Which term denotes a word part added after the root word to modify meaning?

• A. Suffix
• B. Prefix
• C. Root word
• D. Qualitative

Answer: (A)

A suffix. A suffix is a word part added to the end of a root word and it changes the meaning or grammatical function of the word. For example, adding -ness to happy turns an adjective into a noun (happiness), and adding -ed to walk shows past tense (walked). Prefixes are attached to the front of a word, not the end, which is why they don’t fit this description. The root word is the base form without any affixes, and qualitative is not a term for a word part. So the end-position affix that modifies meaning is a suffix.