____________ himself with the building. (familiar)

28. Failing her driving test was a great ____________ to her. (appoint)

29. He decided to study ____________ at university. (journal)

30. The film was ____________ good. (surprise)

31. There was the need for ____________ construction when the fighting stopped. (war)

32. I don't like him at all. He's so ____________. (satisfy)

33. The company has over 500 ____________. (employ)

34. The new manager was very efficient and ____________. (business)

35. It really isn't mine. I think that you are ____________. (take)

36. The rate of ____________ in Brazil has been rising steadily. (employ)

37. With the real plan, the rate of ____________ in Brazil has fallen. (inflate)

38. The party was ____________, everything went wrong. (disaster)

39. The film was so ____________ that we left before the end. (bore)

40. The film was terrible, I felt really ____________. (bore)

41. I think that there has been a ____________, I didn't order this. (understand)

42. The bacteria are so small that you need a ____________ to see them. (scope)

43. Have you seen that new ____________? He's very funny. (comedy)

44. The event was totally ____________. It was terrible. (organize)

45. I arrived late for work because I had ____________. (sleep)

46. There is a small ____________ explaining the new traffic code. (book)

47. He was ____________. He wouldn't change his mind. (compromise)

Exercise 8                     Answers

In the sentences below complete each word with a prefix chosen from the following list:
You may use prefixes meanings.         re-, post-, over-, pre-, super-

1. We hope the bus won’t be ____crowded.

2. Do you think the Mayor will be ____elected for a second time?

3. After he got a Ph.D. in Chemistry, he did ____doctoral work at Oxford University.

4. He took ____cautions against burglary by installing an alarm.

5. The tourist guide promised the tourists that they would get a ____fund if they did not like the trip.

6. He added a ____script at the end of the letter.

7. The ____sonic plane flies from New York to Paris in two hours and forty minutes.

Exercise 9                     Answers

Look at the above examples again. Give the verbs from which these nouns have been formed. You may use the dictionary.

Verb	Noun
create	➜ creation
..........................	➜ fixation
..........................	➜ demolition
..........................	➜ arrangement
..........................	➜ assistance
..........................	➜ difference
..........................	➜ refusal
..........................	➜ coverage

Exercise 10                     Answers

Complete the meanings of these sentences by using the correct form (noun or verb) of the words in parentheses.

1. Have they told you of their _arrival_ date? (arrive)

2. Kasem says he believes in progress, and it is for this reason that he recently joined the progressive __________. (move)

3. The police have __________ with the hijackers for hours. (negotiation)

4. Have you __________ the dried foodstuff yet? (package)

5. The __________ of the hi-jacked plane is still uncertain. (destine)

6. The participants will __________ with the minister. (conference)