What is an affix?

• A. Attach or become attached to a stem word
• B. An affix added at the end of a word
• C. The words appear most often in print
• D. A type of punctuation

Answer: (A)

An affix is a piece that attaches to a base word to change its meaning or its part of speech. It can attach to the front as a prefix or to the end as a suffix, and sometimes multiple affixes can be added to the same stem word. For example, adding the prefix un- to happy makes unhappy, and adding the suffix -ness to happy makes happiness. The idea is that an affix must attach to a stem word to form a new word or modify its meaning.

That’s why the best description is the one that says an affix attaches or becomes attached to a stem word. It’s broader than just being added at the end, and it isn’t about how often words appear in print or about punctuation.