Choose the right prefix! In / Un / De / Im / Ir / Non…..
One of the worst moments for an English teacher is when they have to teach parts of grammar that have no rules. Unruly words. One of these situations arises if a student asks why the opposite of efficient is inefficient, but the opposite of mature is immature, and the opposite of important is unimportant! Unruly prefixes.
In-, un-, de-, im-, ir-, il- and non-, can all be used as prefixes to mean not. Unfortunately, there are no rules to help us with these. So, test yourself by adding the prefix you think fits in the sentence below. After, you can listen to the audio to check which ones you know already, and which ones you have to learn!
1. That is a very ___intelligent idea.
2. If something shouldn’t be eaten, it is ___edible.
3. The student was ___able to pass the test.
4. The politicians made ___responsible decisions.
5. Gold has been ___creasing in value recently.
6. What is polite and what is ___polite varies between countries.
7. It is ___wise to wear a River Plate t-shirt in La Boca.
8. It is ___legal to drive after drinking alcohol.
9. The Venezuelan government is highly ___stable.
10. Aston Martins are beautiful cars, but they are quite ___efficient.
11. It is ___probable that the plumber will arrive on time.
12. The judge criticised the lawyer for making points that were ___relevant to the case.
13. Aeroplane seats can be ___comfortable after several hours.
14. It is ___logical to be afraid of spiders.
15. If something cannot be set on fire, then it is ___flammable.
16. Pistachio ice-cream is simply ___resistible.
17. People who are not patient, are ___patient.
18. I am ___capable of quitting smoking.
19. I am ___able to quit smoking .
20. My Uncle is ___employed right now.
Answers
1. That is a very unintelligent idea.
2. If something shouldn’t be eaten, it is inedible.
3. The student was unable to pass the test.
4. The politicians made irresponsible decisions.
5. Gold has been decreasing in value recently.
6. What is polite and what is impolite varies between countries.
7. It is unwise to wear a River Plate t-shirt in La Boca.
8. It is illegal to drive after drinking alcohol.
9. The Venezuelan government is highly unstable.
10. Aston Martins are beautiful cars, but they are quite inefficient.
11. It is improbable that the plumber will arrive on time.
12. The judge criticised the lawyer for making points that were irrelevant to the case.
13. Aeroplane seats can be uncomfortable after several hours.
14. It is illogical to be afraid of spiders.
15. If something cannot be set on fire, then it is nonflammable.
16. Pistachio ice-cream is simply irresistible.
17. People who are not patient, are impatient.
18. I am incapable of quitting smoking.
19. I am unable to quit smoking .
20. My Uncle is unemployed right now.
How many did you get right? Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments section below.
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