36 VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT
A more comprehensive list of the most common English prefixes is located in
Appendix B. After you have completed this chapter, make sure you review the list
carefully and study any prefixes that are unfamiliar to you.HERE’S A HINT
SOUNDS LIKE...
As you use your knowledge of prefixes and suffixes to determine meaning, see if
you can recall hearing or using any words with similar roots or sounds. For exam-
ple, you may realize that agrariansounds like it shares a root word with
agriculture—and it does. Even if you don’t know exactly what agriculture means, you
might know that it has something to do with land and its cultivation. You may also
realize that the suffix -ian calls for an adjective, not a verb.The point of learning about prefixes is to be able to notice how they can change
word meanings in recognizable ways. Some prefixes immediately change the entire
meaning of a word. For example, the prefixes un-, in-, dis-, and il - immediately sig-
nal that the word is the opposite of its root, as in unhappy, inconsiderate, displeasing,
and illegible.
Other prefixes only remotely affect word meaning. For example, there is only a
distant hint of the prefix deci -, which means “ten,” in the word decimate, which
means “to completely destroy.” Historically, the word decimate meant to destroy a
tenth of someone’s property. Now we hardly recognize that meaning in the pres-
ent definition.
The important point to remember is that in learning prefixes, you are not look-
ing to memorize a long list of disconnected word parts, but to recognize familiar
examples that you can apply to new words when you encounter them.ON YOUR OWN
GO TO PLACES WHERE ENGLISH IS SPOKEN
The more you listen to English being spoken, the more you will understand. Visit a
local park or museum where you will hear English around you. Go to the movie the-
ater to see a film in English, or rent a film in your native language and watch it with
English subtitles. Try watching the evening news. Listening well will improve your
English vocabulary.