5.2 Mastering Confusing Words Through Suffixes
Commonly Used Prefixes: Prefixes Meaning Example of a Root Word with the Prefix in a Sentence Bi‐ two I got my first bicycle when I was eight years old. Co‐ with I am good co‐worker to have in the office. De‐ not The leaves began to decompose in the sun. Dis‐ not I felt discouraged when I saw how hard my classes were. Ex‐ out of His ex‐girlfriend missed going to the Christmas parties. Commonly Used Suffixes: Suffixes Meaning Example of Root Word ‐ac/ic pertaining to aquatic, sympathetic ‐acious/icious pertaining to audacious, delicious ‐cy state of being democracy, obstinacy ‐eer/‐or/‐er person who mountaineer, professor ‐escent becoming evanescent, pubescent ‐fic making terrific, fantastic ‐oferous bearing or producing pestiferous ‐il/ile state of being civil, docile ‐ity state of being security, scarcity ‐osis condition Psychosis, hypnosis ‐oid resembling ovoid, anthropoid ‐ose full of verbose, caboose