1.1.1

Understanding New Words

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Understanding New Words

We can break down words into different parts to help us figure out new meanings of words.

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Prefix

  • A prefix is a word or group of letters at the start of the word which changes the meaning.
  • For example:
    • In bicycle, 'bi' is a prefix meaning two.
    • So bicycle means a cycle with two wheels.
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Suffix

  • A suffix is a word or group or letters at the end of a word which changes the meaning.
  • For example:
    • In cycling, 'ing' is a suffix that means the root word is happening continuously or right now.
    • So cycling means the activity cycling is happening right now.
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Importance of root words

  • We work out the meaning of words based on the root word, which is the base word (so not the prefix or suffix!).
    • For example: cycle is a root word.

Jump to other topics

1Reading

2Writing

2.1Composition

2.2Conjunctions

2.3Present Perfect Tense

2.4Nouns

2.5Fronted Adverbials

2.6Direct Speech

2.7Homophones

2.8Spelling Rules

2.9Using Apostrophes

2.10Using a Dictionary

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