A. With adjectives
Prefixes, e.g. un-, dis-, im-, can be added to some adjectives to give the opposite meaning.
- Dan used all the milk but said he didn’t; he’s very dishonest.
- I got eight answers right, but two were incorrect.
- It’s illegal in the UK to ride a motorbike without a helmet.
B. un-
Of the prefixes above, un- is the most common, and appears in a number of adjectives.
- This chair is incredibly uncomfortable.
- It was unnecessary for them to wait for us.
- Xerxes – that’s a very unusual name. [different, not common or ordinary]
- I won the game; it was completely unexpected. [I didn’t think I was going to win]
- Marsha’s hat is unbelievable. [surprising because it is either very good or very bad]
- We tried to open the door, but we were unable to get in. [could not]
- I need to do more exercise; I’m very unfit. [not healthy and not in good condition]
- Declan played well, and I thought he was unlucky to lose.
- They’re unlikely to get here before midday. [They probably won’t get here before midday.]
- The test was unfair because some of the students had more time to do it than others. [If something is unfair, it does not treat people equally.]
Language help
Adding a negative prefix does not usually change the pronunciation; the stress stays the same. She was un'lucky. It’s unbe'lievable. (NOT She was 'unlucky. It was 'unbelievable.)
C. With verbs
With some verbs, these prefixes can have particular meanings.
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