Understanding Word Construction: Prefixes, Base Words, and Suffixes

Questions and Answers

Which of the following is an example of a prefix that changes the part of speech of a word without altering its primary meaning?

un-

Which of the following is an example of a suffix that changes the part of speech of a word while retaining the primary meaning?

-ly

Which of the following is an example of a base word that encapsulates the core meaning of a given compound word?

loyalty

Which of the following prefixes conveys something contrary to expectation?

dis- Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following suffixes creates nouns out of other nouns?

-ness Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a single base word?

dog Signup and view all the answers

What preposition is used to refer to a specific time of day?

at Signup and view all the answers

Which preposition would be used to indicate something is on a surface?

on Signup and view all the answers

To refer to a direction, which of the following prepositions would NOT be used?

through Signup and view all the answers

Which preposition is used to indicate something is contained within something else?

inside Signup and view all the answers

To refer to a spatial relationship, which of the following prepositions could be used?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Word Construction

Words can be constructed from various parts called morphemes that convey meaning, including prefixes, base words, and suffixes. These morphemes play a crucial role in enhancing words by providing additional information and context.

Prefixes

A prefix is an element added to the beginning of a word. It might change the part of speech of a word without altering its primary meaning or it may change the sense of the word significantly. For example, the prefix "un" changes the part of speech of a word from positive to negative, such as "unhappy" being the opposite of "happy". Another common prefix is "dis", which conveys something contrary to expectation like "disagree" and "dislike".

Base Words

The main body of a compound word can be considered its base. A base word often encapsulates the core meaning of a given compound word. To illustrate, "loyalty" contains the essence of its entire definition within itself. Other examples of single base words include "dog," "house," and "cat."

Suffixes

A suffix is an affix added after a root word's stem. It changes the part of speech of a word while also retaining the primary meaning of the word. For instance, the suffix "-ly" turns verbs into adverbs, making "run" become "running." Similarly, -ness is a suffix that creates nouns out of other nouns, such as "happiness" created from "happy".