Grade 6 English: Word roots, prefixes and suffixes poster

1Root words

A root word carries the main meaning. We add prefixes and suffixes to it to make new words.

2Prefixes

A prefix comes at the start of a word and changes its meaning.

• un-, dis-, in-, im-: not
• re-: again
• pre-: before
• mis-: wrongly
• sub-: under

3Suffixes

A suffix comes at the end of a word.

• -ful: full of
• -less: without
• -ness: the state of being
• -ment: the result of
• -able: can be done

4Breaking a word apart

• Find the root word.
• Name the prefix and the suffix.
• Put the meanings together.

5Word roots from other languages

Many English words grow from Latin and Greek roots.

• aqua: water (aquatic)
• port: carry (transport)
• graph: write or draw (paragraph)
• tele: far (television)
• bio: life (biology)

6Spelling tip

If a word ends in a consonant and y, change the y to i before a suffix such as ness. If the root ends in e, drop the e before a suffix that starts with a vowel.