Word Power & Vocabulary
Objective of this chapter:
Ø Understand the need and importance of having a good command over the language
Ø How to build up vocabulary consistently and effectively , thought
Ø Roots, prefixes, and suffixes
Ø Etymological concepts
Understand relations between words and how that can aid in improving vocabulary
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The purpose of vocabulary
Words are great subjects to investigate. When you become a student of language, take delight in discovering word relationships, and become aware of how you can make words work for you, you are more likely to stop when you encounter an unfamiliar word and consider its meaning. If you do this, you will become a master of words and you vocabulary will grow. You must develop strategies to conquer unfamiliar words when you find them in you textbooks and in your learning to make words work for you.
Why vocabulary Development Counts
Ø Vocabulary is a basic part of reading comprehension .If you do not know enough words, you are going to have trouble in understanding what you read. An occasional word may not stop you, but if there are too many words you don’t know, comprehension will suffer,. When the content of textbooks is often challenging enough, you do not want to work on understanding the words that express that content.
Ø Vocabulary is a major part of almost every standardized test, including reading achievement tests, college entrance exams, and armed forces and vocational placement tests. Vocabulary is a key measure of both one’s learning and one’s ability to learn. The more words you know, the better you are likely to do on such important tests.
Ø Studies have indicated that students with strong vocabularies are more successful in school and that a good vocabulary is an influential factor for people who enjoy successful careers in life. Words are the tools not just of better reading, but of better writing, speaking, listening and thinking as well. The more words you have on the people around you.
Ø In today’s world, a good vocabulary counts more than ever. Many jobs provide services or process information, and the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are essential. The keys to survival and success in the workplace are the abilities to communicate skilfully and learn quickly. A solid vocabulary is essential for both of these skills.
Improving your vocabulary
Throughout your college years, new words will be flooding into you consciousness. Many of them are the keys to ideals and information that will be new to you. When students have trouble in a course, the trouble can often be traced back to their imperfect comprehension of terms that are essential to an understanding of subject matter. A first -year science or social science course may introduce you to almost as many new word as first course in a foreign language. Then there are also words which may not literally be new to you, but which have specific meaning within the context of a specific course and therefore must be learned as if they were new words.
Using a Dictionary
One of the best ways to learn new a word is to keep p a good dictionary close to you elbows and use it. Sometimes, you can get some idea of the meaning of a new word from - how it is used in you reading material. Use context when you can, but he aware that it has its limitations. According to lee Dighton of Columbia University, using context has the following three limitations:
1. Context provides only the meaning that fits that particular situation.
2. You often end up with synonyms, which is not quite the same definition.
3. When you have to infer the meaning of a word, you can be slight (or greatly) in error.
Your safest bet is to avoid all the guesswork and go straight your dictionary. As you study, consult your dictionary whenever you come to a word that doesn’t know precisely. Find the exact meaning you need; then go back to your textbook and reread the paragraph, with the meaning substituted for the word. If you become interested in a particular word, write it on a 3*5 card, late, go back to the dictionary and investigate it. Write its meanings on the card, and keep the card and other like cards to look through and study occasionally. But don’t break into your studying for a long session with the dictionary; save that for later.
Follow the example of thousands of successful people. Get yourself a pocket dictionary, and always carry it with you. Its definitions will be terse, consisting mainly of synonyms, but its value lies in its ability to spark a lifelong interest in words as well as increase your vocabulary. Of course, a pocket dictionary is no substitute for a larger, desk-size dictionary; but as a portable learning tool, the pocket dictionary is worth at least its weight in gold.
Interpreting a Dictionary Entry
A typical dictionary entry includes these parts:
1. The word or phrase broken into syllables.
2. The word or phrase with the pronunciation indicated through these of diacritical marks- marks that indicate the vowel sounds such as a long vowel or a vowel affected by other sound; accent marks, a mark called the schwa that tells you that vowel is in an unaccented syllable of the word.
3. The part or parts of speech the word function that as-for example as a noun (n). Verb(v), adjective (adj), or adverb(adv)
4. Related forms of the word, such as th plural form of nouns and the past tense of verbs.
5. The definition of definitions of the word or phrase. Generally dictionaries group the definitions according to a word’s use as noun, verb, adjective and\or adverb.
6. The origin, or etymology, of the word or words, such as from the Latin, Old French, Middle English, Hebrew, the name of a person. Some dictionaries use the symbol <to mean “came form.” For example, the origin of the world flank is given as “<Old French flanc, <Germanic.”This tells us that flank came from the Old French word fanc. The French word in tun came from the German language. Some dictionaries use abbreviations to tell you where the items came from: OE for Old English, L for Latin, and so forth.
Interpret a dictionary entry using the following steps:
· Pronounce the word in syllables using the diacritical marks as a guide.
· Note the part or pars of speech of the word and any related words.
· Read the definitions.
· Check the etymological reference to see if you can find remnants of the meaning of th originating word in the meaning of h entry.
· Use the word in a sentence that has a clue in it as to the meaning of the word
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the origins of words. The English language is living is living and growing. Although many of our words have been part of our language for many years, new words are added all the time. Following are various ways our language is influenced.
· Derived from foreign words- English, in many cases, has been commonly expanded by incorporating foreign words into it. Most of our language has ancient Anglo-Saxon or Latin origins. Other language has also added to our vocabularies.
Additions through Technology & Products- Our words often reflect current interests, trends, and innovations. One of the most recent contributors to our language has been computer technology, which has created words such as bytes, monitor, and disk.
People’s Names- sometimes when a person invents or introduces something, that thing becomes associated with the person’s name. The person, through time, is forgotten while the name lives on in our language. Examples include:
Mesmerize-F(a) Mesmer, an Austrian doctor and hypnotist.
Sideburns-and American English alteration of burnsides, Ambrose E. Burnside, a Union general.
Words from letters- The initials for the names of things may actually come to replace the names. The initials become the words that represent the thing, concept, or group. The following are examples of words that have developed from initials.
° TV=Tele Vision
° DWI-Driving While Intoxicated
° COD- cash on Delivery
° ZIP-Zone Improvement Plan
Word Histories- Some words also have interesting histories. Learning the stories behind the meanings is a good way to learn those words. The following examples will give you an idea of how history can affect language.
° Footman- In earlier days, it was thought to bring bad luck if a person stepped on the door threshold while entering a house. Rich people hired a servant to stand at their doors. His job was to guard against a guest’s stepping on the threshold. The guard became known as a footman.
° Hooker- A synonyms for prostitute. The term became popular during the Civil War. The women involved were camp followers. General “Fighting joe” Hooker approved their presence in order to boost the morale of his men.
Word-Building Elements
The use of roots, stems, and prefixes suffixes for vocabulary detective work is considered valuable. For example, the word prefix, tale is combining form that means distant transmission of message over a distant transmission of message over a distance.
Therefore, you can easily decipher words such as telepathy telescope etc.
Example I: in the following example look at the prefixes, suffixes and root words because these can tell you enough about a word to help you make an intelligent choice. For example, find the antonyms of OMNISCIENT
(a) Stupid (b)willing (c)kind (d)upset
If you can recognize that the root of the word is the same as the word science you will know that the word has something to do with knowledge, and answer stupid becomes a logical choice.
Example 2: If you have no knowledge of the word at all, you can sometimes make a more or less intelligent guess by looking at the answer choices and trying to find information from them:
ANTEDILUVIAN is the synonym of:
(a) Abundant (b) interested (c) modern (d) ancient
Notice that ‘modern and ancient’ are antonyms. Since in examinations the paper-setter often places synonyms and antonyms among the possible answers there is a better than random chance that one of them is the correct answer. In this case the prefix ‘anti’ meaning ‘before’. Should have led you to select a word leaning to ‘after’ or ‘modern.’
Recognizing Word Roots and Prefixes
While using the dictionary is an excellent way to increase your vocabulary one word at a time, if you would like to learn whole clusters of words in one stroke, you should get to know the most common roots and prefixes in English.
It has been estimated that 60 percent of the English words in common use are made up partly or entirely of prefixes or roots derived from Latin and Greek. The value of learning prefixes and roots is that they illustrate the way much of our language is constructed. Once learned, they can help you recognize and understand many words without resorting to a dictionary. With one well-understood root word as the center, an entire “constellation” of words can be built up.
Although knowing the meanings of prefixes and roots can unlock the meanings of unfamiliar words, this knowledge should supplement, not replace, you dictionary use. Over the centuries, many prefixes have more than one meaning each.
For example, the prefix de-means “of’ or “from”; yet the dictionary lists four different meanings for it. So learn as many of the common prefixes and roots as you can, but learn them for better and more precise understanding of words you already know ad words that you have yet to look up in the dictionary. Make sure that you spend some time on the prefixes and roots that make up each word. You will soon become convinced that a word is not an assemblage of letters put together like an anagram, but the true and natural outcome of evolution.
While going through the following list, make sure you recall words using the same route and jot them down.
Common Prefixes
Root
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Meaning
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Example
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Definition
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Agri
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Field
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Agronomy
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Field-crop production and soil management
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Ante
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Before
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Antebellum
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Before the war
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Anthrope
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Man
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Anthropology
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The study of man
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Anti
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Against
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Antifreeze
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Liquid used to guard against freezing
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Astro
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Star
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Astronaut
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One who travels in interplanetary space
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Auto
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Self
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automatic
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Self-acting or self-regulating
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Bell
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War
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Belligerent
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Of warlike character; aggressively
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Bene
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Good
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Benefit
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An act of kindness; a gift
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Bio
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Life
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Biology
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The study of life
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Cardio
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Heart
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Cardiac
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Pertaining to the heart
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Cede
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Go
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Precede
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To go before
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Chromo
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Color
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Chromatology
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The science of colours
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Circum
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Around
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Circumference
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Length around
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Contra
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Against
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Contradict
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To speak against
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Cred
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Believe
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Crediole
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Believable
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De
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Reverse ,remove
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Defoliate
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Remove the leaves from a tree
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Demos
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People
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Democracy
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Government by the people
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Derma
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Skin
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Epidemis
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The outer layer of skin
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Dict
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Speak
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Predict
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To speak before something actually happens
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Dis
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Apart
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Dislocate
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To un-lodge
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Dyna
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Power
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Dynamic
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Characterized by power and energy
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Dys
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Bad
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Dysfunctional
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Not functioning
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Ecto
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Outside
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Ectoparasite
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Parasite living on the exterior of animals
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Endo
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Within
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Endogamy
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Marriage within the tribe
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Equi
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Equal
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Equidistant
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Equal distance
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Ex-
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Out
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Excavate
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To dig out
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Extra
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Beyond
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Extraterrestrial
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Beyond the earth
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Geo
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Earth
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Geology
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The study of the earth
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Graph
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Write
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Autograph
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Signature
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Helio
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Sun
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Heliotrope
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Any plant that turns toward the wun
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Hydro
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Water
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Sydroponics
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Growing of plants in water reinforced with nutrients
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Hyper
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Over
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Hypertension
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High blood pressure
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Hypno
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Sleep
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Hypnosis
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State of sleep induced by suggestion
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Hypo-
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Under
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Hypontension
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Low blood pressure
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In-
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In
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Interim
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In between
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Inter
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Between
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Intervene
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Come between
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Intra-
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Within
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Intramural
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Within bounds of a school
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Intro-
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In, into
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Introspect
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To look within, as one’s own mind
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Ject
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Throw
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Eject
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To throw out
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Loqua
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Speak
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Eloquent
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Someone who can speak well
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Macro-
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Large
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Macroscopic
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Large enough to be observed by the naked eye
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Magni
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Great, big
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Magnify
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To enlarge, to make bigger
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Man
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Hand
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Manuscript
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Written by hand
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Micro-
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Small
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Microscopic
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So small that one needs a microscope to observe
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Mono
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One
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Monoplane
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Airplane with one wing
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Multi-
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Many
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Multimillionaire
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One having two or more million dollars
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Omni
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Omniscient
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One who knows everything
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Ortho
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Straight
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Orthodox
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Right, true, straight opinion
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Pan
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All
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Pantheon
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A temple dedicated to all gods
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Phon
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Sound
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Telephone
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Instrument over which sound can travel
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Photo
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Light
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Photograph
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Picture
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Pod
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Foot
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Pseudo pod
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False foot
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Poly-
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Many
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Polygonal
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Having many sides
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Post-
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After
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Postgraduate
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After graduating
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Pre-
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Before
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Precede
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To go before
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Pro-
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For
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Proponent
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A supporter
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Proto-
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First
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Prototype
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First or original model
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Pseudo-
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False
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Pseudonym
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False name; esp; an author’s pen-name
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Psycho
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Mind
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Psychology
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Study of the mind in any of its aspects
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Pyro
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Fire
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Pyrometer
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An instrument for measuring temperatures
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Re-red-
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Back again
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Rejuvenate
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To make young
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Re-red-
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Together
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Reconnect
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To put together again
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Retro-
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Backward
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Retrospect
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A looked back on things
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Sanct
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Holy
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Sanctimonious
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Hypocritically pious or devout
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Script
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Write
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Manuscript
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Hand written
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Semi-
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Half
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Semicircle
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Half a circle
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Sub
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Under
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Submerge
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To put under water
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Super
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Above
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Superfine
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Extra fine
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Tele-
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Far
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Telescope
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Seeing or viewing afar
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Terra
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Earth
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Terrace
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A raised platform of earth
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Theo
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Religion
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Theology
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Study of religious
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Thermo
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Heat
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Thermometer
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Instrument for meaning heat
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Trans
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Across
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Transalpine
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Across alps
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Zoo
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Animal
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Zoology
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The study of animals
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Number prefixes
Uni-one
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Tetra-four
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Octa-eight
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Mono-one
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Quint-five
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Nov-nine
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Bi-two
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Pent-five
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Dex-ten
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Duo-two
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Sex-six
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Lat-side
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di-two
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Hex-six
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Ped-foot
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Tri-three
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Sept-seven
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Pod-foot
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Quad-four
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Hept-seven
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Centi,mili
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Math & Science Affixes and Roots
Root or Affix
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Example
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Aqua(water)
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Aquarium
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Hydro(water)
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HYDROPLANE
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Hemi(half)
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Hemisphere
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Semi(half)
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Semicircle
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Equi (equal)
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Equivalent
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Root or Affix
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Example
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Tele(far off)
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Telescope
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Micro(small)
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Microfilm
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Onomy(science of)
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Astronomy
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Ology(study of)
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Geology
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Centi(hundred)
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Centimetre
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Milli(thousand)
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Millimetre
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Bio(life)
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Biology
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Astro(star)
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Astronaut
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Thermo(heat)
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Thermodynamic
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Meter(measure)
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Diameter
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Ped(foot)
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Pedestrian
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Pod(foot)
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Tripod
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Prefixes that mean “no”: a-de-dis-,in-non-un-,contra
Example: disqualify, nondescript, unscrupulous, contradict, inadvertent
Prefix
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Meaning
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Examples
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a-,an-
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Without, not
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Asexual, atypical, amoral, anarchy
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De-
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Reverse action, away
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Defrost, demystify, desensitize, deduct
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Dis-, dif-, di-
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Not, apart
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Dissatisfied, disorganized, different, divert
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In-,il-,it-,im-
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Not
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Inappropriate, invisible, illegal, impossible
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Non-
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Not
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Non-productive, nonessential, nonsense
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Un-
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Not
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unlikely, unnoticeable, unreliable
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Contra-,counter-
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Against
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Contrary, contradict, counterproductive
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Prefixes that indicate “when,” “where, “or “more”: pre-, post-, ante-, inter- infra-, traps-, sub-, circum-, ultra
Examples: premature, postscript, anteroom, intervene, transformation
Prefix
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Meaning
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Examples
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Pre-,pro
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Before
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Pre-dinner, preliminary, previous, prologue
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Post
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After
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Post war, postoperative, postpone
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Ante
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Before
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Antecedent, antechamber
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Inter
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Between, among
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Interstate, intercept, interfere
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Intra
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Within
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Intramural, intrastate, intravenous
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Trans
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Across
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Transcontinental, transparent, transaction
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Sub
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Under
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Submarine, submerge, subjugate
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Circum
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Around
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Circumnavigate, circumference
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Ultra
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Beyond, on the far side of, excessive
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Ultrasonic, ultraviolet, ultraconservative
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