Prefixes (Easy)

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary  � if youre serious about vocabulary, well show

you how to learn . I'm Finn…

Alice

And I'm Alice. In today's show were going to look at a very interesting area of –*%��

prefixes.

Finn

Well look at what they are, what they mean and how to use them.

Alice

Therell a quiz…

Finn

And well leave you with a top tip for learning vocabulary.

Alice

But before all that, going to hear from Dave. He's just got back from lunch, but he

isn't happy.

Finn

Now, a question think about while you listen: what was the problem with Dave's food?

Alice

What was the problem with Dave's ? Let's find out.

Example

I just tried the new seafood restaurant, and I wish I hadnt'. It was intolerable! start with, my

seat was really uncomfortable. I had no room to move. And the menu was very misleading.

photos looked nothing like the actual food. When my food came it was uncooked. I told the

waiter, but disagreed. He said it was fine. He said he'd eat it himself! And I looked in the

kitchen  � was really unhygienic. There was food all over the floor. It was a disgrace!

Finn

So Dave's pretty unhappy. what was wrong with his food?

Alice

Well, he said that it was uncooked. It was cold and raw it hadn't been cooked.

Finn

Not very nice! Well done if you got that right at home. Now, uncooked an example of the

vocabulary area were looking at today - prefixes.

Alice

Yes: prefixes - or as some say: prefixes. Prefixes, prefixes. A prefix is a small part of

a word, usually just a couple of letters, we put at the front of a base word to change its

meaning. For example, the prefix un, spelt -, is added to happy, to make unhappy, which

means not happy.

Finn

And Dave was unhappy about the restaurant.

Yes. He said the seats were uncomfortable  � meaning not comfortable, and the kitchen was

unhygienic, meaning unclean  � clean.

Finn

So that's un, meaning 'not' - and all today's prefixes have the meaning of not. So, Dave

the meal was intolerable. Intolerable. In - spelt i-n - is another prefix that can mean not –*%��

and Dave couldn't tolerate the meal. Now, let's listen to a bit more of Dave.

Example

…I told the waiter, he disagreed. He said it was fine.

Finn

The waiter disagreed with him about the food. The prefix dis, d-i-s--, means not, or '*%to

do the opposite', like disagree  � to not agree.

Alice

Yes, and Dave said was a disgrace - they should be ashamed of it.

Finn

Let's hear today's prefixes again.

Alice

The first was: un.

Finn

Unhappy, uncooked, unhygienic, unclean.

Alice

In.

Finn

Intolerable, inexpensive.

Alice

Dis.

Finn

Disagree, disgrace.

IDENT

Youre to bbclearningenglishcom.

Finn

And it's time for a quiz. Try to work out the word that finishes the sentence. ?

Number 1. The advert said that the phone was £5 a month, but it didn't say anything about the

set-up fee. It was very… a) unhappy b) inexpensive c) misleading.

Alice

The advert made people believe something that true, so it was very… c) misleading.

Finn

Now number 2. This letter has come to the wrong house. been a… a) mistake b)

disgrace c) disagreement.

Alice

It's not correct so… a) mistake.

Finn

Well done if got those right.

Alice

And that brings us almost to the end of today's programme.

Finn

Before we go, today's top tip for learning vocabulary: if you look up some of todays'

words in a dictionary, youll find more words starting with the same prefixes. Many of

them may be words that you already knew without the . So, when you add a prefix,

you get two words for the price of one!

Alice

That's brilliant. Sounds a good way to quickly double your vocabulary. There's more

about this at wwwbbclearningenglishcom... Join us again for more Minute Vocabulary.

Both

Bye!