Word Formation: Prefixes and Suffixes

Word formation through prefixes and suffixes doubles the effective vocabulary of any B1–B2 learner. Prefixes: un-, dis-, mis-, in-, im-, ir-, re-, pre-, over-, under-, anti-, co-, ex-, inter-, multi-, post-, sub-, super-, trans-. Suffixes: -able, -ible, -al, -ial, -ic, -ical, -ous, -ive, -ful, -less, -ish, -ese, -tion, -sion, -ment, -ness, -ity, -ence, -ance, -er, -or, -ist, -ism, -ise, -ify, -ate, -en. Each prefix and suffix carries semantic and grammatical information. The worksheet trains B1–B2 learners to decode and produce derived forms systematically.

This worksheet builds B1–B2 fluency with prefix-and-suffix word formation.

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What’s inside:

• Prefix and suffix tables with meanings and example pairs (happy → unhappy → unhappiness)
• Multiple-choice items testing prefix and suffix meaning
• Word-family expansion: from one root, derive all reasonable forms
• Cambridge-style word-formation gap-fill tasks
• Full Answer Key plus Teacher Notes with FCE/CAE Use of English Part 3 extension

Common challenges: Negative-prefix choice is the central B1 trap — unhappy, dishonest, illegal, irregular, impatient — there is no general rule; learners must memorise the pairs. Spelling shifts: able → ability, happy → happiness. Word-class shifts matter for grammar: -tion / -ment / -ness / -ity form nouns; -able / -ous / -ic form adjectives; -ly forms adverbs; -ise / -ify form verbs. False friends in word formation: Spanish eventualmente exists but doesn’t mean eventually.

For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1 to B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study. Word formation is heavily tested in Cambridge B2 First (FCE) Use of English Part 3 (a dedicated word-formation task type). Part of the Word Building & Style collection — the natural next step is Word Families: Common Patterns, which extends prefix-suffix work into the full word-family network.