Unit 3 Prefixes of negative meaning Created by Word-Power English House Since 1999

1. N- no- Non- N- Ne- Neg- nil null annihilate nihilism annul

2. In- and un- In- inside, in, into, within (preposition) ;on, to, at, towards (intensifier) inland, inboard, indoor, insect, in-car, inject, infill, ingress Incline, inborn, increase, inflame not, lack of (negative) Incorrect, inaccurate, injustice, insomnia, invisible im- / imbalance, immaterial, immediate, import ir- / irregular, irrational, irreplaceable il- / illegal, illicit, illuminate, illustration i- / ignore

In- & un- un- out of, free, release unhouse, unearth, uncage, untie, uncover, unfreeze, unlock not, opposite of, contrary to, reverse unhappy, unlucky, unfortunate, uneasy, unwise completely, thoroughly (intensifier), Unloose unravel, unthaw, unstrip, unrid –u- utopia

The difference between in- and un- (1) There is occasional uncertainty as to the choice between the prefixes un- and in-. In general, the native English form un- is the more widely applicable. It is the usual choice with simple stems, as in unfair, unclean, uneven, or unripe, and with words bearing native English endings: unceasing, unmindful, unwealthy, unselfish, or unwholesome.

The difference between in- and un- (2) In- is used primarily with established words originally having Latin endings: inaccurate, incapacity, indivisible, insignificant, illegal, impossible, or irregular. Sometimes the addition of a Latinate suffix to a word changes it from the un- category to the in- category: thus, we have unable, unequal, unjust, undivided, and unstable but inability, inequality, injustice, indivisible, and instability.

The difference between in- and un- (3) A few words with Latinate suffixes do take un- : unadventurous, unceremonious, unconditional, and unconventional. A few stems appear with both prefixes with distinctions of meaning. Inhuman means “brutal, monstrous,” while unhuman means “not of human form, superhuman.” ·

The difference between in- and un- (4) When used with adjectives, un- often has a sense distinct from that of non-. Non- picks out the set of things that are not in the category denoted by the stem to which it is attached, whereas un- picks out properties unlike those of the prototypical exemplars of the category. –Thus nonmilitary personnel are those who are not members of the military, whereas someone who is unmilitary is unlike a prototypical soldier in dress, habits, or attitudes.

3 away dis-: two, apart, away / not / completely displace, distribute, dilike, disagree, disannul, dissolve, disaster de- away or /and down;/ not. depress, defog, deplane, devalue, depart, deny ab- away, apart; / not abject, absorb, abrade, abnormal, abuse se- away, apart; / not separate, seclude, secure

4 opposite anti- : opposing; against antilock, antiwar, anti-freezer, anticlockwise –ant-: Antarctic, antonym, antagonize counter- : opposing; against counteraction, counterpart, counterflow –contr- : controversy, contraband, contra-natural

5 bad male- malediction benediction malefactionbenefaction malevolencebenevolence –mal- maltreat, malaria, malfunction, malice, malign, benign dys- dysfunction dyspepsia dystopia

* dys- always indicates the bad condition of bodily function. Study the words below: dyspepsia 消化不良 dysentery 痢疾 dysfunctioin 机能失调 dysphonia 发音困难，失声 dysgenesis 生殖力不良 dysopsy 视力，弱视 dysphagia 吞咽困难 dyspnoea 呼吸困难 dyspathy 反感 dysury 小便困难

6 wrong mis- : wrong; / not mistake, misspell, misplace mislike pseudo- : fake, unreal pseudoscience, pseudonym, pseudopod pseudograph, pseudosound

7 others (1) a-: –< ab-: away, not away, apart, avert, atom, atypical, anonymous, anarchy, asleep –< ad-: in, at, to, towards, intensify alive, await, alone, aloud, amass, arise

others: (2) ob-: opposite, against, facing, towards, not, intensify obstacle, obvious, obliterate, object, observe, obdurate, obsess, oblong, obtain –oc-: occasion, occupy, occur –of-: offend, office, offer –op-: oppress, oppose, opposite, opportunity, opponent –O-: omit

exercise1 Match: 1) de- a) 2) mis- b) 3) ab--, se-c) 4) ob-d) 5) anti-, countere)

exercise2 1) in, inside; no, not (don’t)a) un- 2) out, outside; reverse; lack ofb) mal- 3)badc) in- 4) unreal, faked) pseudo- 5)no (not, without)e) neg

exercise3 True or Fales anti- & Counter 1.Cathy has a strong anticipathy for cats. That is to say she likes cats.TF 2.Most races are run counterclockwise around the track.TF 3.When people contradict each other, they are quite agreeable with each other.T F

not literate=illiteratenot rational=irrational not mobile =immobilenot proper =improper not legitimate = not regular= not modest = not personal = not mortal = not responsible = not possible = not logical =

Base word Negative form Base word Negative form polite audible human reversible visible patient regular eligible competent resistible possible logical