Negative Prefixes : dis-, un-, im-, in- | Interactive lesson and practices

Negative Prefixes

Negative Prefixes

Prefix is a group of letters use at the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Negative Prefix means a group of letters used at the beginning of a word to change the meaning to be opposite or negative. 

Negative Prefixes : dis-, un-, im-, in -

dis-  : means not, opposite of, absence of it can be used with verbs, adjectives, nouns

agree → disagree
honest → dishonest
appear → disappear
advantage → disadvantage

un- : means not, reverse of it is used with adjectives, verbs

happy → unhappy
fair → unfair
lock → unlock
kind → unkind

im- : means not it is used with adjectives starting with b, m, p

possible → impossible
polite → impolite
mature → immature
balance → imbalance

in- : means not it is basically used with many adjectives

correct → incorrect
complete → incomplete
active → inactive
visible → invisible

non- : means not

sense → nonsense
stop → nonstop
fiction → nonfiction
violent → nonviolent

mis- : means wrong, badly

understand → misunderstand
behave → misbehave
spell → misspell
lead → mislead

il- : means not, used before: words starting with l

legal → illegal
logical → illogical
literate → illiterate

ir- : means not

Used before: words starting with r
regular → irregular
responsible → irresponsible
relevant → irrelevant

a- : means not, without

moral → amoral
typical → atypical
symmetric → asymmetric
sexual → asexual

de- : means remove, reduce, reverse

activate → deactivate
value → devalue
frost → defrost
centralize → decentralize

anti- : means against

social → antisocial
virus → antivirus
war → antiwar

counter- : means against, opposite

attack → counterattack
productive → counterproductive
culture → counterculture

Negative Prefixes

🧠 Quick Memory Trick

im-, il-, ir- are forms of in-

mis- = wrong

anti- / counter- = against

non- = neutral “not”

 

Prefixes: dis-, im-, in-, un-

📖 What are Negative Prefixes?

A prefix is a group of letters we add to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Negative prefixes make adjectives mean the opposite.

dis-

means "not" or "opposite of"

honest → dishonest
agree → disagree

im-

means "not" (before m, p)

possible → impossible
mature → immature

in-

means "not"

complete → incomplete
visible → invisible

un-

means "not" or "opposite of"

happy → unhappy
lucky → unlucky

📚 Vocabulary Examples

🎯 Matching Game

Words with Prefixes

Meanings

✏️ Gap-Fill Exercise

Complete the sentences with the correct prefix: dis-, im-, in-, un-

🔄 Transformation Exercise

Make these adjectives negative by adding the correct prefix.