English

Prefixes and Suffixes

Class 4 | CBSE / NCERT / ICSE

🎯 Learning Objectives

Understand what a prefix is and how it changes the meaning of a word.
Understand what a suffix is and how it changes the meaning of a word.
Learn common prefixes and suffixes with examples.
Form new words by adding prefixes and suffixes to root words.

📖 Let Us Begin!

Kavita was reading a storybook. She came across the word "unhappy." She already knew the word "happy," but what did the "un" at the beginning do? Her teacher explained that "un" is a small part added before a word to change its meaning. "Happy" means feeling good, but "unhappy" means feeling sad -- the opposite!

Small parts added before or after a word can create brand new words with new meanings. These parts are called prefixes and suffixes. Let us learn how they work!

Image needed: A word being built — base word "happy" with "un-" attached as prefix → "unhappy", and "-ness" attached as suffix → "happiness". Show 2-3 more examples with arrows showing prefix+root and root+suffix.
Style: Clean diagram with arrows showing word building, colourful
Size: 700×400px

Step-by-Step Explanation

What is a Root Word?

A root word is the main word that has a meaning on its own. For example: happy, play, kind, write.

What is a Prefix?

A prefix is a group of letters added before a root word to change its meaning. The root word stays the same -- only the meaning changes.

Common prefixes:

Prefix	Meaning	Root Word	New Word
un-	not; opposite of	happy	unhappy
un-	not; opposite of	lock	unlock
re-	again	write	rewrite
re-	again	build	rebuild
dis-	not; opposite of	agree	disagree
dis-	not; opposite of	like	dislike
pre-	before	view	preview
pre-	before	heat	preheat
mis-	wrongly	place	misplace
mis-	wrongly	spell	misspell
im-	not	possible	impossible
im-	not	patient	impatient

Think about it: If "re" means again, what does "replay" mean? It means to play again!

What is a Suffix?

A suffix is a group of letters added after a root word to change its meaning or the way the word is used in a sentence.

Common suffixes:

Suffix	Meaning	Root Word	New Word
-ful	full of	care	careful
-ful	full of	beauty	beautiful
-less	without	care	careless
-less	without	fear	fearless
-ly	in a certain way	slow	slowly
-ly	in a certain way	quick	quickly
-ness	state of being	kind	kindness
-ness	state of being	dark	darkness
-er	one who does	teach	teacher
-er	one who does	sing	singer
-tion	act of; state of	act	action
-tion	act of; state of	educate	education

Think about it: "Careful" means full of care. "Careless" means without care. See how the suffix changes the meaning completely?

How to Spot Prefixes and Suffixes

Look at the word "unkindness." Can you break it apart?

un (prefix) + kind (root word) + ness (suffix) = unkindness (the state of not being kind)

A word can have both a prefix and a suffix at the same time!

Examples

Example

Example 1: Adding a Prefix

Root word: obey. Add the prefix "dis-" to get disobey.

Sentence: "Raju's mother told him not to disobey the school rules."

Example

Example 2: Adding a Suffix

Root word: play. Add the suffix "-er" to get player.

Sentence: "Dhoni is a famous cricket player from Ranchi."

Example

Example 3: Identifying Prefix and Suffix

Word: uncomfortable

Prefix: un- (not) + Root word: comfort + Suffix: -able (can be) = not comfortable

Example

Example 4: Same Root, Different Additions

Root word: help

helpful (full of help) -- "Anita is always helpful to her classmates."

helpless (without help) -- "The little kitten looked helpless in the rain."

📝 Key Words

Word	Meaning
Root word	The main word that has a meaning on its own
Prefix	A group of letters added before a root word to change its meaning
Suffix	A group of letters added after a root word to change its meaning

⭐ Key Points to Remember

A prefix is added before a root word; a suffix is added after a root word.
Prefixes like un-, dis-, im- often give the opposite meaning.
The prefix re- means "again" (redo = do again).
The suffix -ful means "full of" and -less means "without."
The suffix -er often means "one who does" (farmer = one who farms).
A single word can have both a prefix and a suffix (e.g., un-kind-ness).

Finished learning? Now test what you know!

🎯 Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Answer these 8 questions about prefixes and suffixes. Read each one carefully and pick the best answer!

Score: 0 / 8

1. A prefix is added...

A prefix is added before a root word; a suffix is added after a root word.

2. A suffix is added...

A suffix is added after a root word.

3. The prefix "re-" means...

The prefix "re-" means "again" (redo = do again).

4. The suffix "-ful" means...

The suffix "-ful" means "full of" (helpful = full of help).

5. The suffix "-less" means...

The suffix "-less" means "without" (careless = without care).

6. Which prefix gives the OPPOSITE meaning to "happy"?

Prefixes like un-, dis-, im- give the opposite meaning: un + happy = unhappy.

7. Add the suffix -er to "farm" to make the word for "one who farms".

The suffix -er means "one who does", so farm + er = farmer.

8. Add the prefix re- to "do" to make a word meaning "do again".

The prefix re- means "again", so re + do = redo.

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Add the Correct Prefix to Make a New Word

1. + happy = ____________ (not happy)

2. + read = ____________ (read again)

3. + honest = ____________ (not honest)

4. + polite = ____________ (not polite)

5. + understand = ____________ (understand wrongly)

B. Add the Correct Suffix to Make a New Word

1. hope + = ____________ (full of hope)

2. use + = ____________ (without use)

3. soft + = ____________ (in a soft way)

4. sad + = ____________ (state of being sad)

5. farm + = ____________ (one who farms)

C. Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the prefix in the word "rewrite"?

(a) wr-(b) re-(c) -ite(d) rew-

2. What is the suffix in the word "kindness"?

(a) -kin(b) -nd(c) -ness(d) kind-

3. Which word has the prefix "dis-"?

(a) distance(b) discover(c) disagree(d) dish

4. Adding "-less" to "fear" gives us a word that means:

(a) full of fear(b) without fear(c) fear again(d) before fear

D. Identify the Root Word, Prefix, and Suffix

1. unhelpful -- Prefix: Root: Suffix:

2. discolour -- Prefix: Root:

3. teacher -- Root: Suffix:

E. Short Answer

1. What is the difference between a prefix and a suffix?

2. Make two new words using the root word "play" by adding a prefix or suffix.

🎨 Think and Do -- Fun Activity

Word Builder Game: Pick any 5 root words from the list below. For each word, create as many new words as you can by adding prefixes or suffixes. Write them in the table.

Root words: kind, write, care, agree, colour, read, help, paint, do, like

Root Word	With Prefix	With Suffix

Want to review the lesson again?

English

Prefixes and Suffixes

Class 4 | CBSE / NCERT / ICSE

Name: Class: Date:

[Image: Prefixes and Suffixes — word building diagram showing un-+happy=unhappy and happy+-ness=happiness with arrows]

Learning Objectives

Understand what a prefix is and how it changes the meaning of a word.
Understand what a suffix is and how it changes the meaning of a word.
Learn common prefixes and suffixes with examples.
Form new words by adding prefixes and suffixes to root words.

Let Us Begin!

Small parts added before or after a word can create brand new words with new meanings. These parts are called prefixes and suffixes. Let us learn how they work!

Step-by-Step Explanation

What is a Root Word?

A root word is the main word that has a meaning on its own. For example: happy, play, kind, write.

What is a Prefix?

A prefix is a group of letters added before a root word to change its meaning. The root word stays the same -- only the meaning changes.

Common prefixes:

Prefix	Meaning	Root Word	New Word
un-	not; opposite of	happy	unhappy
un-	not; opposite of	lock	unlock
re-	again	write	rewrite
re-	again	build	rebuild
dis-	not; opposite of	agree	disagree
dis-	not; opposite of	like	dislike
pre-	before	view	preview
pre-	before	heat	preheat
mis-	wrongly	place	misplace
mis-	wrongly	spell	misspell
im-	not	possible	impossible
im-	not	patient	impatient

Think about it: If "re" means again, what does "replay" mean? It means to play again!

What is a Suffix?

A suffix is a group of letters added after a root word to change its meaning or the way the word is used in a sentence.

Common suffixes:

Suffix	Meaning	Root Word	New Word
-ful	full of	care	careful
-ful	full of	beauty	beautiful
-less	without	care	careless
-less	without	fear	fearless
-ly	in a certain way	slow	slowly
-ly	in a certain way	quick	quickly
-ness	state of being	kind	kindness
-ness	state of being	dark	darkness
-er	one who does	teach	teacher
-er	one who does	sing	singer
-tion	act of; state of	act	action
-tion	act of; state of	educate	education

Think about it: "Careful" means full of care. "Careless" means without care. See how the suffix changes the meaning completely?

How to Spot Prefixes and Suffixes

Look at the word "unkindness." Can you break it apart?

un (prefix) + kind (root word) + ness (suffix) = unkindness (the state of not being kind)

A word can have both a prefix and a suffix at the same time!

Examples

Example 1: Adding a Prefix

Root word: obey. Add the prefix "dis-" to get disobey.

Sentence: "Raju's mother told him not to disobey the school rules."

Example 2: Adding a Suffix

Root word: play. Add the suffix "-er" to get player.

Sentence: "Dhoni is a famous cricket player from Ranchi."

Example 3: Identifying Prefix and Suffix

Word: uncomfortable

Prefix: un- (not) + Root word: comfort + Suffix: -able (can be) = not comfortable

Example 4: Same Root, Different Additions

Root word: help

helpful (full of help) -- "Anita is always helpful to her classmates."

helpless (without help) -- "The little kitten looked helpless in the rain."

Key Words

Word	Meaning
Root word	The main word that has a meaning on its own
Prefix	A group of letters added before a root word to change its meaning
Suffix	A group of letters added after a root word to change its meaning

⭐ Key Points to Remember

A prefix is added before a root word; a suffix is added after a root word.
Prefixes like un-, dis-, im- often give the opposite meaning.
The prefix re- means "again" (redo = do again).
The suffix -ful means "full of" and -less means "without."
The suffix -er often means "one who does" (farmer = one who farms).
A single word can have both a prefix and a suffix (e.g., un-kind-ness).

Practice Questions

A. Add the Correct Prefix to Make a New Word

1. + happy = ____________ (not happy)

2. + read = ____________ (read again)

3. + honest = ____________ (not honest)

4. + polite = ____________ (not polite)

5. + understand = ____________ (understand wrongly)

B. Add the Correct Suffix to Make a New Word

1. hope + = ____________ (full of hope)

2. use + = ____________ (without use)

3. soft + = ____________ (in a soft way)

4. sad + = ____________ (state of being sad)

5. farm + = ____________ (one who farms)

C. Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the prefix in the word "rewrite"?

(a) wr-(b) re-(c) -ite(d) rew-

2. What is the suffix in the word "kindness"?

(a) -kin(b) -nd(c) -ness(d) kind-

3. Which word has the prefix "dis-"?

(a) distance(b) discover(c) disagree(d) dish

4. Adding "-less" to "fear" gives us a word that means:

(a) full of fear(b) without fear(c) fear again(d) before fear

D. Identify the Root Word, Prefix, and Suffix

1. unhelpful -- Prefix: Root: Suffix:

2. discolour -- Prefix: Root:

3. teacher -- Root: Suffix:

E. Short Answer

1. What is the difference between a prefix and a suffix?

2. Make two new words using the root word "play" by adding a prefix or suffix.

🎨 Think and Do -- Fun Activity

Word Builder Game: Pick any 5 root words from the list below. For each word, create as many new words as you can by adding prefixes or suffixes. Write them in the table.

Root words: kind, write, care, agree, colour, read, help, paint, do, like

Root Word	With Prefix	With Suffix

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