Creating Opposites

Worksheet Description

The “Forming Opposites with Prefixes” worksheet is designed to help students learn how to form antonyms by adding prefixes to base words. The worksheet provides a list of words such as “rational,” “responsible,” and “modest,” along with a selection of prefixes like “in-,” “un-,” “dis-,” “im-,” “il-,” and “ir-.” Students are instructed to choose the correct prefix from the options given at the top of the page to create the opposite meaning of the listed words. For instance, adding “ir-” before “rational” changes the word to “irrational,” which is the opposite of the original word.

This worksheet is teaching students about the concept of negation in word formation. By choosing and adding the appropriate prefix to a given word, students learn how to create words with meanings opposite to the original words. This exercise not only enhances their understanding of prefixes and their impact on the meaning of words but also significantly expands their vocabulary. Additionally, it reinforces the spelling conventions associated with negative prefixes and the rules for their use, such as the use of “im-” before words starting with ‘p’ or ‘m’, and “il-” before words starting with ‘l’.