Using prefixes
In a nutshell
A prefix is a letter or group of letters placed at the beginning of a word to create a new word with a different meaning. Prefixes are placed at the front of a 'root' word. In this summary, you will learn the meanings of common prefixes and how to use them.
Prefixes
Prefixes can be added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. They can be made up of one letter or a group of letters.
'dis' and 'mis'
Both 'dis' and 'mis' have a negative meaning and create a negative word when added to the root word.
prefix
| meaning
| example prefix+root word
|
| dis- | negative meaning | dishonour (dis+honour), disagree (dis+agree) |
| mis- | negative meaning | misbehave (mis+behave), miscalculate (mis+calculate) |
'in', 'il', 'im', 'ir'
The prefix 'in' means 'not' and can sometimes change into 'il', 'im' or 'ir' based on the root word.
Prefix
| Meaning
| Example Prefix+root word
|
| in- | not | inaccurate (in+accurate), invisible (in+visible) |
| il- | illogical (il+logical), illegal (il+legal) |
| im- | impossible (im+possible), impassable (im+passable) |
| ir- | irrelevant (ir+relevant), irrational (ir+rational) |
'sub', 'super' and 'inter'
These prefixes are added to note location.
prefix
| meaning
| example prefix+root word
|
| sub- | under | subtitle (sub+title), subtotal (sub+total) |
| super- | above, over | super (super+power), supermarket (super+market) |
| inter- | between, among | international (inter+national), interview (inter+view) |
're', 'anti' and 'auto'
These prefixes have different meanings, they are explained in the table below.
prefix
| meaning
| example prefix+root word |
| re- | again, back | redo (re+do), replay (re+play) |
| anti- | not, against, opposite | antisocial (anti+social), antibiotic (anti-biotic) |
| auto- | self, own, automatic | autopilot (auto+pilot), autobiography (auto+biography) |
