Learn how to define the 'root word and also gain the ability to explain how a root word relates to suffixes and prefixes. The enhanced understanding will further help you to add prefixes and suffixes to root words and identify the meaning of words with common prefixes and suffixes.
So let us achieve our goal.
Many English words are formed by adding a combination of affixes (prefix and suffix) to the root word. A root word is a word or word element (also called morpheme) of a word that can't be broken down any further.
Most of the root words hold some meaning on their own. For example: in the word lovely, love is the root word to which a suffix ly is added. Love as a word also holds meaning, and when a suffix: ly is added to it, the meaning is modified. Lovely means beautiful or attractive. The root word “demo” means people, as in “demo/crazy,” meaning ``rule by the people,” and “demo/graphics” would give you a picture of how people are physically spread out over a given location.
But there are exceptions, like the word reject. 'Ject' , the root word of the phrase rejects, doesn't hold a meaning of its own.
So, to identify root words, make sure to:
•Recognise the base of the word that is a component of the word that can't be broken down further.
Whenever confused try to think of words as jigsaw puzzle pieces that need to be joined together to hold meaning. The connecting piece must have the component of the word that can't be broken down any further. That part of the word is the base or root word of the concerned word.
Prefix is the part of the word that is connected at the start of the word. The word prefix itself is formed with pre, that is,before and fix, that is to enjoin, so prefixes are added to the word in the beginning. Suffixes on the other hand are connected to the root word at the end. For example walking helpful
So,
Root word=base word
Prefix=connected to root word at the beginning
Suffix=connected to the root word at the end
A number of rules and tips are also shared in the lesson like how adding a prefix never alters the spelling of the base word in the new word and how you can add a consonant suffix directly to the base word to form a new word. These rules and tips will help students to formulate words with prefixes and suffixes adequately.