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      Spelling words with the prefixes meaning not

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can spell a range of words with the prefixes un-, non-, dis-, mis-, in-, il-, im- and ir-.

      Key learning points

      1. A prefix is a letter or group of letters at the start of a word which changes its meaning.
      2. Adding a prefix does not alter the spelling of the root word.
      3. There are many prefixes that can mean ‘not’, including un-, dis-, in-, il-, im- and ir-.
      4. The prefix in- can also mean ‘in’ or ‘into’ and the prefix mis- usually means 'wrongly'.
      5. How to spell the curriculum words: immediate, immediately and disappear.

      Keywords

      • Prefix - a letter or group of letters added to the start of a root word to change its meaning

      • Root word - the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes

      • Antonym - a word that has the opposite meaning to another word

      Common misconception

      Children may think all words with the letters strings have prefixes.

      Discuss words using the letter sequence but not as a prefix, e.g. disturb, imp and uncle. Reinforce the definition of 'root word' and 'prefix'.

      Teacher tip

      Make sets of prefixes and words, hand them out and get children to find a ‘partner’. Break the pairs and ask them to find new partners. Each child keeps a note of words created until they have done as many as they can. Compare lists.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the words to its synonym or meaning.

      Correct Answer:friendly,kind
      Correct Answer:usual,normal
      Correct Answer:appear,visible

      Q2.
      Which words contain the prefix un-?

      Correct answer: unkind
      funny
      Correct answer: unzip
      sun

      Q3.
      Match the words that have the same root word.

      Correct Answer:unhealthy,healthiest
      Correct Answer:untie,ties
      Correct Answer:unfair,fairer

      Q4.
      What do the prefixes un-, non- and dis- usually mean?

      wrongly
      before
      Correct answer: not
      under

      Q5.
      Match the words to their meanings.

      Correct Answer:misbehave,behave wrongly
      Correct Answer:miscalculate,work out the wrong answer mathematically
      Correct Answer:dishonest,not trustworthy
      Correct Answer:disgusting,not tasty

      Q6.
      Select the correct spelling of the word.

      unhapee
      unhapy
      Correct answer: unhappy

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Select the prefixes which can mean 'not'.

      Correct answer: un-
      pre-
      Correct answer: in-
      super-
      Correct answer: il-

      Q2.
      Match the root word to the correct prefix.

      Correct Answer:behave,mis-
      Correct Answer:appear,dis-
      Correct Answer:usual,un-
      Correct Answer:sense,non-

      Q3.
      Select the correct spelling of the word.

      dissappear
      dissapear
      Correct answer: disappear
      disapear

      Q4.
      Select the correct spelling of the word.

      ilegal
      Correct answer: illegal
      illegle

      Q5.
      Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence: She was quite imachure.

      Correct Answer: immature

      Q6.
      Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence: He was quite irisponsibel that day.

      Correct Answer: irresponsible

      To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Spelling words with the prefixes meaning not, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...