What are affixes?
Affixes are word parts that are added to the beginning or end of a base word to modify its meaning. There are two types of affixes: prefixes and suffixes. Prefixes are attached to the front of a base word, while suffixes are attached to the end of a base word.
For example, in the word “unhappy”, the prefix “un-” is added to the base word “happy” to create a new word that means “not happy”. In the word “careless”, the suffix “-less” is added to the base word “care” to create a new word that means “without care”.
Which affixes mean “without”?
There are many affixes that can convey the meaning of “without” in English. Some of the most common ones are:
a-: This prefix is derived from Greek and means “not” or “without”. For example, “asymmetrical” means “not symmetrical” or “without symmetry”, and “atheist” means “not a believer in God” or “without a god”.
an-: This prefix is also derived from Greek and has the same meaning as “a-”. However, it is used before words that start with a vowel or an h. For example, “anarchy” means “not having a ruler” or “without a ruler”, and “anhydrous” means “not containing water” or “without water”.
in-: This prefix is derived from Latin and means “not” or “without”. For example, “invisible” means “not visible” or “without visibility”, and “independent” means “not dependent” or “without dependence”.
im-: This prefix is also derived from Latin and has the same meaning as “in-”. However, it is used before words that start with b, m, or p. For example, “impossible” means “not possible” or “without possibility”, and “impatient” means “not patient” or “without patience”.
ir-: This prefix is also derived from Latin and has the same meaning as “in-”. However, it is used before words that start with r. For example, “irregular” means “not regular” or “without regularity”, and “irresponsible” means “not responsible” or “without responsibility”.
non-: This prefix is derived from Latin and means “not” or “without”. It can be used with almost any word to create a negative form. For example, “nonfiction” means “not fiction” or “without fiction”, and “nonsense” means “not sense” or
without sense.
un-: This prefix is derived from Old English and means
not or without. It can be used with many words to create a negative form. For example, unkind means not kind or without kindness, and unhappy means not happy or without happiness.
Therefore, two possible options for affixes that mean
without are a- and non-. However, there are other possible options as well, such as an-, in-, im-, ir-, and un-.
How to use affixes to create new words?
When adding a prefix to a base word, we usually do not change the spelling of the base word. For example, we can add the prefix “re-” to the base word “cycle” to create the new word “recycle”.
When adding a suffix to a base word, we sometimes need to change the spelling of the base word according to some patterns. For example, we can add the suffix “-able” to the base word “love” to create the new word “lovable”, but we need to drop the final “e” from “love”. Similarly, we can add the suffix “-ing” to the base word “write” to create the new word “writing”, but we need to double the final consonant “t” from “write”.
When adding a suffix to a base word, we also need to pay attention to the stress and pronunciation of the new word. For example, when we add the suffix “-ion” to the base word “create”, we change the stress from the first syllable to the second syllable and pronounce it as “creation”. However, when we add the suffix “-ity” to the base word “active”, we do not change the stress and pronounce it as “activity”.
When adding a suffix to a base word, we also need to consider the part of speech of the new word. For example, when we add the suffix “-er” to the base word “teach”, we create a new noun that means “a person who teaches”. However, when we add the suffix “-er” to the base word “fast”, we create a new adjective that means “more fast”.
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