PREFIXES (58) ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR ELEMENTARY

ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR ELEMENTARY

PREFIXES (58)

A

Prefixes come at the beginning of words. They can help you to understand what a new word means. Here are some common prefixes. prefix meaning examples ex (+ noun) was but now isn’t ex-wife, ex-boyfriend half (+ noun or adjective) 50% of something half-price, half-hour in, im (+ adjective) not informal, impossible non (+ adjective or noun) not non-smoking pre (+ noun, adjective, verb) before pre-school, pre-heat re (+ verb) again redo, rewrite un (+ adjective or noun) not unhappy, unsafe   ·         An ex-wife is a woman who is now divorced. ·         An ex-boyfriend is someone who is no longer your boyfriend. ·         Something that cost £10 yesterday and costs £5 today is half-price. ·         A half-hour journey is a journey of 30 minutes. ·         Informal clothes are clothes like jeans and trainers. Formal clothes are things like a suit. ·         If something is impossible, you can’t do it. It’s impossible to read with your eyes closed. ·         You must not smoke in a non-smoking restaurant. ·         Pre-school children are too young to go to school. ·         You nearly always need to pre-heat the oven before you cook something. ·         To redo something is to do it a second time, and to rewrite something is to write it a second time. ·         Unhappy means sad, the opposite of happy. ·         Unsafe means dangerous, the opposite of safe. TIP Sometimes words with prefixes have a hyphen (-), e.g. a half-hour programme, and sometimes they don’t, e.g. an impossible question. Use a dictionary when you are not sure if there is a hyphen or not.

Exercises

58.1	Choose one of the words from the opposite page to fit in these sentences. 1 This part of the restaurant is _____non-smoking­­­­­______. 2 I can’t read this. Please _________ your homework. 3 In _________ English we often say ‘Hi’, not ‘Good morning’. 4 I liked school but my sister was very _________ there. 5 I bought two T-shirts because they were _________ in the sale. 6 Don’t walk on that wall - the notice says it is_________
58.2	Write your own sentences to show what these words mean. 1 ex-wife ________ Jennifer Aniston is Brad Pitt’s ex-wife.______________ 2 ex-boyfriend __________________________________________________________ 3 redo __________________________________________________________ 4 impossible __________________________________________________________ 5 pre-school __________________________________________________________
58.3	What do you think these words and phrases mean? Look at the table opposite to help you. 1 an ex-husband ____ a man who is now divorced from his wife_____ 2 pre-exam nerves ______________________________________________ 3 an incorrect answer ______________________________________________ 4 an unread book ______________________________________________ 5 to retell a story ______________________________________________ 6 a half-brother ______________________________________________ 7 an unfinished letter ______________________________________________ 8 a non-alcoholic drink ______________________________________________ 9 to reread a book ______________________________________________ 10 to resend an email ______________________________________________
58.4	Find the negative forms of these words. Use a dictionary to help you. 1 possible ____impossible____ 2 comfortable __________________ 3 polite __________________ 4 pleasant __________________ 5 attractive __________________ OVER TO YOU Look at the table opposite and write one more example of a word using each prefix. Use a dictionary to help you. Write a sentence using your word. ·         ex: My ex-boss lives near me. ·         half: You stop at half-time in a football match.

ANSWER KEY

58.1	2	rewrite / redo
	3	informal
	4	unhappy
	5	half-price
	6	unsafe

58.2	Possible answers
	2	I never see my ex-boyfriend anymore.
	3	This work is not very good. Please redo it.
	4	It’s impossible to read his handwriting.
	5	Pre-school children learn by playing.

58.3	2	nerves before an exam
	3	a wrong answer, an answer that is not correct
	4	a book that has not been read
	5	to tell a story again
	6	a brother with one parent the same (for example, perhaps with the same mother but not the same father)
	7	a letter that is not finished
	8	a drink with no alcohol in it (for example, fruit juice, cola)
	9	to read a book again
	10	to send an email again

58.4	2	uncomfortable
	3	impolite
	4	unpleasant
	5	unattractive