Understanding Prefixes, or Putting the Cart before the Dog

Understanding words is a key to being a good reader. If you have a large vocabulary, the chances of your being able to absorb the information in the books, newspapers, and magazines which you read are much better; of course, if you comprehend what you read, you will be able to write better because you will remember the words and will have more choices available when you select a way to express your ideas. One of the ways to improve your vocabulary is to learn some prefixes which are often used. In this way, you can often figure out what a word means.

Here are a few prefixes to help you add to your language skills. What are prefixes? They are syllables which come before the main part of a word. For example, the prefix "ex-" which means "from" is combined with the main part "it" which comes from the Latin word "iter" meaning "a road or way." The word "exit," therefore, means a way out. 

                     A-, an- (without, not, away from + theos [God]= atheist) 
                     Ad- (next to, near, toward + iaceo [throw or place]= adjacent) 
                     Ante- (before+ bellum [war]= antebellum) 
                     Anti- (opposite, against+ pathos [feeling]= antipathy) 
                     Arch- (chief + inimicus[enemy]= archenemy) 
                     Auto- (self +mobilus [movement] = automobile) 
                     Col-. com-, con- (with+ senseo [feel]= consensus 
                     Demi- (half +tasse [glass or cup] = demitasse) 
                     Dis- (not= dissatisfied) 
                     Ex- (from, out of+ spiro [breathe]= expire) 
                     Extra- (beyond, outside of + terra [earth] extraterrestrial) 
                     Hyper- (excessive= hypertension, hypersensitive) 
                     Il-, im-, in-, ir- (illogical, immodest, inanimate, irreversible) 
                     Inter- (between, among (international,) 
                     Intra- (within= intramural) 
                     Mal- (wrong, bad= maladjusted, malcontent) 
                     Pan- (all= Pan American, panorama) 
                     Poly- (many= polyester, polygamy, polygraph) 
                     Post- (after= postwar, postscript) 
                     Pre- (before= premeditated, premature, preview) 
                     Pro- (before, forward, in favor of= propose, project) 
                     Un- (not= unhealthy, undeveloped) 
                     Under-(less, not the chief=underdog)



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