There are many negative prefixes, most of which come from the classical languages

Latin and Greek. The only one that is originally English is un-. Things would be
easier if words of English origin took the prefix un- and those of Latin origin took
other prefixes, but unfortunately this is not so. Have a look at these examples:

Happy ---> unhappy

Fair---> unfair

Friendly ---> unfriendly

All these words come from Old English, but what about these...

Important ---> unimportant

Pleasant ---> unpleasant

Popular ---> unpopular

Prepared---> unprepared

These words come from Latin, and yet they take un-, and there are so many words
like these that you cannot say that they are the exception to the rule. In fact, they
prove that there is no such rule!
So, as I said at the beginning, the only thing a student can do is to get familiar with
them and check a dictionary when in doubt, and if it is any consolation to you, even
English speakers get them wrong sometimes!
These are the most common negative prefixes used with adjectives:
disiliminir-

un-

disrespectful

illegitimate

impossible

indecent

irrelevant

unreasonable

dissatisfied

illogical

immature

incapable

irregular

unfortunate

Other negative prefixes are:

aanti-

countrer-

mal-

non-

amoral

antisocial

counterproductive

malcontent

non-violent

asexual

anti-aircraft

counterfeit

malnourished

non-profit

The prefixes im- il- and ir- are in fact a variety of in-:

im- is used before words beginning with m or p: impersonal, immortal.

il- is used before words beginning with l: illegal.

ir- is used with words beginning with r: irregular.

Most compounds with non- are written with a hyphen in British English, but not in
American English: non-alcoholic , nonalcoholic

Capable

UN

DIS

IN

IM

Selfish
Honest
Friendly
Happy
Reliable
Ambitious
Tolerant
Patient
Mature
Pleasant
Sensitive
Lucky
Satisfied
Obedient
Decisive
Loyal

Use the correct negative prefixes to give the following adjectives an

opposite meaning.
conscious
convenient
correct

employed
fair
formal
friendly
healthy
honest
legal
necessary
pleasant
polite
punctual
regular
satisfactory
successful
tidy
usual
well
1. It was
2. Mary is
3. It's totally

possible to sleep because of the noise.

certain whether to go to Sweden or not.
rational but I'm afraid of spiders.

4. I like my teacher but she is a bit

learners.
5. Bob has been
6. It's

patient with slow

honest in his dealings with us.

legal to drive through a red light.

7. Administration should be an
government.
8. This new house is not
it's a bit bigger.

political tool of the

similar to our old one except that

9. Stop Stewart ! It is

polite to point at people.

10. Why did you write this sentence ? It's completely

logical.
1. legal: There is no doubt that cannabis will remain an
______________ drug for the foreseeable future.
2. possible: It was quite _________________ for us to drive all the way
from Paris to Madrid in one day.
3. successful: He made an ________________ attempt to climb the
highest mountain in the range.
4. responsible: To take the boat out with four children under the age of
ten and with no life jackets on board was quite ________________ of
him.
5. appropriate: The dress she was wearing was quite
_________________ for the occasion.
6. polite: It was very ________________ of him to insult his mother in
front of his aunt.
7. religious: They were a completely _________________ family and I
never thought that one day I would marry one of the daughters.
8. honest: As a politician he was __________________ and it was not
long before nobody trusted him.
9. perfect: The goods were ________________ and had to be returned
to the store we bought them from.
10.
contented: She was __________________ with her life and
decided that things had to change.

1. An illegal drug
2. Impossible to drive such a distance in one day
3. An unsuccessful attempt
4. Irresponsible behaviour
5. A dress which was inappropriate for the occasion
6. Impolite behaviour
7. An irreligious family
8. A dishonest politician
9. Imperfect goods
10. Discontented with her life