Prefix - Academic Mode

Definition of prefix
In semantics, a prefix is a single letter or group of letters, which adds to the meaning of a word when it is placed at the beginning. It has been derived from the Latin word praefixus, which is a combination of two words pre means "Before" and fix means "to hold". Therefore, prefix means "place before".

A prefix is a linked morpheme that cannot be independently, or in other words, it cannot be a word independently. The most common prefixes include a-, an-, anti-, auto-, co-, com, con-, contra-, dis-, en-, extra-, hetero-, hyper, inter-, non-, pre, pro, sub-, tri-, un- and uni-.

The daily use of the prefix
Sara did not agree with Mark's philosophy. was she planning to renew her subscription?
In these examples are dis, mis, un, im and re examples of prefixes.

examples of prefixes in literature
example 1: Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen)
“What can be the meaning of this emphatic exclamation? " he shouted. “Do you view the forms of introduction and the emphasis placed on them as nonsense? I know you are a pensive young woman, reading great books and making excerpts. Mrs. Bennet was quite worried. She could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear that he might always fly from one place to another and never settled in Netherfield as he was supposed to be. “

In this example Jane Austen used different prefixes, like in the underlined words“ incompetent ”. confused ”and“ another. "

Example # 2: The Crucible (by Arthur Miller)
" When one rises above the individual villainy shown, one can only feel sorry for all of them, just as we will be pitied one day ... Neighbors' hatreds from long ago they could now express themselves openly, and revenge taken, despite the charitable injunctions of the Bible ... Susanna, stretching around Parris to see Betty: You asked me to come and tell you, reverend sir, that you can't find no medicine for that in his books ... Parris, eyes wide: No - no. There is no unnatural cause here. "

In this passage, Miller has used four prefixes in the words" unfolded, "" expressed, "" discover, "and" unnatural. "They are" dis-, ex-, dis-, and un- . "

Example # 3: Hedda Gabler (by Henrik Ibsen)
“GEORGE TESMAN comes from the right into the inner room, humming to himself and carrying an empty trunk without a leash. He is a young-looking man of medium height in his thirties. three years old, quite burly, with a round, open and cheerful face, blond hair and beard. He wears glasses, and is somewhat sloppy in comfortable underwear ... No no, I guess not. A wedding tour seems to be quite indispensable nowadays. "

Here three words" without strap "," comfortable "and" indispensable "show the use of prefixes. Without adding these prefixes, the words are meaningless and appear incomplete.

Example # 4: To the lighthouse (by Virginia Woolf)
“There was a purplish stain on the soft surface of the sea as if something had boiled and bled, invisible, underneath. This intrusion into a scene calculated to provoke the most sublime reflections and lead to the most comfortable conclusions kept pace. It was difficult to gently overlook them; abolish its meaning in the landscape; to go on, as one walked by the sea, marveling at how outer beauty reflected inner beauty ... [Mr. Carmichael released a volume of poems that spring, which was unexpectedly successful. The war, people said, had rekindled his interest in poetry.]

Woolf has used three prefixes in this example: in-, un-, and re-. They have transformed the meanings of the words with which they are used.

Function of prefix
Prefixes change the meaning of words or create entirely new words. it is, in fact, a common way of forming new words with different meanings. Prefixes help readers understand the different nuances of the meanings of words they encounter for the first time. By separating prefixes from base words or roots, readers can understand how new words are formed and how they could be used in different ways in a text.