Prefix Power: Meanings & Examples
Exploring word beginnings Building vocabulary skills Year 5 English - Morphology
WALT & Success Criteria
WALT: Identify common prefixes and understand their meanings WALT: Use prefixes to build new words from root words Success Criteria: I can explain what 5 different prefixes mean Success Criteria: I can create new words using prefixes Success Criteria: I can break down words to find their prefix and root
What is a Prefix?
A prefix is a group of letters added to the BEGINNING of a word Prefixes change the meaning of the root word Examples: un + happy = unhappy The root word 'happy' becomes its opposite Prefixes are like word magic!
Prefix: UN- (meaning 'not' or 'opposite')
UN- means 'not' or 'the opposite of' happy → unhappy (not happy) fair → unfair (not fair) lock → unlock (opposite of lock) tie → untie (opposite of tie) kind → unkind (not kind)
Prefix: RE- (meaning 'again' or 'back')
RE- means 'again' or 'back' do → redo (do again) play → replay (play again) wind → rewind (wind back) write → rewrite (write again) turn → return (turn back)
Prefix: PRE- (meaning 'before')
PRE- means 'before' view → preview (view before) heat → preheat (heat before) school → preschool (before school) wash → prewash (wash before) pay → prepay (pay before)
Prefix Detective Activity
Look at these words and find the prefix: 1. undo 2. replay 3. preview 4. unfair 5. return Circle the prefix in each word!
Prefix: DIS- (meaning 'not' or 'opposite')
DIS- means 'not' or 'opposite' like → dislike (not like) agree → disagree (not agree) appear → disappear (opposite of appear) honest → dishonest (not honest) connect → disconnect (opposite of connect)
Prefix: MIS- (meaning 'wrong' or 'badly')
MIS- means 'wrong' or 'badly' spell → misspell (spell wrongly) understand → misunderstand (understand wrongly) behave → misbehave (behave badly) use → misuse (use wrongly) place → misplace (place wrongly)
Prefix Practice: Match the Meaning
{"left":"UN-\nRE-\nPRE-\nDIS-\nMIS-","right":"not/opposite\nagain/back\nbefore\nnot/opposite\nwrong/badly"}
Prefix Quiz Time!
1. What does 'unfriendly' mean? 2. If you 'reread' a book, what are you doing? 3. What does 'preschool' mean? 4. What does it mean to 'disagree'? 5. If you 'misplace' your homework, what happened?
Quiz Answers - How Did You Do?
1. unfriendly = not friendly 2. reread = read again 3. preschool = before school 4. disagree = not agree 5. misplace = put in the wrong place Great job, prefix detectives!