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Negative Prefixes- Word Formation Jigsaw

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Affixes to make opposites jigsaw activities, with academic vocabulary and Cambridge Proficiency Use of English versions.

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Lesson Plan Content:


Negative prefixes word formation jigsaw games

Instructions for teachers

Photocopy one pack of cards per group of two or three students. Cut the left-hand (prefix) cards off, splitting the words into two columns. Leave the right-hand (root words) columns like that, without cutting them up any further, but cut the left-hand cards up further so that there are at least two or three prefixes on each card. For groups who will find the activity difficult, you can cut them into bigger groups of four or more prefixes on one card. Don’t cut them into individual prefix cards (as is usually done with card games).

Perhaps after asking students to guess what negative prefixes could come before each word, ask them to match the prefixes and words, like a kind of jigsaw puzzle. If they get stuck, you can:

  • Ask them to try to spot patterns and use that to help with any that they are not sure about
  • Give them a couple of key answers
  • Get them to listen to all the answers without touching the cards, then try again from what they can remember of what you said

Let them check their answers with an un-cut-up copy of the worksheet.

If the vocabulary on the sheets in useful for your students more generally, you could do the word formation task after the grammar presentation, filling in different versions of each word in the gap given.

Before or after they do the grammar presentation sheet, you can get them to test each other by:

  • Reading out a group of words with the same negative prefix missing until their partner remembers what the missing negative prefix is
  • Reading out two words with different negative prefixes missing for their partner to complete (in different ways)
  • Reading out a word and seeing if their partner can remember the negative prefix
  • Reading out a negative prefix and helping their partner add as many suitable words as they can

 

Cards to cut up – CPE Use of English Part Three word formation version

un

acknowledged

dis

advantageous

in

capability

in

capable

un

certain

un

certainty

dis

comfort

un

conditional

non

conformist

un

critically

in

decisive

un

deniable

un

drinkable

in

finite

in

flexible

in

flexibility

de

humidify

un

intended

dis

interested

un

interested

un

just

in

justice

un

licensed

un

likelihood

un

likely

il

legal

il

liberal

im

material

im

mature

im

maturity

un

memorable

a

moral

im

moral

in

numerate

im

patience

im

patient

un

pleasant

dis

pleased

im

possibility

im

possible

im

practical

im

probability

im

probable

un

punctual

ir

regular

ir

regularity

un

reliability

un

reliable

ir

responsible

a

sexual

in

significance

in

significant

non

smoker

in

stability

un

stable

a

symmetrical

in

voluntary

 


Academic vocabulary word formation version

in

accurate

in

accuracy

in

adequate

in

adequacy

un

affected

un

aided

un

ambiguous

un

anticipated

un

attainable

un

biased

in

coherent

in

coherence

in

compatible

in

compatibility

non

conformist

non

conformism

in

consistency

in

consistent

un

constitutionality

in

flexible

in

flexibility

un

just

in

justice

un

justifiable

il

legal

il

legality

il

liberal

dis

locate

dis

location

il

logical

im

mature

im

maturity

im

material

un

modified

ab

normal

ab

normality

im

precise

im

precision

im

probable

im

probability

un

professional

un

professionalism

dis

proportionate

dis

proportionality

ir

rational

ir

rationality

ir

relevant

ir

relevance

un

reliable

un

reliability

un

stable

in

stability

in

sufficient

in

sufficiency

un

sustainable

un

sustainability

 

Negative prefixes grammar presentation 

Which are the top two most common negative prefixes on the cards?

 

Which kinds of words (= part of speech, e.g. adverb) does dis- usually go with? Which of those kinds of words rarely goes with the two most common negative prefixes that you talked about in the previous question above?

 

Which letter usually comes after ir-? Does that letter always have ir- in front of it, or are there examples of different negative prefixes followed by that letter?

 

Which letter usually comes after il-? Does that letter always have il- in front of it, or are there examples of different negative prefixes followed by that letter?

 

Which two different letters usually come after im-? Do those letters always have im- in front of them, or are there examples of different negative prefixes followed by those letters?

 

When there are two different parts of speech of the same word, e.g. a similar noun and adjective, do they usually have the same opposite prefixes or different negative prefixes? Is that always the case?

 

When there are two different negative prefixes with the same word (e.g. “immoral”/ “amoral” and “uninterested”/ “disinterested”), do they usually have the same meaning or different meanings?

 


Different parts of speech word formation practice – CPE version

acknowledgment 

(noun)

 

(adjective)

advantage

(noun)

 

(adjective)

capable

(adjective)

 

(noun)

certain

(adjective)

 

(noun)

condition

(noun)

 

(adjective)

conformist

(noun – person)

 

(noun – not person)

criticism

(noun)

 

(adverb)

decision

(noun)

 

(adjective)

deny

(verb)

 

(adjective)

flexible

(adjective)

 

(noun)

humid

(adjective)

 

(verb)

intention

(noun)

 

(adjective)

just

(adjective)

 

(noun)

likely

(adjective)

 

(noun)

mature

(adjective)

 

(noun)

memory

(noun)

 

(adjective)

patient

(adjective)

 

(noun)

please

(verb)

 

(adjective x 2)

possible

(adjective)

 

(noun)

probable

(adjective)

 

(noun)

regular

(adjective)

 

(noun)

reliable

(adjective)

 

(noun)

 

Different parts of speech word formation practice – Academic vocabulary version

accurate

(adjective)

 

(noun)

adequate

(adj.)

 

(n.)

ambiguity

(n.)

 

(adj.)

attain

(v.)

 

(adj.)

bias

(n.)

 

(adj.)

coherent

(adj.)

 

(n.)

compatible

(adj.)

 

(n.)

conformism

(n.)

 

(n. – person)

consistent

(adj.)

 

(n.)

flexible

(adj.)

 

(n.)

justice

(n.)

 

(adj. x 2)

legal

(adj.)

 

(n.)

logic

(n.)

 

(adj.)

mature

(adj.)

 

(n.)

normal

(adj.)

 

(n.)

precise

(adj.)

 

(n.)

probable

(adj.)

 

(n.)

professional

(adj.)

 

(n.)

rational

(adj.)

 

(n.)

relevance

(n.)

 

(adj.)

rely

(v.)

 

(adj.)

stability

(n.)

 

(adj.)

 

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