39 Relational Affixes
English has many prefixes that add a relationship meaning between things. These relationships may fall into four categories:
1. Opposition Relations
Examples:
“Anti-“: an antiestablishment doctrine.
“Counter-“: a counterargument to the thesis.
2. Manner Relations
Examples:
“over-“: to overdo the task
“under-“: an undercooked meal
3. Spatial Relations
Examples:
“in-“: an inside perspective
“out-“: to outsmart your brain
4. Time Relations
Examples:
“Pre-“: a pre-war building
“Post-“: a post-pandemic study
Check this list and determine what type of relationship the prefix or suffix expresses:
Prefix/Suffix Meaning Example
after- after afterimage
anti- against anti-satellite
back- back backorder
co- together co-author
contra-/counter- against; opposite counter-argument
-down- -down breakdown; downplay
equi- equal equidistant
ex- former; out ex-president
fore- in front of; before foreground; foresee
hyper- extreme hypersensitive
in- into insight
infra- under infrastructure
inter- between international
intra- within intraparty
long- long long-term
neo- new neo-classical
out- outside; beyond outrun
over- too much; above overproduction; overview
post- after post-industrial
pre- before prerequisite
pro- in favor of pro-business
re- again reconsider
short- short; low shortchange; short-range
sub- under subsurface
super- above; extreme supervise; superpower
tele- move; distant telephone
trans- across transcontinental
ultra- above; extreme ultrasound; ultraconservative
under- below; less underground; undersell
up- up uplift
wide- wide widespread
Hyphen or no hyphen?
The following criteria determine whether you should use a hyphen or not:
1. Use a hyphen when using the prefixes “ex-“ and “self-“ : (“ex-communicated”; “self-absorbed”)
2. Use a hyphen when the prefix adds a double vowel: (“re-enter”; “semi-implied”)
3. Use a hyphen when the prefix is attached to proper nouns: (“un-American”; “pro-Trump”)
4. Use a hyphen to differentiate meanings: (“retreat” vs. “re-treat”)
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