I Prefixes to express the negative meaning:

de- eg deactivate, decode

dis- eg disconnect, disappear

in- eg indecisive, inconvenient

But: il- (before I) eg illegal

im- (before m, p) eg immature, impossible

ir- (before r) eg irresistable

but: unreliable, unrecognisable, unreasonable

non- non-toxic, non-fiction

un- unfortunate, unfair

Exercise 29

Add the correct prefixes to form the opposite of the words in bold.

1. There is a(n)...........-stop train service between the two cities.

2. Tom is so..........................reliable that you can't trust him to do anything.

3. Plastic doesn't.........................compose, so it's bad for the environment.

4. It was very.............responsible of her to leave the children alone in the house.

5. Jason's arguments against the proposal are........................logical.

6. I............................like people who don't tell the truth.

7. It's........................practical to go by ferry when you can go by plane instead.

8. He has been.....................employed for almost a year now.

9. She bought a flat of her own because she likes to be.........................dependent.

Exercise 30

Add un-, in-, il-, im- ,ir-, dis- or non- to the following words:

To do, regular, moral, balance, obedient, honest, alcoholic, definite, dependence, able, literate, to inherit, order, governmental, legal, possible, probable, consistent, credible, content, mortal, rational, violent, responsible, connect,

Exercise 31

Add the correct prefixes to form 'the opposite of the words-in bold.

1. He's an ...un... interesting person. In fact, he's rather' boring.

2. Driving a car without a licence is........legal.

3. I'm afraid I.........agree with what you just said.

4. I can't do this puzzle. It's........possible!

5. The cake was........resistible, so she ate three pieces.

6. The waiting room is a ……..smoking area.

7. He is........literate. He can't read or write.

8. I am........decisive about where to go on holiday.

9. The telephone company........connected the phone when he failed to pay the bill.

10. His comment was.....irrelevant to our discussion.

Exercise 32

Add the correct prefixes to the beginning of the words to form the opposites.

1 It was very... unkind of you to laugh at Emily's haircut.

2 Many people.......approve of violent films television programmes.

3 We became.......patient with the slow service.

4 It is.......legal to leave school before the age of 16 in many countries

5 He was sacked due to his.......professional behaviour.

6 The nurse who treated me was gentle but.......personal.

7 Some frozen food does not have to be.....frosted before cooking.

8 My homework was wrong because I.......understood the instructions.

9 Dave was........successful in his attempt to climb Mount Houghton.

10 You can't trust him to do anything. He is very.......responsible

Exercise 33

Fill in the correct form of the words in bold forming the opposite from the words given.

1. Betty took the meat out of the freezer and let it............................before FROST

cooking it.

2. Last winter John had a ski accident which was...............................as he CONVENIENT

missed the rest of the season. .

3. Next week I will go to dinner with the ambassador and so I will have to wear a suit as..........

..............clothing is not appropriate for the occasion. FORMAL

4. Every year in December teenagers gather in the city centre to collect money for

a charity which is a...............................organization. PROFIT

5. My grandmother always says that manners are almost......................in

today's world. EXISTENT

6. One wonderful feature of new tube stations is the number of lifts that

help to facilitate anyone with a................................ ABILITY

7. When Sarah quit her last job she didn't think she would be...................... EMPLOYED

for so long. Being a doctor often involves working long and...................... REGULAR

hours.

8. Tina is always boasting about herself and her achievements. She is probably the MODEST most...............................person I know.

9. John's handwriting was totally...............................and so I found it LEGIBLE

impossible to read his letter.

10. Mary was...............................with the weather last summer as it rained LUCKY

everyday during her holidays.

Exercise 34

Fill in the spaces in the following text using a suitable negative prefix of the words given at the end of the lines.

The British government has decided to take the _________1 decision to ban POPULAR

smoking in public places. Though a lot of people find smoking____________2 PLEASE

and though experts all agree it is ______________3 and that it costs the state HEALTH

a lot to treat victims of smoking, it is also ____________ 4 that many people get DENY

pleasure from the habit and find smoking _______________5 when they are RESIST

in company. However, it is now __________ 6 to deny the antisocial nature of the habit. POSSIBLE

As advertising has proved __________7 with many smokers, the government has EFFECT

now made smoking ____________ 8 in most public places. Smokers who are LEGAL

__________ 9 to stop smoking may feel the new measures are unjust, but ABILITY

for the passive smokers for whom a room full of smoke is ___________10 they BEAR

will come as a breath of fresh air.

Exercise 35

Add a correct negative prefix to the following adjectives.

Dependent__________________

Polite_______________________

Logical______________________

Historic______________________

Moral_______________________

National______________________

Relevant _____________________

Regular _______________________

Direct_________________________