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Prefixes are added to the beginnings of words to change their meaning.

For example, the prefix UN- means the opposite:

• happy  :-)
• unhappy  :-(

The prefix OVER- means “too much:”

• spend –> overspend (spend too much money)

Here are 10 common prefixes in English with example words and sentences:

PRE- = before

• prepaid – “I bought a prepaid phone card with $20 worth of credit.”
• predict - “I predict that Brazil will win the next World Cup.”
• prevent - “Seat belts can prevent serious injuries if you get into a car accident.”

POST- = after

• postgraduate – “There are 200 students in the postgraduate program in marketing.”
• postwar - “The country’s economy struggled during the postwar period.”
• posthumous – (after death): “The author received a posthumous award for his book.”

MULTI- = many

• multicultural – “Our group of friends is quite multicultural – we know people from five continents.”
• multimillionaire – “He started a successful business and became a multimillionaire.”
• multiply – (to become many): “My problems multiplied until they completely took over my life.”

MONO- = one

• monopolize – (only one person or entity having control of something): “That company is trying to monopolize the market by signing exclusivity contracts with distributors.”
• monologue - (only one person talking): “My friend launched into a 15-minute monologue about what she thinks of the new president.”
• monotheistic - (only believing in one God): “Judaism is a monotheistic religion.”

BI- = two

• bicycle – (has two wheels): “My son’s learning how to ride a bicycle.”
• bilingual – (speaks two languages): “Most of the company managers are bilingual.”
• bipartisan - (involving two political parties): “The law has bipartisan support.”

OVER- = too much

• oversleep – “I overslept by an hour and missed my first class.”
• overpriced - “Everything in that store is overpriced. They charge $60 for a T-shirt!”
• overheat - “Stop the car! I think the engine is overheating.”

UNDER- = too little

• undercooked - “This chicken is undercooked; I don’t think it’s safe to eat.”
• underrepresented - “Women are underrepresented in our company leadership – only 2 of the 35 managers and directors are women.”
• underestimate - (to think too little of something) – “I underestimated the cost of our vacation, and we ended up spending far more than we’d budgeted.”

SUPER- = extra, extreme, over, above

• supermodel - (a really famous, highly-paid model): “Gisele Bündchen is a Brazilian supermodel.”
• supercomputer - (an extremely powerful computer): “NASA’s supercomputers control the rocket launch.”
• superfluous – (something extra and not needed): “You should cut superfluous words from your sentences.”

MIS- = wrong

• misunderstand – “I misunderstood the teacher – I did exercise 5 instead of exercise 4.”
• misbehave - “My children were misbehaving at the birthday party, so I took them home early.”
• misplace - (to lose something because you put it in the wrong place): “I seem to have misplaced my glasses.”

ANTI- = opposite, against

• antisocial - “She’s a bit antisocial – she avoids parties and other social situations.”
• anti-aging - “My mother uses anti-aging lotion to make her skin look younger.”
• anticlimactic – (an event that was not as exciting / interesting as imagined): “The end of the movie was rather anticlimactic.”

 

 

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