VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES 1

BACHILLER
ADJECTIVE PREFIXES (Unit 1)
Defnition
Adjectives are words that describe or modify another person or
thing in the sentence.
Position of Adjectives
Unlike Advers, which often seem capable of popping up almost
anywhere in a sentence, adjectives nearly always appear
immediately before the noun or noun phrase that they modify.
Sometimes they appear in a string of adjectives, and when they
do, they appear in a set order according to category.
De!rees of Adjectives
Adjectives can express degrees of modifcation" he degrees of
comparison are known as the #ositive, the co$#%r%tive, and
the s&#er'%tive. !Actually, only the comparative and superlative
show degrees." #e use the comparative for comparing two things
and the superlative for comparing three or more things.
Adjectiv%' (##osites
The opposite or the negative aspect of an adjective can be formed in a number of ways. One
way, of course, is to find an adjective to mean the opposite an antonym. The opposite of
beautiful is ugly, the opposite of tall is short. A thesaurus can help you find an appropriate
opposite. Another way to form the opposite of an adjective is with a number of prefixes. The
opposite of fortunate is unfortunate, the opposite of prudent is imprudent, the opposite of
considerate is inconsiderate, the opposite of honorable is dishonorable, the opposite of
alcoholic is nonalcoholic, the opposite of being properly filed is misfiled. If you are not sure of
the spelling of adjectives modified in this way by prefixes (or which is the appropriate prefix),
you will have to consult a dictionary, as the rules for the selection of a prefix are complex and
too shifty to be trusted. The meaning itself can be tricky; for instance, flammable and
inflammable mean the same thing. (negative + adjective adjective)
ADJECTIVE PREFIXES
EXERCISES
Add prefixes to the adjectives below and put them into the
correct column in the table
Usual, mature, expensive, enthusiastic, dependent, legible,
correct, happy, proper, attentive, interested, perfect,
married, credible, possible, literate, fair, kind, numerable,
personal, logical patient, visible, important, believable,
adequate, sensitive, legitimate, friendly, prudent, polite, modest, intelligent, natural, practical, mobile,
Un- In- Im- il-
rite the negative adjective
!" Drugs which are rapidly inactivated have advantages, because the risk of over dosage is minimized and
there are no cumulative effects. But they are also __________, because frequent doses must be given to
maintain a continuous effect. (convenient
#" !t the same time it was made __________ for anyone who was not fully medically qualified and registered
to treat these diseases. (legal
$" __________ resources that took aeons to constitute are squandered in an instant, according to the "laws" of
supply and demand. (replaceable
%" #ven in the university centres, perhaps only $% per cent of cases are notified, while reporting from private
practitioners is __________. (existent
&" &ou will probably be less able to cope with the pressures of life' the ability to cope and be rela(ed does not
come easily to a body that indulges in too little physical activity and is __________. (healthy
'" !s running or walking any distance becomes __________, it is avoided more and more. (comfortable
(" &ou will be faced here with a great temptation to set goals for fast weight loss that will prove difficult or
__________ for you to achieve. (possible
)" )arner shows how the worker, who is forced to be ___________, then feels free in turn to cheat his
employer. (honest
*hoose a prefix+ &ou can give the ad*ectives in the bo( a negative meaning by adding one of the negative prefi(es+
dis, un, in or non-. Decide which prefi( is correct and then complete the sentences below using the negative form of
the appropriate ad*ective from the bo(. ,se each ad*ective once only.
available convenient complete competitive honest pleasant willing
!" -.m _____ to comment right now as - don.t know all the facts. - might be able to tell you more later this week.
#" - don.t think you should say we have a lot of e(perience in coaching, because we don.t/ 0hat would be _____.
$" !lthough the report is _____ 1 two pages are missing 1 - think it still gives you a good idea of the current situation.
%" 0heir new car insurance policies for women are totally _____. 0hey.re more e(pensive than the normal policies you
can find elsewhere
&" 0his wine tastes very _____. Do you think it.s corked2
'" 3assengers felt it was very _____ that the 4entral 5ine in 5ondon was closed for so long, but most accepted it was
necessary for safety reasons
Pref) E)%$#'es
un-
unfortunate, uncomfortable,
unjust
im-/in-/
ir-/il-
immature, impatient,
improbable, inconvenient,
irreplaceable, illegal
non-
non$fction, non$political, non$
neutral
dis- disloyal, dissimilar, dishonest
Pref)
*lue
il6 before l
im6 before m , p
un6
in6
before n
(" 0he spokesman was _____ for comment yesterday