The table below lists useful morphemes in vocabulary development. The morphemes are organized according to families having common meanings.
| Prefix and Suffix family or type | Meaning | Instructional Vocabulary Example Words |
| 1. "Not" prefix family | un, dis, in, im= not | disloyal, unaware, invisible, imperfect |
| 2. "Before," "During," and "after" prefix family |
pre= before mid= during or middle post= after |
prejudge, midtown, postgame |
| 3. Excess prefix family |
out = better or more than over = too much or many super= more, better, or higher |
outlive, overflow, superhuman |
| 4. Number prefix family |
uni, mono= one bi= two semi= part, half, or occurring twice |
uniform, monofilament, bicolor, semiarid |
| 5. Prefix re | re= again or back | recharge, rehire |
| 6. "State or quality of" suffix family | ship, ness, ment= state or quality of | friendship, loneliness, excitement |
| 7. Suffix ward | ward= in the direction of | skyward, northward |
| 8. Suffix ful | ful= full of or characterized by | merciful, helpful |
Source: Baumann, J.F., Boland, E.M., Olejnik, S., & Kame'enui, E.J. (2003). Vocabulary tricks: Effects of instruction in morphology and context on fifth-grade students' ability to derive and infer word meanings. American Educational Research Journal, 40(2), 447-494.
© ______ 2007, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The reproduction, duplication, or distribution of this material by any means including but not limited to email and blogs is strictly prohibited without the explicit permission of the publisher.
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