Negative Prefixes
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Prefix and Suffix Types
We use a prefix at the beginning of the word to change the meaning and a suffix at the end of a word when we often use them to change the type of word. Understanding when to use prefixes and suffixes correctly are an important part of doing the word formation exercise , which is Part 3 in the Use of English exam.
We will look at a number of prefixes here.
Negative Forms
Prefixes generally come in two groups
- Prefixes that are negative
- Prefixes where the meaning makes other changes to the meaning of the word
Negative Prefixes
Our first group are the most common prefixes.
- un-
- in-
- dis-
- de-
The second group of prefixes we use with specific types of words
- il- Some words starting with “l”
il- legal - ir- Some words starting with “r
ir- responsible - im- Some words starting with “m” or “p”
im- mature
im- possible