Vocabulary Development- Revision of prefixes - JSS3 English language Lesson Note
Vocabulary Development: Revision of Prefixes
Definition
A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a word to modify its meaning. Prefixes can change a word into a different word class and can also alter the word’s meaning.
Common Prefixes and Their Meanings
1. un-: not, opposite of
- Example: **un**happy (not happy), **un**fair (not fair)
2. re-: again
- Example: **re**do (do again), **re**write (write again)
3. in-, im-, il-, ir-: not
- Example: **in**visible (not visible), **im**possible (not possible), **il**legal (not legal), ir-regular (not regular)
4. dis-: not, opposite of
- Example: **dis**like (not like), **dis**agree (not agree)
5. pre-: before
- Example: **pre**view (view before), **pre**dict (say before)
6. mis-: wrongly
- Example: **mis**understand (understand wrongly), **mis**spell (spell wrongly)
7. non-: not
- Example: **non**fiction (not fiction), **non**sense (not making sense)
8. sub-: under, below
- Example: **sub**marine (underwater vessel), **sub**way (underground train)
9. inter-: between, among
- Example: **inter**national (between nations), **inter**act (act between)
10. trans-: across, beyond
- Example: **trans**port (carry across), **trans**mit (send across)
11. super-: above, beyond
- Example: **super**human (beyond human), **super**market (large market)
12. semi-: half, partly
- Example: **semi**circle (half circle), **semi**final (partly final)
13. anti-: against, opposite
- Example: **anti**social (against social behaviour), **anti**bacterial (against bacteria)
14. auto-: self
- Example: **auto**graph (self-writing), **auto**biography (self-life story)
How Prefixes Change Word Meanings
Prefixes can drastically change the meaning of a word. For example:
- happy becomes unhappy (not happy).
- agree becomes disagree (not agree).
- regular becomes irregular (not regular).