The formation of words can occur with the help of prefixes, which, although they change the meaning of words, do not change their belonging to one or another part of speech. Many prefixes have their own meaning and, as a result, are percussive. There are no prefixes specific to any part of speech in English.
anti-fascist - anti-fascist
anti-aircraft - anti-aircraft
to counter act - to counteract
dis obedient - naughty
dis order - mess
dis honest - dishonest
dis appear - disappear
ex-champion - ex-champion
to en large - increase, make large
to en circle - surround, make a circle
fore head - forehead
inter national - international
il legal - illegal
il literate - illiterate
im mortal - immortal
im balance - instability
im parity - inequality
in consistent - incompatible
in definite - indefinite; unclear; indifferent
in dependence - independence
ir responsible - irresponsible
ir relevant - unsuitable; irrelevant
ir regular - incorrect; irregular
to mis understand - misunderstand
non-alcoholic - non-alcoholic
non-essential - not essential
to over pay - overpay
over-active - overactive
to over-estimate - overestimate
post-war - post-war
pre historic - prehistoric
sub-tropical - subtropical
sub marine - underwater
sub way - subway, metro
super natural - supernatural
to super charge - overload
trans atlantic - transatlantic
trans national - international
to re write - rewrite
to re do - remake
to un do - undo what has been done; destroy
un able - unable uncomfortable - uncomfortable
ultra-modern - ultra-modern
ultra violet - ultraviolet
to under estimate - underestimate
under ground - undergroundviolet - ultraviolet
Prefixes, or prefixes, called morphemes added to the beginning of a word to get a new word with a different meaning. A prefix can, for example, give a word a negative or opposite meaning to the original word that does not have a prefix. In addition to a negative meaning, some prefixes convey temporal characteristics (for example, "before", "after"), data about the place or manner of action associated with the word in question (for example, "again"). Here are some examples:
|
base word |
word with prefix |
prefix value type |
sample sentences |
translation of sentences |
|
possible /possible |
im possible / impossible |
negation |
It was impossible to do that task on time. |
It was impossible to complete that task on time. |
|
happy/ happy |
un happy/ unhappy |
negation, opposite |
You are looking quite unhappy. What's happened? |
You look pretty unhappy. What's happened? |
|
payment / payment |
non —payment / non-payment |
negation |
Non-payment of your fees can result in the termination of the contract. |
Failure to pay your bills may result in termination of the contract. |
|
war / war, military |
pre —war / pre-war |
time, precedence |
Everywhere in the room there was old pre-war furniture. |
Everywhere in the room was old pre-war furniture. |
|
terrestrial / terrestrial |
extra terrestrial/ extraterrestrial |
place, being outside of something |
Do you believe in the existence of any extraterrestrial civilizations? |
Do you believe in the existence of any extraterrestrial civilizations? |
|
cook / cook, cook |
over cook / digest |
modus operandi; redundancy that is detrimental |
The vegetables were overcooked and tasted awfully. |
The vegetables were overcooked and tasted terrible. |
Especially often you have to deal with negative prefixes (Negative Prefixes). At the same time, it is important to take into account that not every prefix fits any root - there are strictly fixed words formed from the original ones with the help of a specific negative prefix. Some of the prefixes are more typical for use with adjectives and adverbs, and some - with verbs. Let's take a look at some of these prefixes.
Negative prefix adjectives
|
console |
features of use |
word examples |
sentence example |
sentence translation |
|
un— |
the most common |
un friendly (unfriendly), un able (incapable), un usual (unusual), un necessary (unnecessary), un employed (unemployed) |
The waiters in this restaurant are very unfriendly. |
The waiters in this restaurant are very unfriendly. |
|
in- |
often gives a negative meaning to words with Latin roots |
in visible (invisible), in convenient (uncomfortable), in formal (informal, informal), in adequate (inappropriate) |
The car park is inadequate for a big supermarket like this. |
Parking not suitable for such a big supermarket. |
|
im- |
version of the prefix in- used before roots on m And p |
im possible (impossible), im mature (immature, minor), im mortal (immortal), im polite (impolite), im patient (impatient) |
Jack is very impatient. He never can wait. |
Jack is very impatient. He can never wait. |
|
il- |
a variant of the same prefix in-, used before roots on l |
il legal (illegal), il legible (illegible, unreadable), il literate (illiterate) |
Some employers prefer to deal with illegal workers because their labor is cheap. |
Some employers prefer to deal with illegal workers because their labor is cheap. |
|
ir- |
version of the in- prefix applied before roots on r |
ir responsible (irresponsible), ir reversible (irreversible), ir replaceable (irreplaceable) |
I can't rely on my roommate because she is very irresponsible. |
I cannot rely on my roommate because she is very irresponsible. |
However, the prefix in-(and its variants) do not always have a negative meaning. Sometimes they give the word a semantic connotation "inside" / "inside", for example: in sert(insert; insertable), in come (income; income), im port (import; import), etc.
Negative prefixes of English verbs
Prefixes un- And dis- are the most common prefixes that give the English verb the meaning of the opposite action. Often they do not simply negate the action denoted by the base verb, but give it the opposite meaning. At the same time, there are no rules governing the choice of prefix un- or dis-, so it is advisable to immediately memorize the verb
along with its antonym. A few examples:
|
to unbend (bend), to undo (cancel), to undress (undress), to unlock (open the lock, unlock), to unwrap (expand), to unzip (unzip) |
I locked the door when I left, but I couldn't unlock it when I got back. |
I locked the door when I left, but I couldn't open it when I got back. |
|
|
to disagree (disagree), to disapprove (disapprove), to dislike (dislike), to disappear (disappear), to disconnect (disconnect) |
The plane appeared in the sky, and then suddenly it disappeared behind the cloud. |
The plane appeared in the sky, and then suddenly it disappeared behind a cloud. |
Other prefixes of English verbs with a specific meaning
|
console |
meaning |
word examples |
sentence example |
sentence translation |
|
re- |
action repeat |
to reopen (reopen), to redo (redo), to retake an exam (retake the exam), to retype (retype), to reread (reread), to replace (move), to rewind (rewind) |
Sue failed her exam but she can retake it next year. The shop closed down but it'll reopen next month. |
Sue did not pass her exam, but she may retake it next year. The store has closed but will reopen next month. |
|
over- |
excess action |
to overdo (remake, recycle), to overeat (overeat), to oversleep (oversleep, oversleep for too long), to overcharge (calculate, short change in the store) |
The shop assistant overcharged me. My boss is overdoing at the moment. |
The store clerk cheated on me. My boss is currently reworking. |
|
mis- |
wrong or poorly performed action |
to misunderstand (misunderstood), to misread (make a mistake when reading, read incorrectly), to misinform (misinform), to mistranslate (mistranslate) |
I'm afraid you misunderstood what I said. We were misinformed. |
I'm afraid you misunderstood what I said. We have been misinformed. |
|
under- |
insufficient action |
to underwork (underwork), to underuse (underuse), to undercook (undercook) |
This meat is too hard. I think it's undercooked. You always throw away underused pens. |
This meat is too tough. I think it's undercooked. You always throw away pens underused. |
The most common English prefixes and their meanings
Below are other common prefixes that can apply not only to adjectives and verbs, but also to nouns and adverbs. Note that some prefixes are separated from the root by a hyphen. Such cases are not subject to any rules and are subject to memorization or additional verification of spelling in a dictionary.
|
console |
meaning |
word examples |
|
anti- |
against something |
anti-government(anti-government), anti-racist(anti-racist), anti-war(antiwar),antisocial (asocial) , antibiotic (antibiotic; antimicrobial) |
|
auto- |
self-made / self-made |
autobiography(autobiography), autograph(autograph), autopilot(autopilot), car(automobile) |
|
co- |
jointly |
coworkers (Colleagues), cooperation(collaboration, cooperation), cooperate(cooperate), coexist(coexist) |
|
de- |
reverse action or change of action |
declassify(declassify), decontaminate(decontaminate), demotivate(demotivate) |
|
down- |
reduction / reduction of something |
downgrade(downgrade), downhearted(sad), downstairs(down the stairs; downstairs) |
|
en- / in — |
in, inside (often used to form verbs from adjectives and nouns) |
engage (attract, connect), include(include), encourage (encourage, encourage), enforce(apply) |
|
extra- |
additionally, apart from, outside |
extraordinary(unusual, extraordinary), extraterrestrial(extraterrestrial) |
|
ex- |
ex-wife(ex-wife), ex-smoker(former smoker) |
|
|
ex- |
outside of anything |
extract(excerpt), exhale(exhalation), excommunicate(excommunicate) |
|
hyper- |
too much, too much |
hyperactive(hyperactive), hypertension(hypertension, high blood pressure) |
|
inter- |
interactive(interactive), international(international) |
|
|
mega- |
very big / important |
megabyte(megabyte), mega-deal(mega deal), megaton(megaton) |
|
mid- |
midday(noon), midnight(midnight), mid-September(mid September) |
|
|
out- |
go beyond something |
outdo(surpass), out-perform(overtake), outrun(get ahead) |
|
post- |
post-election(after election), post war(postwar) |
|
|
pro- |
behind; taking sides |
pro-communist(pro-communist), pro-democracy(pro-democratic) |
|
semi- |
semi-; half |
semicircle(semicircle), semi-final(semi-final) |
|
sub- |
below any level under |
submarine(Submarine), subway(metro, underground) |
|
super- |
superior to all; best |
super hero(superhero), supermodel(supermodel) |
|
tele- |
on distance |
television(TV), telepathic(telepathic) |
|
trans- |
transatlantic(transatlantic), transfer(transfer) |
|
|
up- |
make an upward movement; progress |
upgrade(modernization), uphill(hill climb) |
|
ultra- |
extremely |
ultra-compact(very compact)ultrasound(ultrasound) |
Knowledge of English prefixes can help you understand the meaning of unfamiliar words in which you will meet familiar morphemes.
Word formation- this is the formation of new words with the help of prefixes, suffixes, addition of bases and other methods. If you know how word formation works in English, understand the meaning of the main prefixes and suffixes, it will be much easier for you to replenish your vocabulary, read, understand English speech, because you will guess the meaning of a huge number of words without a dictionary.
By the way, if you are curious about your vocabulary, I recommend reading this article: From it you will learn simple and interesting ways to determine vocabulary.
There are several ways of word formation, the most important practical value is the formation of words with the help of suffixes and prefixes. We will dwell on it in more detail, we will consider other methods in an overview.
Why do you need to know vocabulary?
The main benefit is that knowing the meanings of prefixes and suffixes greatly increases the number of words you learn when reading and listening (especially when reading). In other words, the passive vocabulary increases.
Take, for example, the verb to use- use. With the help of suffixes, it is formed from:
- Adjective useful- useful.
- Adjective useless- useless.
- Noun usage- usage.
Understanding the meaning of suffixes -ful, -less, -age, you can easily understand all three formed from to use words, even if they didn't know their meaning.
- -ful and -less indicate the presence or absence of quality: from the word care (care,) careful- careful careless- carefree.
- -age forms nouns from verbs: leak(leak) - leakage(a leak), pass(to pass) - passage(pass).
The effect will be especially noticeable when reading, because suffixes and prefixes are easily noticeable in the text, and in oral speech they can simply not be disassembled. In general, understanding of oral speech differs from understanding of the text in that it is not enough to know words and grammar for listening comprehension - you need to have a developed, trained skill of understanding speech by ear. It is developed separately with the help of listening, i.e. listening to live speech,.
And why a passive vocabulary, why not an active one? Prefixes and suffixes are good semantic clues, but English vocabulary is arranged in such a way (like Russian) that not every word can be attached to any affix.
A good example is attachments. in- And un-, having the meaning of negation: able- capable unable- incapable stable- stable, installable- unstable. The prefixes completely coincide in meaning, but when which one needs to be “attached” - this must be remembered. When reading, you can easily understand the meaning of words with in\un-, but in speech you can make a mistake.
However, it's not that scary. I'm sure you'll be understood if you say inable And unstable, confusing prefixes. Speaking in Russian, we do not make such mistakes!
How to study word formation in English
Prefixes and suffixes (collectively called “affixes”) are not the case when you need to sit down at textbooks, cramming the rules, doing exercises one after another. It is enough just to get acquainted with the meaning of the main prefixes and suffixes, see examples.
The tables and mind maps (picture notes) below will help you with this. The tables reveal the meaning of prefixes and suffixes (as far as possible), examples of words, and mind maps are a kind of abstract, a cheat sheet made on the basis of tables.
After reviewing the materials, you will notice that many affixes are similar to Russian and even have a similar meaning. No wonder, because they came to English, Russian and other languages from Latin and Greek, especially for affixes with a scientific connotation: de activate – de activate, anti virus – anti virus, counter balance – against oats, ideal ism - ideal ism. Thanks to these preserved links between languages, word formation in English is given without any problems.
There are different approaches to the classification of word-formation methods; in Russian-language literature, two main methods are usually distinguished: vocabulary and vocabulary.
Word production, in turn, is of four types: conversion, change of place of stress, alternation of sounds and affixation (prefixes and suffixes).
Composition
Composition is the combination of two words or stems into one word. The resulting words are written together or with a hyphen. In Russian, there is also such a way and, by the way, the word “composition” itself is formed by word composition.
By compounding, verbs are formed, (most often),.
Derivation
Derivation is the formation of one word from others. It can happen in four ways:
- Conversion.
- Changing the place of emphasis.
- Sound alternation.
- Affixation.
Conversion
Conversion- this is the transition of a word from one part of speech to another without changing the spelling and sound. It turns out that the word formally remains unchanged, but:
- it turns into another part of speech,
- its meaning changes.
Conversion is a method of word formation characteristic of the English language, thanks to which there are many words in English that do not differ in appearance and sound, but have the meanings of different parts of speech.
For example, nouns and verbs can match:
| Noun | Verb |
|---|---|
| answer (answer) | to answer (answer) |
| hand (hand) | to hand (hand over) |
| place (place) | to place (place) |
| work (work) | to work (work) |
Or adjectives and verbs:
Changing the accent
In this case, the nouns are the same in form as the verbs, but they have a different stress. Usually, the stress falls on the second syllable for the verb, and the first for the noun.
Sound alternation
In this case, verbs and nouns formed from the same root differ in the alternation of the last consonant sound. Usually in a verb it is voiced, and in a noun it is deaf.
For example:
Affixation
Very often words are formed by joining prefixes and suffixes(together they are called affixes).
- Prefixes(prefixes) change the meaning of words, but the word itself does not change into another part of speech. Knowing the most common prefixes, you can guess the meaning of the words formed with their help, if, of course, you know the original word.
- Suffixes serve to form one part of speech from another. Knowing which suffixes are typical for which speech, you will easily understand what part of speech is in front of you, and accordingly, this will make it easier to understand the word.
Prefixes in English
Attachments can be divided into two groups: negative and all.
The most common negative prefixes are: un-, in-, dis-. There are no rules governing which of these prefixes is used to give a negative meaning to a word.
However, if we talk about passive vocabulary, understanding text or speech, then this is not so important: if a word has one of the negative prefixes, then its meaning has been changed to negative or opposite. The tables below show examples of words with these prefixes.
prefix un-
| comfortable - comfortable | uncomfortable - uncomfortable |
| equal - equal | unequal - unequal |
| expected - expected | unexpected - unexpected |
| happy - happy | unhappy - unhappy |
| important - important | unimportant - unimportant |
| known - known | unknown - unknown |
| limited - limited | unlimited - unlimited |
| pleasant - pleasant | unpleasant - unpleasant |
Also un- is attached to verbs to express the opposite action.
| to dress - to dress | to undress - undress |
| to lock - lock | to unlock - unlock |
| to pack - pack | to unpack - unpack |
prefix in-
No rules governing when to use un-, and when in-, although these prefixes do not differ in meaning. An important difference is that in- NOT used in verbs.
Examples:
prefix in- modified in some cases:
- before l becomes il-
- before r becomes ir-
- before m and p becomes im-
prefix dis-
Dis- can express negation or opposite action.
Negation:
Opposite action:
Other negative prefixes
Among other negative prefixes, there are many international, Latin and Greek origins that are also found in Russian.
- a\ab- (without-, not-, a-): abnormal - abnormal, amoral - immoral.
- anti-(anti-, anti-): antivirus - antivirus, antibiotic - antibiotic.
- counter-(counter-, counter-): counterstrike - counterstrike, counter-clockwise - counterclockwise.
- de-(deprive, delete): decode - decode, deformation - disbandment.
- non-(negation, absence): non-stop - non-stop, non-alcoholic - non-alcoholic.
Prefixes with different meanings
| Prefix re- (again, again, again) | |
|---|---|
| to appear - appear | to reappear - reappear |
| to construct - build | to reconstruct - rebuild |
| to read - read | to reread - reread |
| to sell - sell | to resell - resell |
| The prefix mis- (wrong, wrong) | |
| to hear - hear | to mishear - misheard, hear wrong |
| to lead - lead | to mislead - mislead |
| to quote - quote | to misquote - incorrectly quote |
| to understand - understand | to misunderstand - misunderstand |
| Prefixes over- (over, excessively) and under- (under-, not enough) | |
| to estimate - evaluate |
to overestimate - overestimate To underestimate - underestimate |
| to pay - pay |
to overpay - overpay to underpay - underpay |
| The prefixes pre- (before, earlier) and post- (post-, after), are often written with a hyphen | |
| revolutionary - revolutionary |
pre-revolutionary - pre-revolutionary post-revolutionary - post-revolutionary |
| war - war |
pre-war - pre-war post-war - post-war |
| The prefix co- (collaboration, community of action), often written with a hyphen | |
| author - author | co-author - co-author |
| existence - existence | co-existence - coexistence |
| operation - operation | co-operation - cooperation, assistance |
| Prefix inter- (between, among, mutually) | |
| national - national | international - international |
| action - action | interaction |
| town - city | intertown - intercity |
| The prefix ex- (ex-, former), is written with a hyphen | |
| husband - husband | ex-husband - ex-husband |
| president - president | ex-president - ex-president |
| Prefix sub- (sub-, sub-) | |
| marine - marine | submarine - underwater |
| section - section | subsection - subsection |
| The prefix ultra- (ultra-, super-), written with a hyphen | |
| microscopic - microscopic | ultramicroscopic - ultramicroscopic |
| violet - purple | ultra-violet - ultraviolet |
| Prefix en- (to do something) | |
| circle - circle | encircle - surround (make a circle) |
| large - large | enlarge - increase (make more) |
| slave - slave | enslave - to enslave (to make a slave) |
Notes:
- In modern English there are words with inseparable prefixes, they include the prefixes listed in the table above, but by separating them, we will not get an independent word. For example: reduce(reduce) discuss(discuss), pre pare(prepare). In fact, these prefixes are no longer prefixes at all. Once upon a time, they have grown to the roots of words, now uncommon and modified, and gradually they themselves became part of the root of the word. For example, in the word prepare(prepare) pre- this is no longer a prefix, but part of the root of the word.
- In colloquial speech, the word “ex”- it exactly corresponds to our “ex, ex” and has the meaning “ex-husband / boyfriend, ex-wife / girlfriend”: My ex texted me - My ex texted me.
Suffixes in English
Suffixes are indicators of parts of speech in English, respectively, they can be divided into three groups: suffixes of nouns, adjectives and verbs. There is not much to say about adverbs, in most cases they are formed with only one suffix -ly(quick - quickly), there is a small note about them.
Noun suffixes
With the help of suffixes, nouns are formed, denoting persons, and abstract nouns, denoting broad or generalized concepts.
Nouns denoting persons
| Suffixes -er, -or - are attached to verbs to indicate the character | |
|---|---|
| to buy - buy | buyer - buyer |
| to direct - lead | director - leader |
| to teach - to teach | teacher - teacher |
| to work - work | worker - worker |
| The suffixes -ism and -ist correspond to the suffixes -izm and -ist in Russian, denote ideologies, political or scientific directions and their adherents | |
| idealist | idealist |
| terrorist | terrorist |
| materialism | materialism |
| The suffix -ee is used to designate the person to whom the action is directed. | |
| to address - address | addressee - addressee |
| to employ - hire | employee - employee (hired employee) |
| to pay - pay | payee - payee |
| The suffix -ian is used to indicate nationality | |
| Russian | Russian |
| Ukrainian | Ukrainian |
| Bulgarian | Bulgarian |
| Norwegian | Norwegian |
abstract nouns
| The suffix -age usually forms nouns from verbs | |
|---|---|
| to leak - to leak | leakage |
| to marry - marry, get married | marriage - marriage |
| Suffixes -ance, -ence - with their help, nouns are formed from adjectives with suffixes -ant, -ent | |
| important - important | importance - importance |
| different - different | difference - difference |
| resistant - resistant | resistance - resistance |
| The suffix -dom forms nouns from adjectives and other nouns | |
| free - free | freedom - freedom |
| king - king | kingdom - kingdom |
| The suffix -hood usually forms nouns from other nouns | |
| brother - brother | brotherhood - brotherhood |
| child - child | childhood - childhood |
| neighbor - neighbor | neighborhood - neighborhood |
| The suffixes -ion, -ation, -sion, -ssion form nouns from verbs, while sometimes the pronunciation or spelling changes | |
| to collect - collect | collection - collection |
| to combine - combine | combination - combination |
| to transmit - transmit | transmission - transmission |
| The suffix -ment forms nouns from verbs | |
| to agree - agree | agreement |
| to develop - develop | development - development |
| The suffix -ness forms nouns from adjectives | |
| dark - dark | darkness - darkness |
| kind - kind | kindness - kindness |
| weak - weak | weakness - weakness |
| The suffix -ship forms nouns from other nouns | |
| friend - friend | friendship - friendship |
| leader - leader | leadership - leadership |
| The suffix -ure forms nouns from verbs | |
| to please - give pleasure | pleasure - pleasure |
| to press - press | pressure - pressure |
| to seize - capture | seizure - capture |
Adjective suffixes
| The suffixes -able, -ible express the ability to be exposed, in Russian there is a similar “-able”, “-ive”, “-obny” | |
|---|---|
| to change - change | changeable - changeable, changeable |
| to eat - eat | eatable - edible |
| to walk - to go | walkable - passable |
| to convert - convert, convert | convertable - reversible, convertible |
| The suffix -al forms adjectives from nouns (cf. in Russian: -al) | |
| center - center | central - central |
| culture - culture | cultural - cultural |
| form - form | formal - formal |
| Suffixes -ant, -ent form adjectives from verbs (nouns with -ance, -ence correspond to these adjectives) | |
| to differ - differ | different - different (difference - difference) |
| to resist - resist | resistant - resistant (resistance - resistance) |
| The suffixes -ful form adjectives from nouns and signify the presence of a quality. (opposite of -less) | |
| beauty - beauty | beautiful - beautiful |
| doubt - doubt | doubtful - doubtful |
| use - benefit | useful - useful |
| The suffix -ish forms adjectives with the following meanings: a) nationality, b) a weak degree of quality (as in Russian -ovat, -evat) | |
| scott - scottish | scottish - scottish |
| swede - swede | swedish - Swedish |
| red - red | reddish - reddish |
| brown - brown | brownish - brownish |
| The suffix -ive forms adjectives from verbs and nouns (as in Russian -ivny, -ivnaya) | |
| to act - act | active - active |
| effect - effect, action | effective - valid |
| to talk - talk | talkative - talkative |
| The suffix -less forms adjectives from a noun and means lack of quality (the opposite of -ful) | |
| hope - hope | hopeless - hopeless |
| use - benefit | useless - useless |
| home - house | homeless - homeless |
| The suffix -ous forms adjectives from nouns | |
| courage - courage | courageous - courageous |
| danger - danger | dangerous - dangerous |
| glory - glory | glorious - glorious |
| The suffix -y forms adjectives from nouns (mostly related to the weather) | |
| cloud - cloud | cloudy - cloudy |
| dirt - dirt | dirty - dirty |
| fog - fog | foggy - foggy |
| rain - rain | rainy - rainy |
| sun - the sun | sunny - sunny |
Verb suffixes
| The suffix -en gives meanings: do, become, become, forms verbs from adjectives and nouns | |
|---|---|
| sharp - sharp | sharpen - to sharpen |
| short - short | shorten - to shorten |
| strength - strength | strengthen - strengthen |
| wide - wide | widen - expand |
| The suffix -fy usually forms verbs from adjectives, less often from nouns | |
| false - fake | to falsify - falsify |
| glory - glory | to glorify - glorify |
| simple - simple | to simplify - simplify |
| pure - pure | to purify - clean |
| The suffix -ize usually forms verbs from nouns | |
| character - character | to characterize - to characterize |
| crystal - crystal | to crystallize - crystallize |
| sympathy - sympathy | to sympathize - sympathize |
Notes:
- A few words need to be said about adverbs. Everything is extremely simple here: in the vast majority of cases, derivative adverbs are formed from adjectives (sometimes from numerals and nouns) using the suffix -ly: wise(wise) - wisely(wisely) slow(slow) - slowly(slowly), etc. Suffixes are much less common -wise(clockwise - clockwise), -ward(s)(forward\backward - forward\back), -ways(sideways - sideways).
- As in the case of prefixes, in English there are words with inseparable suffixes, but in fact these are not suffixes, but part of the root, once formed from the suffix (in the process of historical changes in the language). These words are indivisible and are not recognized as words with suffixes, for example: courage(courage), station(station), document(document), loyal(devotee) possible(possible) and others.
- As in Russian, English words can be formed not only by prefixes and suffixes, but also by a combined (attachment-suffix) method. For example: walk(walk) - walkable(passable) - unwalkable(impassable). In this case, the value of both the suffix and the prefix is added to the original word.
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Download a set of practical exercises for the course (.doc format)
1.
en- prefix
usually expresses:
a) coverage, inclusion inside something, for example: case (box) - to encase put in a box; cage (cell) - to encage to put in a cage;
b) bring to the state indicated by the basis, for example: large (large) - to enlarge; to enliven - to enliven, make more interesting.
2. re- prefix usually expresses the repetition of an action, and sometimes it corresponds to the Russian prefix re-. In English verbs with a prefix re- there are usually two accents: on the prefix and on the stem, for example: to read (read) - to re (-) read re-read; to make (do) - to remake redo.
However, it must be remembered that the Russian prefix re- does not always match the English prefix re-, because it often conveys an overshoot value, for example, oversalt. Therefore, when translating words with the prefix re- use words again, again, again etc. For example: to estimate - to re(-)estimate estimate again(and not: overestimate).
3. Prefix be- means: to make it as the basis indicates, or to give a sign or quality expressed by the basis, for example: little (small) - to belittle to belittle, belittle.
Negative prefixes in- (im-, il-, ir-), un-, non-; prefixes post-, super-
1. Prefix in- (im-, il-, ir-) correct (correct) - incorrect incorrect, adequate (adequate) - inadequate inadequate.
Note!
Before some consonants (p, m) prefix in- can take the form im-, For example: possible (possible) - impossible impossible, memorial (memorial, memorable) - immemorial immemorial, ancient.
l, prefix in- takes shape il-, For example: liberal (liberal) - illiberal intolerant, limited, limitable (which can be limited) - illimitable unlimited.
Joining words that start with a letter r, prefix in- takes shape ir-, For example: regular (regular) - irregular irregular.
2. prefix un- forms words with a meaning opposite to that of the stem, for example: usual (normal) - unusual unusual, happy (happy) - unhappy unhappy, to load (load) - to unload unload.
3. Prefix non- means negation or absence, for example: conductor (conductor) - nononductor non-conductor, essential (essential) - nonessential insignificant.
4. prefix post- forms words (adjectives and nouns) with the meaning "occurring after something", for example: post-war - post-war, post-graduate graduate student.
5. prefix super- forms words (adjectives and nouns) with the meaning "exceeding the norm, standard", for example: hard (hard) - superhard superhard, bomb (bomb) - superbomb hydrogen bomb (super bomb).
6. It should be remembered that a number of words formed by adding several suffixes and prefixes to the stem may not be found in some dictionaries, so in these cases you yourself will have to select their adequate equivalent, based on knowledge of the meanings of affixes (suffixes and prefixes).
Take, for example, the word unpredictability. To translate this word, we decompose it into its component parts: un-pre-dict-abil-ity. Further, having learned from the dictionary the translation of the root stem pre-dict- predict (pre- means precedence) and by adding the value of the prefix and suffixes in sequence, you can translate the whole word: predict + abil(modified able - adjective suffix) - predictable, predictability + ity(noun suffix) - predictability, un(prefix conveying negation) + predictability gives the floor unpredictability- unpredictability.
Negative prefixes of English verbs.
Un-Very rarely used with verbs. Has the meaning "delete"
Unscheduled - remove from schedule
Unfriend - remove from friends
De-
Negative prefix, which often remains in Russian (de-) or translated as "once-".
Deactivate - deactivate,
Decode - decode,
Decommission - write off,
decompose- disassemble
Deconstruct- take apart
Decontaminate- disinfect,
Decrease - decrease
Dis-
Negative prefix, often translated as "Not" or "des".
Disagree - disagree
Disfigure - to disfigure,
Disinfect - to disinfect,
Disinherit - disinherit
Disintegrate - disintegrate,
displease - dislike
distrust - do not trust.
mis-
Has the meaning "wrong".
Misdiagnose - misdiagnose
Misinform - misinform
Misinterpret - misinterpret
Mislead - mislead
Misplace - put in the wrong place
misspell - make spelling mistakes
Mistake - make mistakes
Under-
Has the meaning "under".
underground- subway
underwear- underwear
RE-
Has the meaning "to redo, redo"
Rewrite- rewrite
Replay- replay
Refill- refill
Over -
Points to an excessive degree of something.
Overcook- digest
Overcrowd- overflow
Oversleep- oversleep
Un-/im-/ir-/il-/dis-/in-
negative prefixes.
Illegal- illegal
Dislike- not to love
Unusual- unusual
Irregular- wrong
Impossible- impossible
Since the use of prefixes in English is difficult to interpret by the rules, I advise you to learn the main words by heart. And to test yourself, do a few exercises below. Good luck!
Exercise 1. Form new words using prefixes and translate into Russian.
Prefix in-: complete -, edible -, correct -, capable -, accurate -, visible -, flexible -.
Prefix im-: possible -, perfect -, probable -, pure -, precise -, practical -, mobile -.
Prefix ir-: relevant -, regular -, respective -, responsible -.
Prefix il-: legal -, liberal -, literate -.
Prefix un-: stable -, fair -, familiar -, to freeze -, to fix -, fit -, foreseen -, to hang -, heard
Exercise 2. Form negative nouns with prefixes un-, in-, dis-, mis-, de-
Honesty-
Certainty-
security-
dependency-
Importance-
Employment-
connection-
activation-
Belief-
Ability-
Exercise 3. Add negative prefixes to the following adjectives.
an __friendly look
an __interesting book
an __natural color
an __important task
an __possible answer
an __personal letter
an __definite article
an __correct answer
direct speech
an __regular verb
an __responsible person
Exercise 4. Form negative adjectives using prefixes un - or in - :
Happy, lucky, attentive, capable, comfortable, known, dependent, clean, necessary, pleasant, expensive, human, popular, expressive, definite, real, countable, direct, convenient, accurate
Exercise 5 . Replace phrases one word
Example: not countable - uncountable
Not necessary -
not safe-
Not tidy-
not breakable-
Not regular-
not real-
Not expensive-
not happy-
not possible-
Not usual-
Not comfortable
not direct-
Not interesting-
not patient-
Not convenient-
Not popular-
Exercise 6. Choose the correct prefix to make negative forms of the adjectives.
1) He was short and overweight and generally fairly __attractive.
2) He's a good teacher, but tends to be a bit __patient with slow learners.
a) un-; b) in-; c) im-; d) dis-.
3) It is an __logical statement, because if one part is true, then the other must be false.
a) dis-; b) il-; c) in-; d) un-.
4) It is __ polite to point at people.
a) dis-; b) im-; c) in-; d) un-.
5) My friend is very __responsible, he never does anything in time.
6) He's very __patient. He can't work as a teacher.
a) dis-; b) im-; c) in-; d) un-.
7) He's an __forgiving person. He never forgives people.
a) dis-; b) ir-; c) in-; d) un-.
Answers :
exercise 2 .
Dishonesty,Uncertainty,Insecurity,Independence,Unimportance,UnemploymentDisconnection,Deactivatio,
Disbelief
Exercise 3.
an unfriendly look, an uninteresting book, an unnatural colour, an unimportant task, an impossible answer,
an impersonal letter, an indefinite article, an incorrect answer, indirect speech, an irregular verb, an irresponsible person
exercise 4 .
UN + Happy, lucky, comfortable, known, clean, necessary, pleasant, popular, real, countable
IN + Attentive, capable, dependent, expensive, human, expressive, definite, direct, convenient, accurate
Exercise 5.
1 unnecessary, 2 unsafe, 3 untidy, 4 unbreakable, 5 irregular, 6 unreal, 7 inexpensive, 8 unhappy, 9 impossible, 10 unusual, 11 uncomfortable, 12 indirect, 13 uninteresting, 14 impatient, 15 inconvenient, 16 unpopular
Exercise 6.
1d, 2c, 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b, 7d
Good luck with your learning English!
