4-1-1 Prefixes Explained

Key Concepts

Understanding 4-1-1 Prefixes involves grasping three key concepts:

1. Definition of Prefixes
2. Common Prefixes
3. How Prefixes Change Words

Definition of Prefixes

A prefix is a group of letters placed before the root of a word to modify its meaning. Prefixes can change the meaning of a word, often indicating a negative, opposite, or additional meaning.

Common Prefixes

Here are some common prefixes and their meanings:

• un-: means not or opposite. Example: "happy" becomes "unhappy."
• re-: means again or back. Example: "write" becomes "rewrite."
• dis-: means not or opposite. Example: "agree" becomes "disagree."
• pre-: means before. Example: "view" becomes "preview."
• mis-: means wrong or bad. Example: "understand" becomes "misunderstand."

How Prefixes Change Words

Prefixes can change the meaning of a word in several ways:

• Opposite Meaning: Adding a prefix like "un-" can make a word mean the opposite. Example: "kind" becomes "unkind."
• Additional Meaning: Adding a prefix like "re-" can indicate an action is done again. Example: "build" becomes "rebuild."
• Negative Meaning: Adding a prefix like "dis-" can make a word mean the opposite or indicate a negative action. Example: "like" becomes "dislike."

Examples and Analogies

Think of prefixes as tools that help you build new words by adding extra parts to the original word. Just as you can add different parts to a toy to make it function differently, you can add prefixes to words to change their meaning.

Example: In the word "unbelievable," the prefix "un-" changes the meaning of "believable" to mean "not believable."

Practical Application

To practice using prefixes, take a word and add different prefixes to see how the meaning changes. For example, start with the word "do" and add prefixes like "re-" to make "redo," "un-" to make "undo," and "mis-" to make "misdo." This will help you understand how prefixes can alter the meaning of words.