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Titre (niveau 2)
What is a Prefix?
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A prefix is a letter or a group of letters placed at the beginning of words to create a derivative (a similar word with a different meaning).

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A visible woman and an invisible woman.
Description

Adding the prefix in- to the word visible changes the meaning of the word.

Titre (niveau 2)
Prefix Uses
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prefix-uses
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Titre (niveau 3)
Create Antonyms
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create-antonyms
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Below is a list of prefixes used to create words that mean the opposite of their root form.

Prefixes

Root words 

In context 

dys-

function

Carmen didn’t grow up in a dysfunctional family.

a-

moral

Her parents are not amoral people.

ab-

norm

But Carmen always felt somewhat abnormal.

de-

active

She once deactivated* all her social media and cellphone.

dis-

appear

She disappeared* from the internet for a while.

im-

possible

Reaching out to her became impossible.

in-

visible

But she preferred feeling invisible.

non-

stop

Her sister tried calling nonstop.

mal-

function

She even believed Carmen’s cellphone was malfunctioning*.

anti-

social

Because it wasn’t like Carmen to be antisocial.

mis-

handle

Carmen mishandled* the situation. Her entire family was worried.

ir-

responsible

Acting the way she did was irresponsible.

un-

conditional

But that’s only because they love her unconditionally*.

*Suffixes were added at the end of some of the words to fit the context. 

Titre (niveau 3)
Indicate Size and Quantity
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indicate-size-and-quantity
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Here are examples of prefixes to add to root words to indicate their size or quantity.

Prefixes

Meaning

Root words 

In context 

micro-

miniature

biology

Carmen studied microbiology for a year.

macro-

large

biology

She also studied macrobiology for a while.

mega-

large

hit

Carmen’s sister's first song was a megahit.

giga-

quantity

byte

Carmen’s new computer has a storage of 128 gigabytes.

mini-

miniature

bus

She owns a minibus.

Add the following numerical prefixes to describe units of measurement.

Prefixes

Meaning

Example

milli-

.001m
.001s
.001g

millimetre
millisecond
milligram

centi-

.01m
.01 g

centimetre
centiliter
centigram

deci-

 1dB
.1m
.1dg

decibel
decimetre
decigram

kilo-

1000m
1000g
1000W

kilometre
kilogram
kilowatt

uni-

1

unicycle
universe
unicorn

mono-

1

monotone
monogram
monotony

bi-

2

bicycle
bixexual
bilateral

tri-

3

tricycle
triathlon
triangle

semi-

.5

semiannual
semicolon
semiautomatic

multi-

many

multimillionaire
multitask
multimedia

poly-

many

polyglot
polymath
polygon

Titre (niveau 3)
Indicate Position in Time
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indicate-position-in-time
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Prefixes

Meaning

Root words 

In context 

pre-

before

view

Carmen watched the preview of the movie before going to the movie theatre.

post-

after

graduate

After college, she didn’t pursue a postgraduate degree.

fore-

before

cast

Carmen checks the weather forecast every day.

mid-

middle

night

She usually goes to bed around midnight.

Titre (niveau 3)
Indicate Position in Space
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Prefixes

Meaning

Root words 

In context 

exo-

external

skeleton

In college, Carmen worked on an exoskeleton prototype.

endo-

internal

scope

Next week, Carmen has an endoscopy*.

inter-

between/among

nation

Her sister is an international* pop star.

intra-

within

mural

In college, Carmen participated in a lot of intramural activities.

peri-
 

around

meter

When her goats ran away, the police searched Carmen’s home perimeter.

circum-

around

vent

When Carmen arrived on site, the policemen were circumventing* them.

sub-

below

marine

Carmen once traveled in a submarine.

trans-

across

Atlantic

Next, she wants to go on a transatlantic cruise.

in-
 

inside

door

Carmen does not like to be indoors.

out-

outside

door

She much prefers being outdoors.

*A suffix was added at the end of a word to fit the context. 

Titre (niveau 3)
Add Strength to a Word
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add-strength-to-a-word
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Add the following prefixes to root words to increase their strength.

Prefixes

Meaning

Root words 

In context 

under-

insufficiency

estimate

People often underestimate the joy animals can bring them.

over-

extremely

joy

She is overjoyed* when one of her goats falls asleep in her arms.

hyper-

extremely

active

Carmen was  diagnosed with hyperactivity*.

out-

more

go

She is very outgoing*.

super-

extremely

star

Her sister is the superstar of the family.

extra-

extremely

ordinary

She believes she is living an extraordinary life.

*A suffix was added at the end of a word to fit the context. 

Titre (niveau 3)
Describe Collaboration
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Add the prefix co- to nouns or verbs to describe collaboration.

Image
Woman driving a minibus with her goat sitting on the passenger seat.
Description

Adding the prefix co- to the noun pilot indicates that there is a second pilot on the minibus.

Image
Two sisters building a barn.
Description

Adding the prefix co- to the verb operate indicates that Carmen and her sister worked together to accomplish a task.

Titre (niveau 3)
Create Reflexive Pronouns
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create-reflexive-pronouns
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Prefixes

Root words

Reflexive pronouns

my
your
him
her
it

self

myself
yourself
himself
herself
itself

them
our
your

selves

themselves
ourselves
yourselves

Titre (niveau 3)
Other Common Prefixes
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other-common-prefixes
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Prefixes

Root words 

In context 

pro-

active

Carmen is a proactive person.

em-

bitter

She doesn’t let situations or people embitter her.

per-

mission

When Carmen was younger, she used to ask permission for everything.

homo-

phone

She would also confuse the homophones “two” and “too.”

hetero-

gene

Carmen likes travelling with heterogeneous groups.

auto-

mobile

She sold her automobile five years ago.

re-

turn

Her sister should return from touring in a couple of weeks.

ex-

tend

But her manager apparently wants to extend it for another six months.

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Prefixes—Exercise
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prefixes-exercise
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Titre (niveau 2)
See Also
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see-also
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