Root word “teach” —to show, illustrate, explain to someone how to do a thing
Prefix “re”— again; to do over—”reteach”—to show, illustrate, explain AGAIN
Suffix “er”—a person— “teacher”—someone who shows, illustrates, explains
Many common prefixes and suffixes are based upon Latin or Greek words.
Latin – “efficientem” – ‘work out’ or ‘accomplish’
Synonyms – effective, productive, competent.

Prefix | Meaning | Examples | ||
de- | from, down, away, reverse, opposite | decode, decrease | ||
dis- | not, opposite, reverse, away | disagree, disappear | ||
ex- | out of, away from, lacking, former | exhale, explosion | ||
il- | not | illegal, illogical | ||
im- | not, without | impossible, improper | ||
in- | not, without | inaction, invisible | ||
mis- | bad, wrong | mislead, misplace | ||
non- | not | nonfiction, nonsense | ||
pre- | before | prefix, prehistory | ||
pro- | for, forward, before | proactive, profess, program | ||
re- | again, back | react, reappear | ||
un- | against, not, opposite | undo, unequal, unusual |
Suffix | Meaning | Examples |
-able | able to, having the quality of | comfortable, portable |
-al | relating to | annual comical |
-er | comparative | bigger, stronger |
-est | superlative | strongest, tiniest |
-ful | full of | beautiful, grateful |
-ible | forming an adjective | reversible, terrible |
-ily | forming an adverb | eerily, happily, lazily |
-ing | denoting an action, a material, or a gerund | acting, showing |
-less | without, not affected by | friendless, tireless |
-ly | forming an adjective | clearly, hourly |
-ness | denoting a state or condition | kindness, wilderness |
-y | full of, denoting a condition, or a diminutive | glory, messy, victory |
Mastering prefixes and suffixes allows students to become more efficient readers. You have to look at a word and see if it’s:
+ / – AND 0-100%
Can we test your knowledge? -> https://calendly.com/nativeplaneta/30min