5 examples of negative prefixes

1. impolite

2. impatient

3. rewrite

4. reread

5. untie

6. disagree

7. PREFIX

8. What Are Prefixes?
• Prefixes are first syllables like
“non-” and “re-” that have their
own meaning.
• Prefixes combine with words to
create new meanings.
1. Pre + View = Preview (first look)
2. Super + Star = Superstar (top player)

9. NEGATIVE PREFIX

10. Do you know common negative
prefixes?
1. dis
2. non
3. mis
4. un
5. in

11. dis
means “not or opposite of”
• dishonest
• disorganized
• disqualified
• dissimilar
• disable
• disobey
• disagree
• disappear

12. non
means “without, not or no”
• nonfiction
• nonsense
• nondescript
• nontoxic
• nonstop
• nonverbal
• nonhuman
• nonprofit
• nonfat

13. mis
means “incorrectly or wrong”
• misbehave
• misread
• mistreat
• misunderstand
• misplace
• misheard
• misspell
• misinterpret
• misfortune

14. un
means “not, opposite of, against”
• unhappy
• unable
• unusual
• unlike
• unlearn
• unlock
• unequal
• unpopular
• unfriendly

15. in
means “not”
• inactive
• ineffective
• invisible
• inefficient
• injustice
• independent

16. The teacher will dictate words and
the students will identify the
opposite of the following using the
negative prefixes.

17. 1. Jane doesn’t like waiting. She’s
so_____patient.
un
im
in
dis
SHOW ANSWER

18. 2. My brother’s life is quite
_______organised.
un
in
dis
ir

19. 3. John said he wasn’t going to
change his mind. His decision is
__________reversible.
in
un
dis
ir

20. 4. I didn’t believe what the man
said. It seemed _______credible.
in
un
dis
im

21. 5. What do you think is the best
way to discipline a
______ obedient child?
in
dis
un
il

22. 6. Sarah was wearing a very
______usual dress. It had spotty
sleeves and a long, checked skirt.
in
dis
im
un
SHOW ANSWER

23. 7. I think that Jeremy is totally
_____ sensitive to my feelings.
un
in
dis
il

24. 8. Kate is _____ modest, she
thinks she’s very good and clever
and she likes to talk about
herself.
un
in
ir
im

25. 9. We’re staying at that hotel
again. We were quite
____ satisfied with our room.
dis
un
in
im

26. 10. Physically
______ active people are at risk of
developing heart disease.
un
dis
in
il

27. punctual
sociable
reliable
creative
flexible
polite
patient

28. punctual
sociable
reliable
creative
flexible
polite
patient
unpunctual
unsociable
unreliable
uncreative
inflexible
impolite
impatient

29. Do you know common prefixes?
1. dis
2. non
3. mis
4. un
5. in
- Not/opposite
- Without or not
- Wrongly
- Not/lack of
- Not/opposite

30. 1. Inadequate
2. Nonfat
3. Disagree
4.Incommunicable
5. Unload
6.misrepresented
7.nonstop
8.disobey
9.unknown
10.misleading

31. Directions: Change the words using the prefixes from
the box so that they have a negative meaning.
dis non mis
un in
1. correct- _______
2. adequate- _______
3. honest- _______
4. lock- _______
5. connect- _______
6. accurate- _______
7. welcome- _______
8. behave - _______
9. understand- _______
10.conscious- _______