Adult ESL/ELL Intermediate Quiz: Using Prefixes And Suffixes
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Using Prefixes And SuffixesQuestion 1 of 10

Maria is studying for her citizenship test. She reads that the government must act in a way that is legal and follow the rules. Her teacher tells her that when something goes against the law, there is a specific word for it.

Based on the passage, which word BEST describes an action that goes against the law, and why is that the correct prefix choice?

illegal — the prefix il- means 'not,' making the word mean 'not legal,' which fits an action that goes against the law
unlegal — the prefix un- means 'not,' so it logically attaches to 'legal' to form the opposite, just as it does in 'unhappy' or 'unfair'
relegal — the prefix re- means 'again,' suggesting the action was made legal a second time, which fits the context of changing a law
prelegal — the prefix pre- means 'before,' suggesting the action happened before the law existed, which fits the idea of breaking a rule
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Adult ESL/ELL Intermediate Quiz

Adult ESL/ELL Intermediate Quiz: Using Prefixes And Suffixes

Practice Using Prefixes And Suffixes in Adult ESL/ELL Intermediate with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Using Prefixes And Suffixes, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Adult ESL/ELL Intermediate.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Maria is studying for her citizenship test. She reads that the government must act in a way that is legal and follow the rules. Her teacher tells her that when something goes against the law, there is a specific word for it.

Based on the passage, which word BEST describes an action that goes against the law, and why is that the correct prefix choice?

  1. illegal — the prefix il- means 'not,' making the word mean 'not legal,' which fits an action that goes against the law (correct answer)
  2. unlegal — the prefix un- means 'not,' so it logically attaches to 'legal' to form the opposite, just as it does in 'unhappy' or 'unfair'
  3. relegal — the prefix re- means 'again,' suggesting the action was made legal a second time, which fits the context of changing a law
  4. prelegal — the prefix pre- means 'before,' suggesting the action happened before the law existed, which fits the idea of breaking a rule
Explanation: When you see a question about word meaning and prefixes, your job is to match both the prefix's meaning and its correct usage to the context. Not every prefix meaning "not" works with every word — English has rules about which prefixes attach to which roots. The passage describes an action that goes against the law, meaning the opposite of legal. The prefix il- means "not," and it specifically attaches to adjectives beginning with the letter l — like logical → illogical or legible → illegible. So il- + legal = illegal, meaning "not legal" or against the law. This matches the passage perfectly, making A the correct answer. Choice B is tempting because un- does mean "not," and it works in many common words like unhappy or unfair. However, un- does not naturally attach to Latin-rooted adjectives like legal. "Unlegal" is not a real English word — English borrowed illegal directly from Latin, and that form stuck. Knowing a prefix's meaning isn't enough; you also need to know which words it pairs with. Choice C uses re-, meaning "again." This would suggest doing something legal a second time — the opposite of what the passage describes. Nothing in the passage involves repeating or restoring a law. Choice D uses pre-, meaning "before." This would mean something existed before the law, which is a different concept entirely from breaking the law. Study tip: Memorize common prefix-word pairings: il- pairs with l words (illegal, illogical), im- with m/p words (impossible), and ir- with r words (irregular). Meaning alone isn't enough — match the prefix to the root.

Question 2

A job posting reads: 'We are looking for a dependable worker who shows responsibility and treats all customers with respect. The ideal candidate will be someone whose behavior can be trusted completely.'

A coworker says, 'Someone who cannot be depended on is   because they always let the team down.' Which word correctly completes the sentence, and which word-formation process is used?

  1. undependable — the prefix un- attaches to the adjective 'dependable' to create its opposite, meaning 'not able to be depended on' (correct answer)
  2. dependableless — the suffix -less attaches to the full adjective 'dependable' to mean 'without dependability,' following the same pattern as 'careless' or 'hopeless'
  3. independable — the prefix in- attaches to 'dependable' to mean 'not dependable,' but this combination is not an established English word; 'undependable' is the accepted standard form
  4. misdependable — the prefix mis- attaches to 'dependable' to mean 'wrongly dependable,' which captures the idea of someone who fails their team by making errors in judgment
Explanation: When you see a question about word formation, focus on two things: which prefix or suffix creates the intended meaning, and whether the resulting word is actually used in standard English. Both matter. The word "dependable" means "able to be depended on." To create its opposite — someone who cannot be depended on — you need a prefix that means "not." The prefix un- does exactly this, giving you undependable, a real, widely accepted English word. This makes A the correct answer. The word-formation process is straightforward: un- + dependable = undependable, following familiar patterns like unhappy, unreliable, and unfair. B is wrong because the suffix -less attaches to nouns, not adjectives. You can say careless (without care) or hopeless (without hope) because "care" and "hope" are nouns. "Dependable," however, is already an adjective, so "dependableless" is not a real or grammatically logical word. C is a tricky distractor. The prefix in- does mean "not" in many words (invisible, incomplete), so the logic seems reasonable — but independable is not an established English word. English does not always follow perfectly consistent rules, and "undependable" is simply the accepted standard form. Knowing a prefix's meaning isn't enough; the resulting word must actually exist. D is wrong because mis- means "wrongly" or "badly," as in misunderstand or misuse. It does not create an opposite meaning — "misdependable" would suggest someone who depends incorrectly, which is not what the sentence means. Study tip: When choosing a negative prefix, always verify the word exists in standard English — un-, in-, and im- all mean "not," but only one version may be accepted for any given word.

Question 3

A teacher asks students to use the base word employ to create three different forms: (1) a noun meaning 'a person who is hired to work for someone,' (2) an adjective meaning 'able to be hired,' and (3) a noun meaning 'the state of having a job.' Which set of words CORRECTLY completes all three transformations?

  1. (1) employee, (2) employable, (3) employment — using the suffixes -ee, -able, and -ment respectively to change the base word's form and meaning (correct answer)
  2. (1) employer, (2) employable, (3) employment — using the suffixes -er, -able, and -ment, where -er creates a noun meaning 'one who hires others,' which is not the same as 'one who is hired'
  3. (1) employee, (2) employed, (3) employment — using the suffixes -ee, -ed, and -ment, where -ed creates an adjective meaning 'currently having a job,' not 'able to be hired'
  4. (1) employee, (2) employable, (3) employness — using the suffixes -ee, -able, and -ness, where -ness creates abstract nouns from adjectives, not from verbs like 'employ'
Explanation: When working with word formation, you need to understand how suffixes change both the form and meaning of a base word. Each suffix has a specific job: -ee marks the receiver of an action, -er marks the doer, -able means "capable of being," -ment turns a verb into a noun describing a state or process, and -ness creates abstract nouns — but typically from adjectives, not verbs. Choice A is correct because each suffix does exactly what the question asks. Adding -ee to employ gives you employee — the person who receives employment (is hired). Adding -able gives employable — capable of being hired. Adding -ment gives employment — the state of having a job. All three definitions match perfectly. Choice B fails at the first transformation. The suffix -er creates a noun meaning "one who does the action," so employer means the person who does the hiring — the boss, not the worker. That's the opposite of what the question asks for. Choice C gets the second word wrong. The suffix -ed creates a past-tense verb form or an adjective meaning "currently in that state," so employed means "currently having a job" — not "able to be hired." Those are meaningfully different. Choice D introduces a nonstandard word. The suffix -ness typically attaches to adjectives (like happy → happiness), not to verbs. Employness is not a real English word, and -ment is the correct suffix for this meaning. Study tip: Memorize suffix meanings as a set — knowing what -er, -ee, -able, -ment, and -ness each signal will help you on any word-formation question.

Question 4

A student encounters these words in a reading: misspell, misunderstand, and mislead. She concludes that the prefix mis- always means 'not.' Her classmate disagrees. Which sentence BEST explains why the classmate is correct, using prefix knowledge?

  1. The classmate is correct because mis- means 'not enough,' so misspell means 'to not spell enough letters,' and this is different from 'not' because it refers to an incomplete rather than absent action
  2. The classmate is correct because mis- means 'again' or 'back,' so misspell means 'to spell again,' misunderstand means 'to understand again,' and mislead means 'to lead back,' all showing repetition
  3. The classmate is correct because mis- means 'wrongly' or 'badly,' not 'not' — so misspell means 'to spell wrongly,' not 'to not spell,' showing the prefix changes the manner, not the existence, of the action (correct answer)
  4. The classmate is correct because mis- means 'before,' so misspell means 'to spell before checking,' and the prefix indicates that the action happened too early, which is different from meaning 'not'
Explanation: When you encounter a question about prefixes, your job is to identify what the prefix actually adds to the base word — does it change the meaning to "not," "again," "wrongly," or something else? Testing the prefix against multiple examples helps you find the consistent pattern. The prefix mis- means "wrongly" or "badly." Notice how this works across all three words: misspell means to spell wrongly, misunderstand means to understand wrongly, and mislead means to lead someone in the wrong direction. The original action still happens — it just happens incorrectly. This is the key distinction from "not": if mis- meant "not," then misspell would mean "to not spell at all," which doesn't match how the word is actually used. Answer C captures this perfectly — mis- changes the manner of the action, not whether the action exists. Answer A is wrong because "not enough" is not a recognized meaning of mis-, and the phrase "not spell enough letters" doesn't reflect how native speakers use misspell. Answer B confuses mis- with the prefix re-, which actually means "again" or "back" — misspell certainly doesn't mean "to spell again." Answer D confuses mis- with pre-, which means "before" — "to spell before checking" is not a real definition and misidentifies the prefix entirely. A useful tip: build a short personal list of common prefixes and their true meanings — mis- (wrongly), re- (again), pre- (before), un- (not). When a question tests prefixes, apply the meaning to all examples given and check for consistency.

Question 5

An adult learner is writing a report about her neighborhood. She writes: 'The old community center was built thirty years ago. The city plans to   it next year so it will be new and modern again. Many residents hope the project will also make the area more beautiful and attract new businesses.'

Which word BEST fills the blank in the report, and which analysis of its prefix and suffix is CORRECT?

  1. preновate — pre- means 'before' + -novate means 'to make new,' so prenovate means 'to prepare the building before making it new,' which fits the planning phase described in the passage
  2. reinnovate — re- means 'again' + innovate means 'to create something new,' so reinnovate means 'to create something completely new a second time,' fitting a building that needs total replacement
  3. renovate — re- means 'again' + the root -nov- means 'new' + -ate means 'to make,' so renovate means 'to make new again,' which fits the idea of updating an old building (correct answer)
  4. renovating — re- means 'again' + -novate means 'to make new' + -ing means 'in progress,' so renovating fills the blank as a verb showing the city's work is already underway and ongoing
Explanation: When you see a question combining vocabulary and word structure (morphology), tackle it in two steps: find the word that fits the context, then verify the prefix-root-suffix analysis is accurate. The passage describes an old building that will be updated to become "new and modern again" — that phrase is your biggest clue. The word renovate (C) is built from re- ("again") + -nov- (from Latin novus, meaning "new") + -ate ("to make or do"). Together, renovate literally means "to make new again," which perfectly matches restoring an aging community center. The grammar works too: "plans to renovate" uses the base infinitive form correctly after to. Choice A invents the word prenovate, which doesn't exist in English. The prefix pre- means "before," not "in preparation," and the passage isn't describing a planning phase — it's describing the action itself. Choice B uses reinnovate, another invented word. While re- and innovate are both real, combining them creates a redundant, non-standard term. More importantly, innovate means creating something entirely new, whereas the passage describes restoring an existing building — a meaningful difference. Choice D offers renovating, which has the right root but the wrong form. "Plans to renovating" is grammatically incorrect; after the infinitive marker to, you need the base verb renovate, not the -ing form. Study tip: On vocabulary questions that test word parts, always check both meaning and grammar. A word can have the right roots but still be wrong if it doesn't fit the sentence structure — or if it simply isn't a real English word.

Question 6

A student writes this sentence: 'The doctor said my recovery was remarkable because most patients need to rehospitalize after surgery, but I only needed one visit.' The teacher underlines rehospitalize and says one word is correctly formed and one is not a real word. Which analysis is CORRECT?

  1. Remarkable is correctly formed (remark + -able), but rehospitalize is not standard; the correct form would be rehospitalization to describe the process of returning to a hospital
  2. Both words are correctly formed: remarkable uses the suffix -able to mean 'worth remarking,' and rehospitalize uses re- to mean 'hospitalize again,' which is a recognized medical term (correct answer)
  3. Rehospitalize is correctly formed (re- + hospitalize = to hospitalize again), but remarkable is incorrectly formed because -able should only attach to simple one-syllable root words
  4. Neither word is correctly formed: remarkable should be remarkful using the suffix -ful, and rehospitalize should be prehospitalize to indicate returning to the hospital after an earlier stay
Explanation: When a question asks you to analyze whether a word is "correctly formed," you're being tested on morphology — the study of how prefixes, suffixes, and root words combine to create meaning. Your job is to check whether each word follows real, recognized patterns in English. Both words in this sentence are actually correctly formed, making B the right answer. Remarkable comes from the verb remark plus the suffix -able, meaning "capable of being remarked upon" or "worth noting" — a perfectly standard construction. Rehospitalize uses the prefix re- (meaning "again") attached to the verb hospitalize, producing the meaning "to hospitalize again." This is a recognized term used in medical contexts, especially in research discussing patients who return to the hospital after discharge. Here's where the wrong answers go astray: A correctly identifies remarkable but wrongly rejects rehospitalize, replacing it with rehospitalization — a real word, but a noun describing a process, not a verb meaning "to hospitalize again." Both forms can exist. C makes the opposite error, accepting rehospitalize while falsely claiming -able can only attach to one-syllable roots — this is simply untrue; -able attaches freely to longer words like comfortable, dependable, and remarkable itself. D is entirely wrong on both counts: remarkful is not a standard English word, and prehospitalize would mean "hospitalize before" something, which contradicts the sentence's meaning. A useful tip: when evaluating word formation, break each word into its parts and verify that the prefix or suffix carries the right meaning and that the combined word exists in standard usage.

Question 7

An adult education brochure says: 'Our program helps workers improve their skills. After completing our courses, students receive a certificate that shows they are qualified for better jobs. Workers who did not finish their training may feel they are not ready.'

A student wants to describe a job applicant who has no qualifications at all for a position — he never completed any training and does not meet any of the requirements. She writes: 'The applicant was completely   for the position.' Which word correctly fills the blank using a prefix, and what does that prefix specifically mean in this context?

  1. disqualified — the prefix dis- means 'removed from,' indicating the applicant was formally removed from consideration after first being evaluated, suggesting he once met some requirements
  2. unqualified — the prefix un- means 'not,' indicating the applicant simply does not possess the necessary qualifications for the position at all (correct answer)
  3. misqualified — the prefix mis- means 'wrongly,' indicating the applicant was evaluated incorrectly and placed in the wrong qualification category by the hiring team
  4. overqualified — the prefix over- means 'too much,' indicating the applicant has more qualifications than the position requires, which is the opposite of the situation described
Explanation: When a question asks you to choose between words formed with different prefixes, your job is to match the exact meaning of the prefix to the situation described. Each prefix changes a root word in a specific, predictable way — so pay close attention to the details in the scenario. Here, the situation is clear: the applicant never had any qualifications to begin with. He simply does not possess them. That points directly to B — unqualified. The prefix un- means "not," so unqualified means "not qualified." No history, no evaluation, no removal — just a complete absence of qualifications. This perfectly fits someone who never completed training and meets none of the requirements. Choice A, disqualified, is a tempting trap. The prefix dis- means "removed from" or "deprived of," which implies the person had qualifications and was later stripped of them — perhaps after violating rules or failing an evaluation. The passage specifically says the applicant never completed any training, so there was nothing to remove him from. This word suggests a process that never happened. Choice C, misqualified, sounds plausible, but mis- means "wrongly" or "incorrectly." It would suggest an error was made in evaluating him — but the scenario isn't about a mistake by the hiring team. This word isn't even commonly used in standard English for this context. Choice D, overqualified, means the applicant has too many qualifications — the complete opposite of the situation described. A useful strategy: when you see prefix questions, isolate the prefix, define it precisely, then test it against the scenario's details. Small prefix differences create completely different meanings.

Question 8

Carlos is reading a health pamphlet. It says: 'It is important to rehydrate after exercise. Drinking water helps your body return to a healthy state. People who do not drink enough water may experience dehydration, which can cause serious health problems.'

Carlos notices the words rehydrate and dehydration both come from the root hydrate. He wants to know what dehydration means based only on its parts. Which explanation CORRECTLY breaks down dehydration using prefix and suffix knowledge?

  1. de- means 'before,' hydrat- is the root meaning 'water,' and -ion means 'a condition,' so dehydration means 'the condition that exists before a person begins drinking water regularly'
  2. de- means 'again' or 'back,' hydrat- is the root meaning 'water,' and -ion means 'the process of,' so dehydration means 'the process of adding water back to the body again'
  3. de- means 'not enough,' hydrat- is the root meaning 'add water,' and -tion means 'a person who,' so dehydration means 'a person who does not drink enough water during exercise'
  4. de- means 'remove' or 'reverse,' hydrat- is the root meaning 'add water,' and -ion means 'the process or state of,' so dehydration means 'the state of having water removed from the body' (correct answer)
Explanation: When you see an unfamiliar word, breaking it into its prefix, root, and suffix is a powerful decoding strategy — especially in health and science contexts where Latin and Greek word parts appear constantly. The word dehydration has three parts: the prefix de-, the root hydrat-, and the suffix -ion. The prefix de- comes from Latin and means "remove," "reverse," or "undo" — think of defrost (reverse the frost) or deactivate (undo activation). The root hydrat- relates to water and the process of adding water to something. The suffix -ion signals a noun meaning "the process or state of." Putting it together: dehydration means the state of having water removed from the body — which perfectly matches the passage's warning about not drinking enough water. That makes D the correct answer. A is wrong because de- does not mean "before" — that would be the prefix pre-. This distractor confuses two different prefixes entirely. B is wrong because de- does not mean "again" or "back" — that's the prefix re-, which actually appears in rehydrate earlier in the passage. Answer B accidentally defines rehydration, not dehydration. C has two errors: de- does not mean "not enough," and the suffix -tion does not mean "a person who" — that would be a suffix like -er or -ist. Mixing up suffix meanings is a common trap. Study tip: Learn the "Big Three" prefixes that often appear together — re- (again), de- (remove/reverse), and pre- (before) — so you can tell them apart quickly under pressure.

Question 9

A community college newsletter includes this paragraph: 'Students who complete the program will receive a certificate showing their new skills. Many graduates describe the experience as transformative — it changed their lives. The college is committed to accessible education for all adults in the community.'

A student wants to write a sentence describing an old building as something that 'is capable of being changed into something new.' She wants a single adjective to express this idea. Which word uses a suffix CORRECTLY to mean 'capable of being transformed,' and what is the correct suffix analysis?

  1. transformingly — the suffix -ly typically creates adverbs that modify verbs or adjectives (e.g., 'quickly,' 'carefully'), not adjectives; transformingly cannot function as an adjective describing the building
  2. transformative — the suffix -ive means 'tending to cause or produce,' so transformative means 'tending to cause transformation in others'; it describes something that changes others, not something that can itself be changed
  3. transformation — the suffix -tion means 'the act or state of,' so transformation means 'the act of transforming'; this creates a noun, not an adjective, so it cannot directly modify a noun the way an adjective does
  4. transformable — the suffix -able means 'capable of being,' so transformable means 'capable of being transformed'; it functions as an adjective describing something that can be changed (correct answer)
Explanation: When a question asks you to find an adjective meaning "capable of being [something]," your first move should be to look at the suffix — the ending of the word — because suffixes signal both meaning and part of speech. The suffix -able means "capable of being," and it reliably creates adjectives. So transformable = transform + -able = "capable of being transformed." This perfectly matches what the student needs: a single adjective that describes the building as something that can be changed into something new. D is correct. Now let's see why the other options fail. A (transformingly) uses the suffix -ly, which typically converts adjectives or nouns into adverbs (words that modify verbs or other adjectives, like quickly or carefully). An adverb cannot directly describe a noun like "building," so this word is the wrong part of speech entirely. B (transformative) uses -ive, meaning "tending to cause or produce." Something transformative causes change in others — a transformative experience changes you. The building isn't causing transformation; it's receiving it. The meaning points in the wrong direction. C (transformation) uses -tion, which creates nouns meaning "the act or state of." Nouns can't directly modify other nouns as adjectives can, so transformation building is grammatically incorrect. Study tip: Memorize these four suffix-to-function pairings: -able/-ible = adjective (capable of being), -ive = adjective (tending to cause), -tion/-sion = noun (act/state of), and -ly = adverb (how something happens). When a question asks for an adjective with a specific meaning, check both the suffix's part of speech AND its meaning.

Question 10

A student reads these two sentences: (1) 'The manager will approve the new schedule.' (2) 'The supervisor chose to   the request because it did not follow company rules.' The student wants to use a prefix to create a word meaning 'to refuse to approve' or 'to have a negative view of' the request. Which word BEST completes sentence (2), and why is that prefix the right choice?

  1. disapprove — the prefix dis- means 'not' or 'reverse,' so disapprove means to reverse or refuse approval, which fits the idea of rejecting a request that breaks the rules (correct answer)
  2. preapprove — the prefix pre- means 'before,' so preapprove means to approve something in advance, which is the opposite of refusing a request
  3. reapprove — the prefix re- means 'again,' so reapprove means to approve the request a second time, suggesting the supervisor confirmed rather than rejected it
  4. unapprove — the prefix un- can reverse some verbs (as in 'undo' or 'unlock'), but unapprove is not a standard English word; the accepted form for refusing approval is disapprove
Explanation: When you see a question about creating new words by adding prefixes, ask yourself: what does the prefix mean, and does the new word match the context of the sentence? Here, the supervisor is rejecting a request that breaks company rules — so you need a word that signals refusal or negative judgment. The prefix dis- means "not" or "reverse an action," which is exactly right for this situation. Disapprove literally means to reverse approval — to have a negative view of something or refuse to sanction it. This fits the sentence perfectly: the supervisor is doing the opposite of approving. Answer A is correct. Now let's look at why the other choices miss the mark. B, preapprove, uses the prefix pre-, meaning "before." To preapprove something means to approve it in advance — the opposite of what the supervisor is doing, so this contradicts the sentence's meaning entirely. C, reapprove, uses re-, meaning "again" or "back." This suggests the supervisor approved the request a second time, which actually confirms rather than rejects it — again, the wrong direction. D is a clever trap: you might think un- could work since it reverses verbs like undo or unlock, but unapprove is not a standard, accepted English word. When a word isn't recognized in the language, you can't use it — even if the logic seems similar. Study tip: Learn these four common prefixes together — dis- (not/reverse), pre- (before), re- (again), and un- (reverse) — and always check whether the resulting word is real and matches the sentence's meaning.