Definition
 A
prefix is something which goes in front of a word.
It
usually a group of letters such as pre- or sub- or anti-,
The
prefix usually changes the meaning of the word - or it makes a
new word.
- satisfied dissatisfied
- spelling misspelling
- necessary unnecessary
USE
A
prefix never changes the root word to which it is attached.
You
can work out the meanings of long words if you can spot prefixes
and suffixes.
Some
prefixes such as mega- and hyper- are often used
in casual speech:
- "My pal's got this mega collection of CDs!"
- "My
mum's been hyper all morning"
It's
OK to use them in speech - but don't use them in formal writing.
Here
are some more common prefixes - plus what they mean.
anti- means against -
as in anti-clockwise, or going in the opposite direction
to the fingers of a clock.
auto- means self -
as in automatic, when a machine controls itself.
bi- means two -
as in bilingual, or speaking two languages.
tri- means three -
as in tricycle, which is a bike with three wheels.
bio- means life -
as in biography, which is a written account os somebody's
life.
ex- means out
of - as in expire, or to breathe out.
in- means not -
as in infidel, or somebody who does not believe in a religion.
dis means not -
as in disagree, or not agreeing with somebody.
inter- means between or among,
- as in Inter-City, or a train which travels between two
cities.
mono- means one or single -
as in monorail, a train which operates on a single rail.
poly- means many -
as in polysyllable, or a word with lots of syllables.
pre- means before -
as in prefix, something which goes before a word.
ante- means before -
as in ante-room, a small room leading to one which is more
important.
mega- means large or big
in number - as in megabyte, or a million bytes, or
a thousand kilobytes.
hyper- means beyond or excessive -
as in hypercritical, or very critical, especially of small
faults. |
