Which statement about prefixes and suffixes is true?

• A. Prefixes attach to the beginning of a base word and suffixes attach to the end.
• B. Prefixes are always used to form new words, while suffixes never change meaning.
• C. All prefixes must be derived from Latin.
• D. Suffixes always indicate tense.

Answer: (A)

Prefixes attach to the beginning of a base word, while suffixes attach to the end. This is how they modify meaning and function in English. For example, adding un- to happy gives unhappy, showing negation, and adding re- to use gives reuse, indicating repetition. Suffixes at the end can change the word’s meaning or its part of speech, such as turning kind into kindness (noun) or adding -ed to walk to indicate past tense (walked). Because of this positional rule, the statement is true.

Note that prefixes aren’t always used to form entirely new words, and suffixes don’t always indicate tense—suffixes can create nouns or adjectives, and many prefixes come from languages other than Latin.