Prefixes and Suffixes | Educational Resource - Free Printable

Let's break down each word in the chart by identifying its root (the base word), prefix (a word part added to the beginning that changes meaning), and then provide a definition based on the combination.

Here’s the completed table with explanations:

| Word | Root | Prefix | Define |
|---------------|------------|--------|------------------------------------|
| unlucky | lucky | un- | Not lucky |
| nonsense | sense | non- | Not sense; something meaningless |
| misunderstand | understand | mis- | To understand incorrectly |
| disobey | obey | dis- | To not obey |
| rebuild | build | re- | To build again |
| preschool | school | pre- | Before school |
| misspelled | spelled | mis- | Spelled incorrectly |
| unhappy | happy | un- | Not happy |
| rebutton | button | re- | To button again |
| unequal | equal | un- | Not equal |
| preheat | heat | pre- | To heat before |

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Explanation of Each:

1. unlucky
- Root: *lucky*
- Prefix: *un-* (means "not")
- Definition: Not lucky

2. nonsense
- Root: *sense*
- Prefix: *non-* (means "not")
- Definition: Something that makes no sense; meaningless talk or ideas

3. misunderstand
- Root: *understand*
- Prefix: *mis-* (means "wrongly")
- Definition: To understand something incorrectly

4. disobey
- Root: *obey*
- Prefix: *dis-* (means "not" or "opposite")
- Definition: To refuse to obey

5. rebuild
- Root: *build*
- Prefix: *re-* (means "again")
- Definition: To build something again

6. preschool
- Root: *school*
- Prefix: *pre-* (means "before")
- Definition: A school for children before they start regular elementary school

7. misspelled
- Root: *spelled*
- Prefix: *mis-* (means "incorrectly")
- Definition: Spelled wrong

8. unhappy
- Root: *happy*
- Prefix: *un-* (means "not")
- Definition: Not happy

9. rebutton
- Root: *button*
- Prefix: *re-* (means "again")
- Definition: To button something again (e.g., after it came undone)

10. unequal
- Root: *equal*
- Prefix: *un-* (means "not")
- Definition: Not equal; different in size, value, etc.

11. preheat
- Root: *heat*
- Prefix: *pre-* (means "before")
- Definition: To heat something in advance

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✔ This exercise helps students understand how prefixes change the meaning of root words, improving vocabulary and reading comprehension.