Saturday, June 16, 2012

Learn English Prefix 1: "Anti-" or "Ant-"

Meaning: The basic meaning of "anti" is "against". Be careful - in other languages, "anti" still keeps its original meaning, "before", but not in English!
Pronunciation: Some people pronounce "anti" as "ant - I" but others pronounce it as "ant - ee". The second pronunciation is more common in North America, but both are acceptable.
Example 1: "antisocial" describes a person who is not friendly. "He has been very antisocial since his wife died two years ago".
Example 2: "antislavery" describes the efforts of people to fight against using other humans as slaves. "The antislavery movement was an effort by many people to end slavery in the 19th century".
Example 3: "antiwar" means to be against a war or against all wars. "Antiwar protesters went to Washington to persuade the President to stop sending soldiers abroad".
Other useful words:
antibacterial - kills bacteria
antispam software - stops junk email
antonym - an opposite word
antibiotic - a kind of medicine
antifreeze - stops car engines from freezing in winter
antibody - something that fights disease in the human body




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