PREFIXATION NUMBER PREFIXES The table below contains the Latin and Greek number elements which are most frequently used in English. Latin semi un i bi t ri quadr/quart qu i n se x sept oct dec cent mill multi omni I
Greek hemi m on o di tr i te t r a penta hexa hepta oct deca hect poly poly pan
Meaning half on e tw o three f ou r five si x seven eight ten hundred many many all
Examples semi-literate, hemisphere unilateral, monosyllable biannual, biennial, disyllable trilateral, tripod quadrilateral, tetralogy, tetrarchy quintet, pentagon, pentameter sextet, hexagon, hexameter heptagon, heptameter octagon, octopus decameter, decimeter centimeter, hectametre multi-national, polytechnic multi-national, polytechnic omniscient, pantheism
Put Put one one of the the num numbe berr pre prefi fixe xess in in eac each h of of the the spac spaces es in the the sen sente tenc nces es belo below: w: 1. The pupils’ pupils’ desks desks were were arranged arranged in in a ________cir ________circle cle round round the teacher. 2. His father father is Greek and his his mother’s mother’s Italian, Italian, so he’s ________lingual. ________lingual. 3. Maybe future future trains trains will run run on just a single single rail. rail. This system system is is called a ________rai ________rail. l. 4. Small Small childre children n ride _______ ________cy _cycle cles, s, not bicyc bicycles. les. 5. Soldiers, Soldiers, policemen policemen and firemen firemen wear ________form. ________form. Teachers Teachers don’t. don’t. 6. Britain Britain has people people from all over the world. world. It’s It’s a ________racia ________raciall society. society. 7. He was only ________-con ________-conscious scious when when the ambulance ambulance arrived arrived and he died in hospital. hospital. 8. Both men men and women have their their hair hair cut here. It’s a ________sex salon. 9. The words words ‘fat’, ‘fat’, ‘help’ ‘help’ and ‘come’ ‘come’ are all _______ ________sy _syllab llables. les. 10. He’s incredibly incredibly rich. He’s a ________millionaire. ________millionaire. 11. Houses in Britain are often built in pairs. They’re They’re called ________-detached. ________-detached. 12. It was a ________lateral agreement, agreement, signed by India and Pakistan. Pakistan.
II Use the the tabl tablee above above to help help you you com comple plete te the the fol follow lowin ing g sente sentence nces. s. Rem Remem embe berr that that classi classica call prefixes often go together with classical roots: 1. A decis decision ion which which has been made made only only by one side in a dispute is a ____________ decision. Talks which take place among many sides are called ____________ talks. 2. The shap hape ha has three points or angles. It is a ____________. One with four points is a ____________. A figure with five sides is known as a ____________. 3. A cre creat atur uree wit with h two legs is a ____________, and one with four legs is a ____________. Insect-like creatures with one hundred legs are called ____________. 4. An obje object ct stan standi ding ng on three legs is a ____________. 5. Th Thee paym paymen ents ts are are mad madee half-yearly. They are ____________ payments. 6. Th Thee conf confere erenc ncee is is conv convene ened d once in two years. It is a ____________ conference. 1
7. One commercial company completely dominating the sale of a commodity has a ________poly on that commodity. 8. The vehicle has many different purposes. It is a ________-________ vehicle. 9. An illegal marriage between one man and two women is called ____________. Marriage between one man and many women is called ____________. It is a ____________ marriage. Marriage between one woman and many men is known as ________andry. It is a ________androus marriage. 10. These animals eat all kinds of food. They are not just herbivorous or carnivorous. They are ________vorous. III Fill in the blanks with one of the following words: Uniform, university, monocle, monorail, monologues, bicycle, bigamy, bilingual, bipeds, binoculars, dialogue, tricycle, tripod, triplets, trio, quadrangle, quadrupeds, quartet, quintet, pentathlon, sextet, septuagenarian, octopus, octogenarian, nonagenarian, decade, centenarian, century. George Willis was born in 1900 and was too young to go into ____________ in the First World War, which took, place in the second ____________ of the 20th ____________. Instead he finished his schooling and went to ____________. Like most Oxford colleges, his college was built round a ____________ and a photograph of him there shows him wearing a ____________ in his eye, one of his many eccentricities. He rode a ____________, declaring it to be safer and more stable than a ____________. His subject was zoology. Initially he studied ____________, but soon got tired of two-legged creatures and took an interest in ____________, developing a special affection to elephant. However, all animal life fascinated him and he was often to be seen in the Oxfordshire countryside, observing wildlife through his ____________ or setting up his ____________ to record it in photographs. Marine creatures also attracted him, especially, for some reason, the ____________. He was also creative in such diverse fields as engineering (he proposed a scheme for ____________ transport in London) and music (he formed a jazz s____________, which later became a ____________ when the drummer joined the navy, a ____________ when the violinist was run over by a bus and a ____________ when the trombonist was imprisoned for ____________. He was a fine sportsman and won many prizes in the ____________. In 1972, although by this time a ____________, he wrote his first play, a strange piece which consisted of a ____________ between Shakespeare and Churchill. He is still active and talkative, although conversations with him tend to be ____________. He talks and others listen. Always optimistic, he looks forward to continuing his busy life as a non____________ and to becoming a c____________. He lives with his wife, a lively o____________ and has two sons and a daughter, whose birth as ____________ in 1927 he describes as the happiest event in his eventful life.
NEGATIVE / REVERSATIVE PREFIXES I The prefix un- is attached to a very large number of English adjectives. The prefix is also used with participial adjectives: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
The service was not satisfactory. It was an ____________ service. The sides were not equal. They were ____________ sides. The glass was not breakable. It was an ____________ glass. The food was not eatable. It was ____________ food. The surface was not even. It was an ____________ surface. The water has not been boiled. It is ____________.
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7. The coffee has not been sugared. It is ____________. 8. The teachers have not been trained. They are ____________. 9. The nuts have not been salted. They are ____________. 10. The letter has not been signed. It is an __________________. II
For many adjectives of Latin origin, the prefix in- is used instead: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
The food was not sufficient. It was ____________ food. The book was not complete. It is an ____________ book. The work he had done was not adequate. It was ____________ work. The visits were not frequent. They were ____________ visits. The picture was not distinct. It was an ____________ picture. The substance was not organic. It was an ____________ substance. The results of the investigation were not conclusive. They were ____________. He does not feel secure. He is an ____________ person. You cannot corrupt these people. They are _________ible.
III Some adjectives and nouns of Latin and French origin take dis- when forming their opposites: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
He is courteous, but his friend is ____________. He is loyal, but some of the others are ____________. Some of these shapes are similar, others are ____________. Some men are honest, some are ____________. He was once greatly in favour here, but now he has fallen into ____________. The houses here are kept in good repair, but the houses in the next village are in a state of ____________. 7. It is sometimes an advantage to be rich, and sometimes a ____________. IV
Un- and dis- are also used with verbs to indicate ‘opposite action’ :
1. He loaded the lorry in the morning and ____________ it in the evening. 2. They fastened their seat-belts before landing and ____________ them when the plane came to a complete standstill. 3. She packed the cases in the morning and ____________ them when she decided not to go on holiday. 4. They plugged the hole to stop the water coming through, and ____________ it when they needed water. 5. We tied the animals up when we went in and ____________ them when we came out. 6. You want to associate with them, but I want to ____________ myself from them. 7. You approve of it, but I ____________. 8. You are pleased about it, but I am ____________. 9. You are satisfied with these things, but I am ____________. 10. The people here were once united, now they are ____________. 11. You will continue the work, but I would like to ____________. 12. The workers were once organized, but now they are ____________. V
Dis- is sometimes used to show that a situation has completely changed :
1. He was expected to inherit all the money, but now he has been ____________.
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2. 3. 4. 5.
Armed men can be dangerous and the police are required to ____________ them. They were once enchanted with these things, but now they are ____________. Once his credit was high with everyone, but now he has been ____________. When the engine is engaged the car moves, but when it is ____________ the car doesn’t move. 6. If people are likely to be infected by a disease, medical teams ____________ the whole area. VI Put one of the prefixes in each space in the phrases below to make the word which follows it opposite meaning: un-, disa(n) ___comfortable chair a(n) ___believable story a(n) ___punctual train a(n) ___respectful pupil a(n) ___popular man a(n) ___honest shopkeeper a(n) ___lucky accident a(n) ___familiar city a(n) ___ satisfied customer a(n) ___grateful child a(n) ___united party
to ___obey an order to ___believe a story to ___agree with someone to ___load a ship to ___approve of someone to ___like cheese to ___button a jacket to ___appear round the corner to ___cover buried treasure to ___trust a politician to ___lock the door
in-, im-, il-, ir-
an __resistable temptation an __possible plan an __legal business deal an __accurate calculation an __mature young man an __moral action an __convenient arrangement an __logical answer an __responsible boy an __patient motorist an __secure feeling
an __relevant question an __polite letter an __literate person __frequent buses __legible handwriting an __curable illness an __regular train service __formal clothes an __replaceable work of art an __expensive present an __dependent country
OTHER PREFIXES I The prefix mis- is added to verbs of skill with the meaning ‘badly’, ‘wrongly’ or ‘incorrectly’ : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
He governed the country badly. He ____________ it. He understood us incorrectly. He ____________ us. He interpreted the information wrongly. He ____________ it. He pronounced the names wrongly. He ____________ them. He managed the business badly. He ____________ it. He copied the material incorrectly. He ____________ it.
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7. He used the machine badly. He ____________ it. II The prefix re- means ‘again’ or ‘for a second time’ , it may also mean ‘in a different way’ , often suggesting improvement: 1. She arranged the flowers yesterday. She will arrange them again tomorrow in a different way. She will ____________ them. 2. They elected the president for a second term in office. They ____________ him. 3. She distributed the goods in the same way for many years, but she has decided to distribute them again in a different way. She plans to ____________ the goods more economically. 4. He planned the project. His work was not accepted, and he was asked to ____________ the whole thing. 5. He invested the money in a company which was not a success, so he took the money out and ____________ it. 6. They affirmed their old promise for a second time. They ____________ it. 7. They adjusted the control carelessly and were asked to ____________ them. 8. He decorated the house last year. He will decorate it again next year in a different way. He will ____________ it. 9. He advertised the post again. He ____________ it. 10. He wrote the essay again to improve it. He ____________ the essay. III The prefixes pre- / post- and pro- / anti- are strong (hyphenated) and are generally used with adjectives. Pre- is also used with verbs and means ‘do something in advance’ : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Tom is for reform. He leads a ____________ party. Dick is against reform. He takes an ____________ position. I am against the British and the Americans. I am ____________ and ___________. He is in favour of the government. He leads a ____________ group. If a person is not in favour of social life, then he is said to be ____social. Songs sung after that war are ____________ songs. This work was done before the British came; it is ____________. Events in America which happened before Columbus are called ____-Columbian. Those which happened after Columbus are called ____________. 9. The meeting was arranged in advance. It was a ____________ meeting. 10. The food packed in advance is called ____________ food. 11. The walls we fabricated in advance. They were ____________ walls. 12. The machine was tested in advance. It was a ____________ machine. IV Over- and under- are prefixes added to verbs or adjectives. They mean ‘too much’ or ‘too little’ , respectively. Add the above prefixes to the verbs in italics: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
She tires herself too much. She ____________ herself. They rate Tom’s talents too high. They ____________ him. They don’t rate Dick’s talents very high. They ____________ him. She feeds the children too much. She ____________ them. His muscles have been developed too much. They are ____________. He used the machine too much. He ____________ the machine. He uses these animals too little. He ____________ them. Some people in this country should pay more tax. They are obviously ____________.
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V Put one of the above prefixes in each of the spaces in the sentences below:co- (= with, together), counter- (= in the opposite direction), pro- (= in favour of), anti (= against), non- (= not). 1. The _______-pilot took over the plane’s controls while the captain had a coffee and sandwich. 2. We managed to drive the enemy back, but they _______attacked. 3. The _______espionage department has caught three foreign spies. 4. I’m not _______marriage. I think it is a very good custom. 5. I’m afraid the club is not open to _______-members. 6. That newspaper is very left-wing. In fact it’s _______-communist. 7. Germany and France are _______-operating on the design of a new space rocket. 8. The _______-war army wanted more arms and a bigger army. 9. Some flights go from London to the Middle East _______-stop. 10. To prevent petrol from freezing put _______freeze in the tank. 11. That’s _______sense! You don’t know what you are talking about! VI
super- (= above, more than), sub- (= under, less than), trans- (= across), inter- (between)
1. The USA and Russia can attack each other with _____-continental missiles. 2. He works in London and in New York so he’s a regular _____atlantic air passenger. 3. He was so powerful that he sometimes seemed almost _____human. 4. It is now possible to _____plant a heart from a dead person to a living one. 5. He believes in ghosts and magic and other _____natural things. 6. That road is very dangerous. Use the _____way to get across. 7. Concorde is a _____sonic plane. It flies faster than sound. 8. Does _____national sport really improve relations between countries? 9. The _____-marine approached the warship unseen. 10. They have discovered some _____terranean caves 300 feet down. 11. The local trains are slow but the _____-city services are excellent. VII
ex (= former), pre- (= before), post- (= after), de- (= acting against), re- (again)
1. She’s divorced but she’s still on good terms with her ____-husband. 2. The teacher told his student to ____write his bad composition. 3. Men who once served in the armed services are called ____servicemen. 4. Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago in ____historic times. 5. He got his university degree last year. Now he’s doing ____graduate studies. 6. The country is becoming ____forested so quickly that soon there will be no trees left. 7. The principal ____-war problem was to rebuild the destroyed cities and industries. 8. Most houses need to be ____painted every five to seven years. 9. Bibby is three. She goes to a ____-school playgroup every morning. 10. The train became ____railed at 60 miles per hour but no one was seriously hurt. 11. The villages are becoming ____populated as more and more people move to the cities. VIII arch- (= chief, highest-ranking), out- (= more, better than), mal- (= badly, wrongly), pseudo- (= false, pretended) 1. In my opinion, this book is just ______-intellectual rubbish.
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2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Although he was older than his wife, he ______lived her by ten years. Priests are not often ambitious men, but he had set his heart on becoming ____bishop. The launch of the space rocket was delayed by a ______function in the fuel system. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Britain’s ______-enemy was France. He completely ______boxed his opponent and knocked him down in the 7th round. Children who grow up in time of war are more likely to be ______adjusted than other children. 8. He uses ______-scientific language to persuade his readers. 9. These squalid, dark, cramped, ______odorous rooms are homes to whole families of people. 10. She was the finest dancer in the country. She ______shone all the others. IX
a- (= not, without), hyper- (= extremely), fore- (= before), neo- (= new)
1. The British Museum was built in the middle of the 19th century in the _____-classical style popular at the time. 2. Who can ____tell what the future holds for us. 3. It’s no use asking him about the political system or the parties. He doesn’t know or care. He is completely _____political. 4. It’s quite normal to complain if you feel something is wrong, but I do feel that you are sometimes _____critical. 5. The authorities are concerned at the activities of a small _____-Nazi movement. 6. You must be very careful what you say about her poems. She is a _____sensitive person. 7. She didn’t know the difference between right and wrong. She had no conscience at all. She was simply _____moral. 8. The police claimed that she had some ____knowledge of the murder attempt and could have prevented it. 9. She was standing in the middle, in the _____ground of the picture. 10. Young children can sometimes be _____active, which means that they can’t keep still.
MISCELLANEOUS I Re-, over-, under-, un, misAdd one of the above prefixes to the verbs in brackets and replace the italicized words making any necessary changes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
I do not like food which has been warmed up a second time. (heat) We have been asked to pay too much for the wine. (charge) This steak is too rare in my opinion. (cook) He took everything out of his suitcase. (pack) I was wrong in my estimate of the cost of our holiday. (calculate) He gave back the money he had borrowed. (pay) I’m sorry I am late, I did not wake up at my usual time. (sleep) I got a false impression of his intentions. (interpret) The army forcibly removed the elected government. (throw)
II re-, over-, un-, dis-, co-, outAdd one of the above prefixes to the verbs in brackets:
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1. She __________ her coat and took it off. (button) 2. They have __________ the electricity supply because we have not paid the bill. (connect) 3. There are too many errors in your homework. It will have to be __________. (write) 4. If they are to avoid war, the superpowers must learn to __________. (exist) 5. He __________ the knot instead of cutting the string. (tie) 6. She could not find the dog anywhere. He had completely __________. (appear) 7. John is such a big boy now, he has _________ all his clothes. (grow) 8. The arguments in favour of trying to reach the camp __________ the risks, so we set off at once. (weigh) 9. The plane tried to land but __________ the runway. (shoot) III
Put over- or under- in each of the spaces in the sentences below: 1. He needs a good holiday. He’s suffering from _____work. 2. She didn’t hear the alarm clock and _____slept. 3. It needs to be cooked a little more. It’s _____done. 4. You’ve _____charged me. The price is $8 not $10. 5. They say they are _____paid and want more money. 6. There aren’t enough people in this country. It’s _____populated. 7. There were too many people in the room. It was _____crowded. 8. Rich nations should give more aid to _____developed countries. 9. He’s fat and lazy. It’s because he _____eats. 10. We _____estimated the cost of the holiday and ran out of money.
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