Use the prefixes pre-, re- and mis-

key notes:

What is a Prefix?

A prefix is a group of letters we add to the beginning of a word. It changes the word’s meaning!

Prefix: pre- (Before)

The prefix pre- means before.

Example Words: preheat preschool pretest

Sentences: We preheat the oven before baking. My little sister goes to preschool. We took a pretest to get ready for the real test.

Prefix: re- (Again)

The prefix re- means again or to do something again.

Example Words: rewrite replay rebuild

Sentences: Please rewrite your messy work. Let’s replay the game! The workers will rebuild the house after the storm.

Prefix: mis- (Wrongly)

The prefix mis- means wrongly or badly.

Example Words: misunderstand misspell misbehave

Sentences: I misunderstood the directions. I misspelled a word on my test. The child misbehaved and had to sit in time out.

Practice Time!

Try to think of other words that start with pre-, re-, and mis-! Can you use them in a sentence?

Remember, prefixes can change the meaning of words, so pay close attention to them when you read!

What We Learned

In this lesson, we explored prefixes. We learned that:

• A prefix is added to the beginning of a word.
• pre- means before.
• re- means again.
• mis- means wrongly or badly.

Let’s practice!