SECTION 6 3 PREFIXES IN FRONT OF 'NON-EXISTENT'

WORDS
We use prefixes in front of many words where the
Word formation: prefixes and base form doesn't exist by itself. For example,
incessant means 'without stopping' but there is no
suffixes such word as 'cessant' (although there is the verb
cease). Here are more examples:
1 PREFIXES CHANGE MEANING
injlect intact immune disparage
A prefix at the beginning of a word has a meaning of repeat impeccable impede unkempt umcathed
its own that changes the meaning of the word it is ..................................................................................................................
joined to. Knowing what the prefix means can help 3 Underline the words that have no base form
us to understand the word. For example, if you read that exists by itself.
unpremeditated and know that meditate means 'think indirect inept untie infinity unprompted
about something' - you can work out the meaning impromptu undying undue unduly insipid
..................................................................................................................
of unpremeditated: un- is a prefix meaning 'not'; pre-
denotes 'before'; meditated means 'thought about'. 4 SUFFIXES THAT SHOW THE PART OF SPEECH
You can now work out that unpremeditated means A sufix changes the meaning of the word it is joined
something like 'not thought about in advance'. to only by changing its part of speech; e.g., we can
We can use prefixes in front of: add -ity to the adjective national to make the noun
nouns underclothes underpayment nationality. We often need to change the spelling, for
undersigned understudy undertaking example, urgent becomes urgency. Here are some
adjectives underdeveloped underground examples of suffixes:
undernourished underprivileged -ation/-ition -ame -cy -er -ment -ness -ity
underweight -ist form nouns:
verbs undercut underestimate undergo inform (verb) becomes: information dance (verb)
understate undervalue becomes: dancer sweet (adj) becomes: sweetness
1 Underline the words that do not contain the tour (verb) becomes: tourist
idea of 'beneath' or 'less'. -ow -able -fil -ing -ical -1ess -y form
a undercut b undergo c understafed adjectives:
d underfoot e undertaking f underwrite danger (noun) becomes: dangerous
.................................................................................................................. forget (verb) becomes: forgetful
2 SAME PREFIX - DIFFERENT MEANINGS -ise -ijy -en form verbs:
intense (adj) becomes: intemify
Many prefixes can have more than one meaning. $t (adj) becomes: jlatten
Before adjectives, un- means 'not':
unaware uncommon uncomnous undecided 4 Write numbers next to these suffixes according
unimportant to which part of speech they usually indicate.
Before nouns, un- can indicate 'without': A few belong in more than one category.
untidiness unkindness unemployment 1 adjective 2 noun 3 verb
Before verbs, un- means 'to do the opposite': -ist -hood -or -ese -ee -en -ision -some
uncurl undo unplug unlock unwrap unzip -ship -ise -ical -i@ -ible -y -ant -ive -ness
..................................................................................................................
In- and im- can sometimes indicate 'not':
indecisive infinite infallible impenetrable impolite 5 SUFFIXES THAT HAVE MEANING
They can also mean 'inlinside': A few suffixes, particularly at the end of adjectives,
intake indoors implant imprison have meaning; e.g. -1ess always indicates 'without':
2 Underline the words that mean 'not ...'. meaningless useless homeless hopelessly
a unfaithfil b unpack c inhospitable remorselessly
d impractical e impound f imide Here are more examples:
-1ike -proof -tight -fil -worthy -able as in:
childlike childproof watertight respectful
tmtworthy understandable
 WORD FORMATION: PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES

Complete the blanks with the corrected form of the base word
given (1-6). the first (O) is given as an example.
@ Match a prefix with a word to (O) Understand (1) Impress (2) Relevant (3) Consult
make a new word. Then choose (4) Consider ( 5 ) Value (6) Worth
the appropriate meaning for the
prefix from the list. The Crusades
Example: O anti-thefe/ against The medieval crusades, when Western European knights and adventurers
attempted to seize Jerusalem from the hands of the Seljuk Turks, are widely
anti-) power (against)
understood (O) by most people in the West, who think of them as
inter- author not
glamorous and heroic. True, the leve1 of heroism was occasionally
super- hifi main
.......... ( l ) , but in fact the crusaders were ignorant and misguided. For
ex- normal too much
example, they viewed the Byzantine Emperor, through whose lands they
mini- city very big
had to travel, as an annoying .......... (Z), denying him even so much as a
ab- continental before
.......... ( 3 )role in the proceedings. In reality, his long experience of the
over- view previous Saracens had given him a not .......... (4) knowledge of their fighting
CO- enemy between methods and politics. His advice, had the crusaders chosen to follow it,
arch- wlfe small would have been absolutely . . .. . .. . .. (5). Instead, they repeatedly dismissed it
trans- spend together as . . ... . .. . . (6) with the result that, despite initial success, the crusades
pre- (theft) across eventually dwindled to ignominious failure.
@ The solutions to al1 the
crossword clues are prefixes.
Rewrite each of the following sentences using the two prompt
Write them into the grid below.
words given.
Example: The programme would only work if it was self-financing,
wouldn't it? viable / itself
The programme would only be viable If it could.finance itse?f,wouldn't it?
a Unfortunately the optimism we al1 felt didn't last very long, did it?
optimistic / short-lived
b Her outstanding performance put everyone else bar none in the shade.
outshone / exception
c 1 don't think you can have grasped what 1 was getting at.
misunderstood / trying
d This has absolutely nothing to do with what we are discussing.
irrelevant / under

17 courses for graduates 7 clothes n o t discrirninating

Across
2 n o t a bilingual dictionary
3 just half a circle
5 talented i n lots o f ways
8 not as white as white could be
10 she isn't a believer
11 perhaps we rate her t o o highly
12 this centenary - a 200th
anniversary
13 not paid enough
18 not a very sensitive thing t o say between the sexes
19 h e spelt 'accornrnodation' with 8 the process is still going
one 'm' 9 a taste i n advance
20 before the war 12 rnake a friend of
21 it won't be productive; quite 14 he appeared and then he was
the reverse gone
23 they played so rnuch better 15 heat i t u p again
than us 16 if penultirnate is second from
25 a new kind o f Rornantic the end, what's third?
26 this is n o t relevant 17 not as intellectual as he appears
20 i n favour o f
Down 21 t w o roads or rivers corning
1 get rid o f the frost i n the fridge together
2 it's n o t functioning right 22 a bicycle with an extra wheel
3 ternperatures below zero 24 hours t o wrap the presents, ten
4 n o t practica1 or possible seconds for this
6 bigger than the national
championships
 SYNONYMS: NOUNS 1

You know that synonyms are words with the same or

nearly the same meaning. The more synonyms you
know, the richer your vocabulary will be!

First write a letter to match each boldface

noun with its synonym. Then find another
synonym in the box for each pair of words.
Write it on the line. Hint: You will not use all
the words in the box. The first one has been
done for you.

admission cavity exaggeration haste

awning comedy flattery hatred
ban dwelling glint instructor

b
1. _____ affirmation, __________________________ admission a. abode

2. _____ pit, __________________________ b. admittance

3. _____ home, __________________________ c. compliments

4. _____ praise, __________________________ d. elaboration

5. _____ prohibition, __________________________ e. hole

6. _____ hyperbole, __________________________ f. hurry

7. _____ gleam, __________________________ g. loathing

8. _____ scramble, __________________________ h. sparkle

9. _____ abhorrence, __________________________ i. taboo

10. _____ professor, __________________________ j. tutor

756 Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies, Level 7 • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2004 • 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone (888) SDL-BACK • www.sdlback.com
 SYNONYMS: VERBS 1

In a thesaurus, how many synonyms can find you

for the word good?

A. Add an appropriate word from the box to each list of synonyms.

Hint: You will not use all the words in the box.

admit assure catch expel induce insult invalidate toss uplift waver

1. ____________________ 4. ____________________ 7. ____________________

taunt falter grab
ridicule fluctuate snare
jeer hesitate capture
2. ____________________ 5. ____________________ 8. ____________________
guarantee cancel heave
warrant nullify throw
pledge repeal fling
3. ____________________ 6. ____________________ 9. ____________________
initiate acknowledge banish
inaugurate concede exile
introduce confess deport

B. Now find two synonyms in the box for each boldface verb. Add the synonyms
to each list. Hint: You will not use all the words.

appraise burn handy deserve harass prefer untwist

assess char curve differ justify suitable victimize
bend choose dawdle digress linger untangle

1. merit 4. unravel 7. convenient

____________________ ____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________ ____________________

2. opt 5. scald 8. vary

____________________ ____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________ ____________________

3. persecute 6. evaluate 9. warp

____________________ ____________________ ____________________
____________________ ____________________ ____________________

758 Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies, Level 7 • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2004 • 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone (888) SDL-BACK • www.sdlback.com
 SYNONYMS: ADJECTIVES 2

A. Find two synonyms in the box for each boldface adjective. Write the
synonyms on the lines. Hint: You will not use all the words in the box.

astute dependable dangerous fancy loyal male

manly pictorial risky scenic sharp showy
shriveled triumphant unique unusual uncontrollable willful

1. ornamental shrubs 5. a novel approach

__________________________________ __________________________________
__________________________________ __________________________________

2. a masculine attitude 6. a picturesque location

__________________________________ __________________________________
__________________________________ __________________________________

3. a reliable friend
__________________________________
__________________________________

4. a treacherous river
__________________________________
__________________________________

B. Think of a synonym for each boldface adjective below.

Write it on the line.

1. a contagious disease 4. a defiant subject

__________________________________ __________________________________

2. a feminine trait 5. an exceptional bargain

__________________________________ __________________________________

3. delicious foods 6. a microscopic speck

__________________________________ __________________________________

Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies, Level 7 • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2004 • 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone (888) SDL-BACK • www.sdlback.com 61
 ANTONYMS: NOUNS 1

The artful use of antonyms—words with opposite

meanings—can make your meanings crystal clear.

A. Draw a line to match each boldface noun with its antonym.

1. ally a. humility 7. endurance g. submission

2. impatience b. calmness 8. fad h. greeting

3. disturbance c. enemy 9. struggle i. weakness

4. pride d. success 10. farewell j. original

5. destruction e. creation 11. imitation k. cruelty

6. disappointment f. patience 12. kindness l. convention

B. Use vowels (a, e, i, o, u) to complete the antonyms of the boldface nouns.

v __ __
1. laziness / __ g __ __
r v __ __l
5. virtue / __ __

t __ __ __
2. leisure / __ l 6. youth / m t __ __
__ __ __ r __ __
t __
y
c __l __ __
3. confusion / __ r __ __
t __
y f __ __
7. background / __ r __ __
g __
r __ __ __
n __
d
p __ __
4. treason / __ t __
r __ __ __
t __ __
s __
m j __ __
8. seriousness / __ l __
l __ __
t __
y

C. Unscramble the antonyms. Then use each word in a sentence.

1. separation / (TUINY) ____________________: _____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2. emotion / (EONRAS) ____________________: ______________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

3. scoundrel / (NAGLEMTEN) ____________________: ________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

4. prudence / (SHERSANS) ____________________: __________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

764 Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies, Level 7 • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2004 • 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone (888) SDL-BACK • www.sdlback.com
 ANTONYMS: VERBS 1

Remember that verbs are words that express an

action, an occurrence, or a state of being.

Circle the antonym of the boldface verb in each sentence.

1. Cynthia decided to increase the time she spends practicing ballet.

enjoy lengthen justify abbreviate

2. The counselor told the young campers to join hands.

hold wash disconnect massage

3. After a long, drawn-out trial, the prisoner was finally exonerated.

convicted shackled questioned honored

4. Stanley bravely tried to banish all frightening thoughts from his mind.

hide welcome forget remember

5. Some people believe that opposites attract.

repel connect show off communicate

6. The babysitter entertained the restless little boys for four hours.

danced pampered ignored watched

7. The rebel forces imprisoned their captive for five long months.

tortured questioned nourished released

8. The condition of the infected tooth gradually worsened over the weekend.

improved ached diminished deteriorated

9. After fitting the new pipe, the plumber tightened the bolts.

sold attached loosened checked

766 Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies, Level 7 • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2004 • 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone (888) SDL-BACK • www.sdlback.com
 ANTONYMS: ADJECTIVES 2

A. Unscramble the adjectives to complete each pair of antonyms.

1. cheerful / (LOYGOM) ________________________

2. internal / (TENLERAX) ______________________

3. rare / (MOCNOM) ________________________

4. original / (PEDCIO) ________________________

5. extended / (EBIRF) ________________________

6. logical / (LARAINIROT) ______________________

7. obedient / (RULNUY) ________________________

8. incompetent / (LEAB) ________________________

9. righteous / (LETUHICAN) ____________________

10. deficient / (ETAQADUE) ______________________

B. Complete the crossword puzzle with antonyms of the boldface clue words.

ACROSS 1 DOWN
S
2 3
4. a lively participant P R 1. a generous fellow
4
I
6. your truthful eyes 5 2. the hydrated plant
M
7. dainty material 6
3. vulgar manners
L
7
C 5. an unscrupulous
decision

Building Vocabulary Skills and Strategies, Level 7 • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2004 • 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618 • Phone (888) SDL-BACK • www.sdlback.com 69