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  1. Affixes are subdivided into prefixes, which precede the base to which they attach

  2. Affixes are subdivided into prefixes, which precede the base which they attach to.

The difference between them just is to put the phrase attach to together or division. I think the second one is easier to understand and easy to use? But the first is more formal?

Community
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Bingchen Qin
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    This is going to be a long sentence when complete. I'd use 2b 'Affixes are subdivided into prefixes, which precede the base they attach to, and suffixes ...'. Not to mention infixes. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 11 '18 at 15:51
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    The real problem with both of your examples is that it is usual to list all sub-components (or at least the major ones). What you have is equivalent to saying "Fluids are subdivided into liquids...", when what you really need is "Fluids are subdivided into liquids and gasses..." This is why your examples sound odd. You could replace "are subdivided into" with "can be". – Mick Jan 11 '18 at 15:55
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    I agree with @Mick. Fruit is not sub-divided into apples. – Nigel J Jan 11 '18 at 16:21

2 Answers2

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edit #2 to remove double "which": "which precede the base they attach to."

Stuffy grammarians thought that the rule forbidding prepositions at the end of sentences in Latin (where it makes sense) should be used in English (where it does not).

So they twisted a jaunty little phrase like "a hook to hang your hat on" (hear the rhythm?) into "a hook on which to hang your hat." How stupid!

Just remember these examples: "What's that used for?" or "What are you talking about?" Both end with prepositions.

James Joyce ended sentences with prepositions all the time. So don't worry about it. Keep your meaning clear without annoying readers.

McHiggins
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  • Excellent advice regarding the second part of the question. – Mick Jan 11 '18 at 18:03
  • This has been covered far too many times on ELU already, I'm afraid. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 11 '18 at 23:58
  • Yes, but what I wanna know is when learning English as a second language. when I put the preposition at the end of a sentence and didn`t apart from the verb phrase, I think that easier to make sentences and easily be understood more than prepositions before 'which' when the predicate is a whole verb phrase. – Bingchen Qin Jan 12 '18 at 00:59
  • A hook on which to hang your hat! Aaaargh! How ghaaastly! Totally agree! Simple, lovely phrases, like James Joyce uses, are great! How about this song: 'Papa was a rollin' stone - wherever he laid his hat was his home...' not 'the stone on which father laid his hat was the place to which he would retire, in the evening, for his repose...' – Jelila Jan 12 '18 at 02:28
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If you offered up this horribly written phrase to me, as my English teacher, I would definitely fire you and go and learn somewhere else.

Afix appears to mean 'something stuck on'. (Or in. Anywhere) Prefix means 'something stuck on at the front'. Suffix means 'something stuck on at the back'.

Afixes are not necessarily a sub-set of prefixes, as far as I can see.

And there aren't even that many of them.

As is clearly explained here:

http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/affixes.htm

If you really must say this, how about:

Prefixes are comprised of afixes, and appear at the beginning of words.

Jelila
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  • Prefixes are comprised of affixes (sic), and appear at the beginning of words. If you offered this horribly written phrase to me, I would also fire you and go and learn somewhere else.

    Affixes are not a subset of prefixes, rather prefixes are a subset of affixes. Other subsets include (but are not limited to) infix and interfix.

    See: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affix).

    Your sentence makes no sense because the part (prefixes) cannot be comprised of the whole (affixes). If you really must say this, how about:

    Prefixes are a type of affix that appear at the beginning of words.

     –  Jan 31 '18 at 03:52