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Understanding New Words: Prefixes

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Understanding New Words: Prefixes

We can break down words into different parts to help us figure out new meanings of words. One way to understand the meaning of a word is to look at the prefixes.

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Prefix

  • A prefix is a word or group of letters at the start of the word which changes the meaning.
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Examples

  • In unhappy, 'un' is a prefix meaning 'not'.
    • So unhappy means 'not happy'.
  • In preschool, 'pre' is a prefix meaning 'before'.
    • So preschool means 'before school'.
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More examples

  • In automobile, 'auto' is a prefix meaning 'self, own'.
    • So automobile means 'a vehicle that moves by itself'.
  • In bicycle, 'bi' is a prefix meaning 'two'.
    • So bicycle means a cycle with 'two wheels'.

Jump to other topics

1Reading

1.1Reading

1.2Prefixes

1.3Suffixes

1.4Spelling Rules

1.5Reading Comprehension

1.6Reading Comprehension: SAT Practise

1.7Word Meaning

1.8Fact vs. Opinion

1.9Justifying Views

1.10Figurative Language

1.11Text Structure

2Writing

2.1Sounds in Words

2.2Homophones

2.3Using a Dictionary

2.4Writing Composition

2.5The Subjunctive Mood

2.6Modal Verbs

2.7Active & Passive Voice

2.8Relative Clauses

2.9Expanded Nouns

2.10Punctuation

2.11SAT Spelling Practise

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