What are the most common prefixes in academic writing?

This is the third and final chapter about Prefixes. To complete this course, read each lesson carefully and then unlock and complete our materials to check your understanding.   

– Categorise prefixes by word class (noun, verb and adjective)

– Provide a list of the most common academic prefixes

– Use examples to clarify meaning for the learner

Chapter 1: What are prefixes and why are they useful in academia?

Chapter 2: What are the different types of prefix in academic English?

Chapter 3: What are the most common prefixes in academic writing?

Before you begin reading...

This topic now has an interactive unit: Prefixes and Word Meaning
  • video and audio texts
  • knowledge checks and quizzes
  • skills practices, tasks and assignments
visit this unit
E-learning

Chapter 3

By now you should understand the various purposes of prefixes and can recognise their different types, but you may not yet know which prefixes you’re most likely to need when using English at the university level. The following tables therefore provide the prefix, the word meaning, and examples of the words themselves to assist you in recognising and using academic nouns, verbs and adjectives.

 

1. Common Academic Noun Prefixes

Nouns are easily the most common word class that you’ll be needing when studying English, particularly when writing formally such as in academic writing. 

 

2. Common Academic Verb Prefixes

While verbs are not quite as common or varied as nouns, it’s still important to use them correctly every time – and to understand how to manipulate this word class.

 

3. Common Academic Adjective Prefixes

Prefixes 3.3 Academic Adjective Prefixes

Finally, adjectival prefixes may also be used with some frequency during your academic career, particularly in combination with noun phrases.

 

Once you’ve mastered how to understand, recognise and use such prefixes in your speech and writing, you should be able to recognise vocabulary more easily in the future. To test yourself, perhaps spend a few Academic Marks to download and complete the beginner-, intermediate- and advanced-level worksheets for this topic. 

To reference this reader:

Academic Marker (2022) Prefixes. Available at: https://academicmarker.com/grammar-practice/affixes/prefixes/ (Accessed: Date Month Year).

3 of 3 Chapters Completed

Downloadables

Once you’ve completed all three chapters about prefixes, you might also wish to download our beginner, intermediate and advanced worksheets to test your progress or print for your students. These professional PDF worksheets can be easily accessed for only a few Academic Marks.

Our prefixes academic reader (including all four chapters about this topic) can be accessed here at the click of a button.

Gain unlimited access to our prefixes beginner worksheet, with activities and answer keys designed to check a basic understanding of this reader’s chapters.

To check a confident understanding of this reader’s chapters, click on the button below to download our prefixes intermediate worksheet with activities and answer keys.

Our prefixes advanced worksheet with activities and answer keys has been created to check a sophisticated understanding of this reader’s chapters. 

To save yourself 5 Marks, click on the button below to gain unlimited access to all of our prefixes chapters and worksheets. The All-in-1 Pack includes every chapter in this reader, as well as our beginner, intermediate and advanced worksheets in one handy PDF.

Click on the button below to gain unlimited access to our prefixes teacher’s PowerPoint, which should include everything you’d need to successfully introduce this topic.

Academic Skills Centre
English Language Centre
Masterclass Centre

Collect Academic Marks

🎁 Free to join the community
  • 100 Marks for joining
  • 25 Marks for daily e-learning
  • 100-200 for feedback/testimonials
  • 100-500 for referring your colleages/friends
Click to Sign Up
AY 24-25