Final answer:
The series of letters placed in front of a word to form a new word is called a prefix, not a suffix. A suffix is added to the end of a word. Examples include changes in word forms like 'digest' to 'digestion' and spelling considerations when adding suffixes such as 'hop' to 'hopping'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that a series of letters placed in front of a word to form a new word is called a suffix is false. The correct term for a series of letters placed at the beginning of a word to form a new word is a prefix. A suffix is a series of letters placed at the end of a word to alter its meaning or grammatical function. For example, the suffix -ion in the word digestion changes the verb digest into a noun.
When analyzing words into their components, we often encounter situations where final es are deleted before adding a suffix, especially when the suffix starts with a vowel like e, i, or y. This observation is particularly relevant when considering the sound changes like soft c, which require a following e, i, or y to maintain the soft sound.
Additionally, when we look at words that end with the sound [s] without an insulating final e, we often find that the spelling s could be a plural or verb form suffix, or part of another suffix like -ous, -us, or -ics, as seen in the words courageous, radius, and mathematics. When adding suffixes like -ing to a base word ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, like hop, we double the consonant to form hopping.