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11.1: Prefixes

  • Page ID
    36841
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    Prefixes

    Screen Shot 2019-11-30 at 1.02.35 PM.png

    A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word to create a new meaning.

    The main rule to remember when adding a prefix to a word is not to add letters or leave out any letters.

    Table of Prefixes

    Prefix Meaning Example

    dis

    not, opposite of

    dis + satisfied = dissatisfied

    mis

    wrongly

    mis + spell = misspell

    un

    not

    un + acceptable = unacceptable

    re

    again

    re + election = reelection

    inter

    between

    inter + related = interrelated

    pre

    before

    pre + pay = prepay

    non

    not

    non + sense = nonsense

    super

    above

    super + script = superscript

    sub

    under

    sub + merge = submerge

    anti

    against, opposing

    anti + bacterial = antibacterial

    Exercise: Prefixes

    Screen Shot 2019-11-30 at 1.03.54 PM.png

    Add the correct prefix to the word to complete each sentence.

    1. I wanted to ease my stomach ________comfort, so I drank some ginger root tea.
    2. Lenny looked funny in his ________matched shirt and pants.
    3. Penelope felt ________glamorous at the party because she was the only one not wearing a dress.
    4. My mother said those ________aging creams do not work, so I should not waste my money on them.
    5. The child's ________standard performance on the test alarmed his parents.
    6. When my sister first saw the meteor, she thought it was a ________natural phenomenon.
    7. Even though she got an excellent job offer, Cherie did not want to ________locate to a different country.
    8. With a small class size, the students get to ________act with the teacher more frequently.
    9. I slipped on the ice because I did not heed the ________cautions about watching my step.
    10. A ________combatant is another word for civilian.

    Key Takeaways

    Prefixes

    • A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word that changes the word's meaning.
    • A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word that changes the word's form or part of speech.
    • Learning the meanings of prefixes and suffixes will help expand your vocabulary, which will help improve your spelling and your writing.

    11.1: Prefixes is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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