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An educational worksheet teaching negative prefixes in English, featuring examples and exercises to help students understand how prefixes modify word meanings.

A colorful educational worksheet titled "Negative prefixes" explaining how prefixes like un-, in-, im-, dis-, non-, and anti- change word meanings, with examples and exercises.

A colorful educational worksheet titled "Negative prefixes" explaining how prefixes like un-, in-, im-, dis-, non-, and anti- change word meanings, with examples and exercises.

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Show Answer Key & Explanations Step-by-step solution for: English stuff ESL: NEGATIVE PREFIXES I (intermediate worksheet)
The image you provided is about negative prefixes in English. Negative prefixes are used to give words (nouns, verbs, or adjectives) a negative meaning. The most common ones include:

- un-
- in-
- im-
- il-
- ir-
- dis-
- a-
- de-
- non-

Key Points from the Image:


1. Rules for Using "in-":
- It changes to "im-" before adjectives beginning with m and p.
- It changes to "il-" before adjectives beginning with l.
- It changes to "ir-" before adjectives beginning with r.

2. Other Prefixes:
- Most other prefixes have a Latin or Greek origin and are typically followed by words derived from those languages.
- Mis- is the only prefix of purely English origin and is mostly attached to verbs, but it can also combine with non-native words.
- When new words are coined, non- is often preferred (e.g., non-smoker, non-stop).

3. Examples Provided:
- Words are categorized under different prefixes like un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, a-, de-, and non-.
- Some examples include:
- Un-: unhappy, unkind, unlucky, unpack, unpredictable, unarmed, unjust, unfortunate, unacceptable, unconscious, untrue, unsteady, unpack, unlock.
- In-: informal, injustice, invisible, inadequate, independent, insufficient, impatient, incapable, inaccurate, illegitimate, illegal.
- Im-: imperfect, immaturity, immobility, immodest, impolite, impersonal, impractical, illegality, illogical, illegal.
- Il-: dislike, discomfort, disbelief, dishonest, disloyalty, disapproval, dissatisfaction, discontent, disrespect, disobedience.
- Ir-: irregular, irresponsible, impatient, impolite, impersonal, impractical, illegality, illogical, illegal.
- Dis-: disagree, disadvantage, disappear, disobey, disappoint, disapprove, disbelieve, discontinue, disengage, disqualify.
- A-: abnormal, atheist, asymmetric, anaesthetic, antisocial, antacid.
- De-: defrost, detach, decay, declassify, decode.
- Non-: non-profit, non-smoker, non-stop, non-believer, non-toxic.

4. Task:
- The task asks you to write new words using each prefix for nouns, verbs, and adjectives if possible.

---

Solution Approach:


To solve this problem, we need to create new words using the given prefixes. Here’s how we can do it:

#### 1. Un-
- Noun: Unhappiness
- Verb: Undo
- Adjective: Unhappy

#### 2. In-
- Noun: Injustice
- Verb: Inhibit
- Adjective: Informal

#### 3. Im-
- Noun: Imbalance
- Verb: Immobilize
- Adjective: Imperfect

#### 4. Il-
- Noun: Illegitimacy
- Verb: Illegitimize
- Adjective: Illegal

#### 5. Ir-
- Noun: Irregularity
- Verb: Irritate
- Adjective: Irresponsible

#### 6. Dis-
- Noun: Disagreement
- Verb: Disconnect
- Adjective: Disadvantaged

#### 7. A-
- Noun: Anomaly
- Verb: Aerate
- Adjective: Abnormal

#### 8. De-
- Noun: Defeat
- Verb: Deactivate
- Adjective: Declassified

#### 9. Non-
- Noun: Nonprofit
- Verb: Nonstop
- Adjective: Nonbeliever

---

Final Answer:


Here are the new words created using each prefix:

| Prefix | Noun | Verb | Adjective |
|--------|----------------|---------------|-----------------|
| Un- | Unhappiness | Undo | Unhappy |
| In- | Injustice | Inhibit | Informal |
| Im- | Imbalance | Immobilize | Imperfect |
| Il- | Illegitimacy | Illegitimize | Illegal |
| Ir- | Irregularity | Irritate | Irresponsible |
| Dis- | Disagreement | Disconnect | Disadvantaged |
| A- | Anomaly | Aerate | Abnormal |
| De- | Defeat | Deactivate | Declassified |
| Non- | Nonprofit | Nonstop | Nonbeliever |

$$
\boxed{
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|c|}
\hline
\textbf{Prefix} & \textbf{Noun} & \textbf{Verb} & \textbf{Adjective} \\
\hline
\text{Un-} & \text{Unhappiness} & \text{Undo} & \text{Unhappy} \\
\hline
\text{In-} & \text{Injustice} & \text{Inhibit} & \text{Informal} \\
\hline
\text{Im-} & \text{Imbalance} & \text{Immobilize} & \text{Imperfect} \\
\hline
\text{Il-} & \text{Illegitimacy} & \text{Illegitimize} & \text{Illegal} \\
\hline
\text{Ir-} & \text{Irregularity} & \text{Irritate} & \text{Irresponsible} \\
\hline
\text{Dis-} & \text{Disagreement} & \text{Disconnect} & \text{Disadvantaged} \\
\hline
\text{A-} & \text{Anomaly} & \text{Aerate} & \text{Abnormal} \\
\hline
\text{De-} & \text{Defeat} & \text{Deactivate} & \text{Declassified} \\
\hline
\text{Non-} & \text{Nonprofit} & \text{Nonstop} & \text{Nonbeliever} \\
\hline
\end{array}
}
$$
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of negative prefixes worksheet.
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