English Language Arts
Grade 3
15 min
Determine the meaning of a word with pre-, re-, or mis-
Determine the meaning of a word with pre-, re-, or mis-
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define the term 'prefix' and 'base word'.
Identify the prefixes pre-, re-, and mis- at the beginning of a word.
State the meaning of pre- (before), re- (again), and mis- (wrong or badly).
Separate a word into its prefix and its base word.
Determine the meaning of an unknown word by combining the meaning of the prefix and the base word.
Use a word with pre-, re-, or mis- correctly in a sentence.
Have you ever had to redo your homework or misread a sign? 🤔 Let's learn about the secret codes at the beginning of words that tell us these things!
In this lesson, we will learn about three special word parts called prefixes: pre-, re-, and mis-. Learning what they mean is like having a superpower that helps you unlock the meaning of new...
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
PrefixA word part added to the beginning of a word that changes the word's meaning.In the word 'unhappy', the prefix is 'un-'. It changes 'happy' to mean 'not happy'.
Base WordThe main part of a word that has a meaning on its own. It's the word a prefix is added to.In the word 'remake', the base word is 'make'.
pre-A prefix that means 'before'.In 'preheat', 'pre-' means you heat the oven *before* you bake.
re-A prefix that means 'again'.In 'reread', 're-' means you read the book *again*.
mis-A prefix that means 'wrong' or 'badly'.In 'misspell', 'mis-' means you spelled the word the *wrong* way.
3
Key Rules & Conventions
The Prefix + Base Word Formula
Prefix + Base Word = New Word
To understand a new word, first look for a prefix at the beginning. Then, find the base word. Put them together to make the new word.
The Meaning-Making Formula
Meaning of Prefix + Meaning of Base Word = Meaning of New Word
To define the new word, first think of the prefix's meaning. Then, add it to the base word's meaning. For 'replay', you think 'again' + 'to play', which means 'to play again'.
The No-Change Spelling Rule
Adding pre-, re-, or mis- does not change the spelling of the base word.
When you add one of these prefixes, the base word stays exactly the same. For example, 're' + 'use' becomes 'reuse', not 're-use&#...
5 more steps in this tutorial
Sign up free to access the complete tutorial with worked examples and practice.
Sign Up Free to ContinueSample Practice Questions
Challenging
Read the two sentences: 1. 'The mayor will address the town.' 2. 'Write your address on the line.' How would adding the prefix 're-' to the word 'address' in Sentence 1 change its meaning?
A.It would mean the mayor will write the town's address again.
B.It would mean the mayor will speak to the town before the event.
C.It would mean the mayor will wrongly speak to the town.
D.It would mean the mayor will speak to the town again.
Challenging
A student writes in his journal: 'To prepare for my speech, I had to pre-tell it to my dog.' The word 'pre-tell' is not a real word. What is the student most likely trying to say?
A.He had to practice or rehearse his speech beforehand.
B.He had to tell his speech again.
C.He told his speech incorrectly to his dog.
D.He told a different story before his speech.
Challenging
Which of the following situations best describes a miscommunication about an address?
A.Two friends decide to meet at 123 Oak Street and both arrive on time.
B.One friend says to meet at 'the corner of Oak,' but the other friend goes to the corner of Oak and Pine instead of Oak and Maple.
C.mail carrier pre-sorts all the mail for 123 Oak Street before starting the route.
D.person has to resend a letter because they forgot to put a stamp on it.
Want to practice and check your answers?
Sign up to access all questions with instant feedback, explanations, and progress tracking.
Start Practicing Free