Prefixes (at beginning of words) and suffixes (at end of word) were originally words themselves and can totally change the word and give it a new meaning--therefore, your vocabulary will grow. A few examples:
pre (before) + fix (fasten) =fasten before
aside= a + side (to go toward the side)
attend = at (to, toward, near, etc) + tend = to look after, to go to.
biped = bi (two) + ped (feet) = a two-footed animal or human
circumvent = circum (to go around) + vent = manage to get around a situation.
English suffixes come from the ancient Greek and Latin languages. For example: -mania =obsession with something, so "arithmoMANIA" = obsession with counting;
"biblioMANIA"=obsession with collecting books; "biblio" is a prefix, meaning books; -illion= to identify large numbers, whether real or made up as children do (million, billion, gazillion, zillion).
2007-06-24 20:33:21
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answer #1
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answered by jan51601 7
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