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building blocks of
English
zoomania
toxicomania
stampomania
pyromania
musomania
hydromania
florimania
acro/altophobia
fear of numbers
arithmophobia
autophobia
fear of ugliness
cacophobia
fear of meat
carnophobia
fear of time
chronophobia
bibliophobia
cyberphobia
fear of dentists
dentophobia
claustrophobia
erotophobia
euphobia
fear of nudity
gymnophobia
fear of words
logophobia
What is an affix?
An affix is a word element aprefix, suffix, orinfix - that
can be attached to
abaseorroot to form a new
word.
Noun: affixation
Adjectives:affixableandaffixal
What is an affix?
Affixes are of two types:
prefixes, occurring before the
stem of a word, andsuffixes,
occurring after.
English does not have affixes in
large numbers--about fifty
common prefixes and
somewhat fewer common
suffixes.
What is an affix?
Prefixes
includedis-,
mal-,
ex-,andsemi-,
as
indisinterested,
malformed,
ex-husband,andsemidetached. Suffixes includeship, -ness, -ette, and-let, as
inhardship,
goodness,
kitchenette,andbooklet.
What is an affix?
Clusters of affixes can be used
to build up complex words:
nation, national, nationalize,
nationalization
denationalization,
antidenationalization
Meanin
English words
g
star
astronomy, astrology
to hear
good,
well
audible, auditorium
benefit, benevolent
biology,
bio (G)
life
autobiography
dic, dict (L) to speak dictionary, dictator
Meanin
English words
g
fer (L)
to carry
fix (L)
geo (G)
earth
log, logue
(G)
word,
monolog(ue),
thought, astrology, biology,
speech neologism
luc (L)
light
transfer, referral
geography, geology
lucid, translucent
Meanin
English words
g
manu (L)
hand
meter,
metr (G)
manual, manuscript
path (G)
feeling
pathetic, sympathy,
empathy
phys (G)
body,
nature
physical, physics
scrib, script
to write
(L)
scribble, manuscript
Meanin
English words
g
far off
telephone, television
territory,
ter, terr (L) earth
extraterrestrial
vacant, vacuum,
vac (L)
empty
evacuate
verb (L)
word
verbal, verbose
video, vision,
vid, vis (L) to see
television
What is an affix?
Over half the words in English
are there because of processes
of this kind (i.e., affixation).
And this is one reason why
children's vocabulary grows so
quickly once they learn some
prefixes and suffixes."
(David Crystal,How Language
Works. Overlook, 2006)
semiannual,hemisphere
one
unicycle,monarchy,monorail
two
binary,bimonthly,dilemma,dic
hotomy
hundred
century,centimeter,hectoliter
thousand millimeter,kilometer
-en,
Typicaladjective
suffixesare
-able, -ible, -al, -tial, -tic, -ly, -ful,
-ous, -tive, -less, -ish, -ulent.
Theadverb
suffixis
-ly
(although not all words that end
in-lyare adverbslike friendly).
The infix
A word element (a type
ofaffix) that can be inserted
within the base form of a word
(rather than at its beginning or
end) to create a new word or
intensify meaning. The
process of inserting an infix is
calledinfixation.
The infix
Examples and observations:
"Abso-Bleedin'-Lutely"
(Quincy Jones, song in the
filmWalk, Don't Run, 1966)
Absobloodylutely
The infix
Examples and observations:
Infixes work in fortuitous or
aggravating circumstances by
emotionally aroused English
speakers:
Hallebloodylujah!. . . In the
movieWish You Were Here, the main
character expresses her aggravation
(at another character's trying to
contact her) by screamingTell him
I've gone to Singabloodypore!
The infix
Examples and observations:
"English has no trueinfixes,
but theplural suffix-sbehaves
something like an infix in
unusual plurals likepassersbyandmothers-in-law."
(R.L. Trask,The Penguin
Dictionary of English Grammar,
2000)
The infix
Examples and observations:
Fanflamingtastic
Unbeflippinglievable
Fanfrigginstastic
Absobloominlutely
Exercises - Affixes
A man's useless
tuxedo could be
__________ into a
woman's smart
town suit.
(form)
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Eduardo Duhalde,
Argentina's caretaker
president, today said
that he would __________
the peso as he prepared
to unveil a high-risk
plan to end the
country's economic
turmoil. (value)
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Of themselves, of
course, the rules
are normative,
and their validity
is thus __________
by issues of fact.
(affect)
Exercises - Affixes
There remained a
distinctive
philosophy of
liberalism which
could __________ the
Liberals from other
political parties.
(differ)
Exercises - Affixes
In a black leather
notebook
__________ with a
metal clasp, he
wrote: Oswestry
July 18th 1829...
(fast)
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Frederick's reforms,
however, __________
a major flaw in the
progressive
infatuation with
scientific
management.
(example)
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
It is remarkable that a
cell as overtly dull
and __________ as the
fertilized egg can give
rise to such varied
and complex forms.
(structure)
Exercises - Affixes
Even in the
university centers,
perhaps only 50 per
cent of cases are
notified, while
reporting from
private practitioners
is __________.
(existent)
Exercises - Affixes
__________ resources
that took aeons to
constitute are
squandered in an
instant, according to
the "laws" of supply
and demand.
(replaceable)
Exercises - Affixes
I try not to go to
the supermarket
at 5pm because
it's
__________________.
(practice)
Exercises - Affixes
He was accused of
__________________
documents.
(false)
Exercises - Affixes
Exercises - Affixes
They had to
__________________
the lion before
they could catch
it. (tranquil)
Exercises - Affixes
How many words can you
grow from each root?
act
love
talk
dark
comfort
excite
station
suit
decide
mix