Bailey.Academic_Writing

3.12 Prefixes and Suffixes 153
sub subtitle Chinese films have subtitles in
Britain.
under undergraduate Most undergraduate courses
last 3 years.
under undercook Undercooked meat can be a
health hazard.
4. Prefixes allow new words to be created. Suggest possible
meanings for the recently developed words in italics.
a) Criminal activity seems to be very common among the
underclass.
b) The passengers found the jet was overbooked and had to
wait for the next flight.
c) The microclimate in my garden means that I can grow early
tomatoes.
d) It is claimed that computers have created a post-industrial
economy.
e) Most film stars have ex-directory phone numbers.
f) The class was underwhelmed by the quality of the lecture.
5. Suffixes
a) Some suffixes like -ion, -ive or -ly help the reader find the
word class, e.g. noun, verb or adjective.
b) Other suffixes add to meaning, e.g. -ful or -less after an
adjective have a positive or negative effect (thoughtful/
thoughtless).
6. Word class suffixes
Nouns
-er often indicates a person: teacher, gardener
-ee can show the person who is the subject:
employee, trainee
-ism and -ist are used with belief systems and
their supporters: socialism/socialist
-ness converts an adjective into a noun: sad/
sadness
Adjectives
-ion changes a verb to a noun: convert/conversion
-ive: effective, constructive
-al: commercial, agricultural
Verbs
Adverbs
-ous: precious, serious
-ise/-ize to form verbs from adjectives: private/
privatise
-ly: most (but not all) adverbs have this suffix:
happily