Prefixes
are often used to give adjectives a negative meaning. The most common adjective
prefixes are un-, in- and dis-: uncomfortable, inconvenient,
dissimilar, ... in-
becomes im- before a root beginning with 'm' or 'p' (immature, impatient),
ir- before a word beginning with 'r' (irregular) and il-
before a word beginning with 'l' (illegal, illiterate). in-
does not always have a negative meaning; it often gives the idea of inside or
into: internal, import, ... un-
and dis- can also form the opposites of verbs: appear/disappear,
load/unload, ... |