an affix to a word?prefix? all about prefix

lets now explore few of the prefixes commonly used. A prefix is an affix which is put before base or root word to form a new word. The new word thus formed may be a completely new word with a new meaning. The following is a list of prefix with the meaning they usually convey when affixed to a word. Thus it would be easy for one to know what the new word actually means if the base/root word’s meaning is already known.



a= negation
ab= from
ad= towards
amb/amph= on both sides
ante= before
anti= against
aqu= water
arch= chief
aud/aur= hearing
auto= self
ben= well
bi= two
bio= life
cent= hundred
co= together
contra= against
counter= against
cycl= circle/around
de= reversal
demi= half
di= two
dis= negation
dis= reversal
ex= former
extra= beyond
fore= front of
geo= earth
hemi= half
hydro= water
hypre= above/over
in= negation
inter= between
kilo= thousand
mal= badly
mega= great
meta= with/by change
micro/mini= small
milli= thousand
mono= one
multi= many
neo= new
non= negation
omni= all
opti= seeing
paleo= old
pan= all
phono= sound
photo= light
poly= many
post= after
proto= original
pseud= FALSE
psych= mind
re= again
retro= back again/repeating
semi= half
sub= under
super/sur= above
tele= distant
terr= land
theo god
trans= across
tri= three
ultra= beyond
un= negation
un= reversal
uni= one
vice= substitute/additional
zoo= animal

prefixes in english-confused?

lets now explore few of the prefixes commonly used. A prefix is an affix which is put before base or root word to form a new word. The new word thus formed may be a completely new word with a new meaning. The following is a list of prefix with the meaning they usually convey when affixed to a word. Thus it would be easy for one to know what the new word actually means if the base/root word’s meaning is already known.

a= negation


ab= from

ad= towards

amb/amph= on both sides

ante= before

anti= against

aqu= water

arch= chief

aud/aur= hearing

auto= self
ben= well


bi= two

bio= life

cent= hundred

co= together

contra= against

counter= against

cycl= circle/around

de= reversal

demi= half
di= two


dis= negation

dis= reversal

ex= former

extra= beyond

fore= front of

geo= earth

hemi= half

hydro= water

hypre= above/over

in= negation


inter= between

kilo= thousand

mal= badly

mega= great

meta= with/by change

micro/mini= small

milli= thousand

mono= one

multi= many

neo= new


non= negation

omni= all

opti= seeing

paleo= old

pan= all

phono= sound

photo= light

poly= many

post= after

proto= original


pseud= FALSE

psych= mind

re= again

retro= back again/repeating

semi= half

sub= under

super/sur= above

tele= distant

terr= land

theo god

trans= across


tri= three

ultra= beyond

un= negation

un= reversal

uni= one

vice= substitute/additional

zoo= animal

HOMOGRAPHS

All of us perhaps know what a homophone is. A word with similar sound but different spelling. That’s what every high school marm tells. It is easily confused and many times are there that they turn creepy. but imagine our plight if the words have same spelling? This comes via good practice of reading and it is easy to identify. These words do not have same meaning and differs to the context and has different origin. These word most often also have the same sound and pronunciation. The following are a list of homographs for a quick reference.




1. Flat a. a small apartment b.level

2. Fan a. a devoted admirer b. a machine to wind air

3. Can a. a coke container b. to be able to/ability

4. Cue a. a long sticker in the game of pool b. a signal

5. Ball a. a formal dance b. a round object

6. August a. the month b. inspring presence

7. Chop a. the jaw of an animal b to cut

8. Close a. near by b. to shut

9. Boil a. a liquid’s state while heating b. a inflammation of the skin

10. Hide a. the skin of animal b. to keep off site

11. Like a. to be pleased b. similar

12.pupil a. a student b. part of eye

13. school a.group of fish b.a learning institute

14. soil a.to make dirty b.ground

15.wake a. to rouse after sleep b.waves following ship

synonyms-antonynmys

Every foreign language learner’s first step is to munch on as much words along with the verbs to build in vocabulary. That’s a real good move. But how many of us put that into use? By use I mean making use of these words in speaking or writing or recognizing the same when it is spoken by someone. Rarely few of us apply it. To do this, why not one start with a topic at classroom level or with a group of four and discuss about a hero and a villain. Make the participants into two groups. Each group has to speak only for the group they belong to. In this way the traits, the character and the like come out. This might be a noun, adjective, verb a pronoun or any that would fall in a parts of speech. When this is recorded/jotted on a paper this can help one to make use of the same in sentences later. This eventually can be developed into a story and there arises a new character totally.