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Prefixes and Suffixes Solved Questions

A prefix attaches to the FRONT of a word and usually changes its meaning (often to a negative or opposite); a suffix attaches to the END and usually changes its part of speech (turning a verb or adjective into a noun, for instance) — knowing the common ones by sight is most of this topic. Here’s the rule, six fully worked examples, and a few to try yourself.

Written by Mahesh Srivastava, Founder of Pariksha Saathi. Published: 2026-10-05. Editorial standards & corrections

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The rule, quickly

  • Common negative prefixes: "un-" (unhappy), "in-" (incomplete), "dis-" (disagree), "mis-" (misunderstand), "non-" (nonsense) — the one that fits depends on the specific word, not a single universal rule.
  • "in-" changes its spelling before certain letters: "im-" before words starting with p, b or m (impossible, imbalance), "il-" before l (illegal), and "ir-" before r (irregular) — this is a common error-spotting trap.
  • Common noun-forming suffixes turn a verb or adjective into a noun: "-tion"/"-ion" (action), "-ment" (agreement), "-ness" (kindness), "-ity" (ability), "-er"/"-or" (teacher, actor, for "a person who...").
  • Common adjective-forming suffixes turn a noun or verb into an adjective: "-ful" (helpful), "-less" (careless), "-able"/"-ible" (comfortable, visible), "-ous" (dangerous).
  • The remaining two categories: verb-forming suffixes turn a noun or adjective into a verb — "-ize"/"-ise" (modernize), "-ify" (simplify), "-en" (strengthen); the adverb-forming suffix "-ly" turns an adjective into an adverb — "quick" becomes "quickly," "happy" becomes "happily."

Worked examples

1. Add the correct prefix to make "agree" mean the opposite: ___agree.

Solution

  1. "Agree" takes the negative prefix "dis-".
  2. disagree

Answer: dis- (disagree)

2. Add the correct suffix to turn the verb "act" into a noun meaning "the process or result of acting": act + ___ ?

Solution

  1. The noun-forming suffix "-ion" attaches to "act".
  2. action

Answer: -ion (action)

3. Which prefix turns "possible" into its opposite, "impossible"? ___possible.

Solution

  1. The negative prefix is normally "in-", but it changes to "im-" before a word starting with p, b or m.
  2. "possible" starts with p, so the prefix is "im-".

Answer: im- (impossible)

4. Add the correct suffix to turn the adjective "kind" into a noun meaning "the quality of being kind": kind + ___?

Solution

  1. The noun-forming suffix "-ness" attaches to "kind".
  2. kindness

Answer: -ness (kindness)

5. Add the correct suffix to turn the adjective "simple" into a verb meaning "to make simple": simple + ___?

Solution

  1. The verb-forming suffix "-ify" attaches to "simpl-" (dropping the final "e").
  2. simplify

Answer: -ify (simplify)

6. Add the correct suffix to turn the adjective "quick" into an adverb: quick + ___?

Solution

  1. The adverb-forming suffix "-ly" attaches to "quick".
  2. quickly

Answer: -ly (quickly)

Try these yourself

Decide whether a prefix or suffix is needed, and which part of speech the answer should become, then check against the answer.

1. Add the correct prefix to make "legal" mean the opposite: ___legal.

Answer: il- (illegal)

2. Add the correct suffix to turn "teach" into a noun meaning "a person who teaches": teach + ___?

Answer: -er (teacher)

3. Which prefix means "before" and turns "historic" into "before recorded history"? ___historic.

Answer: pre- (prehistoric)

4. Add the correct suffix to turn the adjective "modern" into a verb meaning "to make modern": modern + ___?

Answer: -ize (modernize)

5. Add the correct suffix to turn the adjective "happy" into an adverb: happy + ___?

Answer: -ly (happily)

All 11 practice questions on Prefixes and Suffixes, with answers →

Where this comes up

Prefixes and Suffixes is tested directly in the English Language section of exams Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk — usually as a fill-in-the-blank or word-formation question.

Keep practising

Solve the questions above before opening the answers. Explain each step in your own words, then revisit any mistakes.

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