Verb Prefixes and Meaning · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
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Verb prefixes: small parts, big meaning changes

English · Grammar & Punctuation · ages 9-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which prefix means 'do the reverse,' as in defrost?

    • dis-
    • re-
    • de-

  2. What does 'misbehave' mean?

    • behave the same way again
    • behave in the wrong way
    • behave more than is needed

  3. If you retell a story, you tell it for the first time.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which prefix means 'not' in disagree?

    • dis-
    • over-
    • re-

  5. Which pair of words are opposites, thanks to a prefix?

    • redo and rewrite
    • appear and disappear
    • misplace and misjudge

  6. Which prefix makes spell into a word meaning 'spell incorrectly'?

    • re-
    • over-
    • mis-

  7. In 'The twins looked alike, so I mistook one for the other', what does mistook mean?

    • I met the same twin again.
    • I thought one twin was the other.
    • I picked up both twins and carried them away.

  8. Dad will repaint the fence after its paint peeled. What does repaint tell you?

    • He will paint unevenly.
    • He will paint it again.
    • He will paint too long.

  9. In which sentence is the prefixed word a noun naming something, rather than a verb naming an action?

    • I misplaced my blue pencil.
    • I rewrote my long note.
    • I wore my warm overcoat.

  10. Ben wants a word meaning 'react too strongly'. He has written misreacted. Which explanation helps him choose an established word?

    • Keep misreacted because mis- always means reacting too much.
    • Use rereacted because re- means reacting in an incorrect way.
    • Use overreacted because over- gives the meaning too much.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Verb prefixes: small parts, big meaning changes W1-mt_qw6mhOl-Qy-s1

  1. de- · De- can suggest removal or reversal. Defrost means remove frost or thaw something frozen.
  2. behave in the wrong way · Mis- means wrong, so misbehave means behave in the wrong way.
  3. False · Re- means again, so retell means tell again, not for the first time.
  4. dis- · Disagree means not agree. Dis- gives that meaning here.
  5. appear and disappear · Dis- flips appear to its opposite: disappear means stop being seen. The other pairs share a prefix but are not opposites.
  6. mis- · Mis- means incorrectly. Mis- plus spell makes misspell, with both s letters.
  7. I thought one twin was the other. · Mistook one for the other means confused their identities.
  8. He will paint it again. · Repaint is re- plus paint. It means paint again.
  9. I wore my warm overcoat. · Overcoat names clothing here. It has a prefix, but it is not being used as a verb.
  10. Use overreacted because over- gives the meaning too much. · Overreacted means reacted too strongly. That matches Ben's stated meaning.
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