1. Complete the text with the prefixes below.
ex micro multi over sub under
COLLEGE drop-out
James Cameron is one of Hollywood’s most successful directors. His 1) _______-award winning films include The Terminator, Titanic and Avatar. When he isn’t directing, he works as a scientist and explores the deepest parts of the ocean in a 2) _______marine. But he 3) _______achieved as a physics student, leaving university without a degree. After working as a lorry driver, he then worked in special effects before becoming a director. Some 4) _______-colleagues describe him as a difficult person to work with. However, others say that he is just a perfectionist who tries to 5) _______manage every aspect of his films and sometimes 6) _______reacts when things go wrong.
Show answers
1) multi-award 2) submarine 3) underachieved
4) ex-colleagues 5) micromanage 6) overreacts
2. Complete the sentences with the prefixes below.
co mini mis multi over post re semi
1) day is ______-retired – he still works two or three mornings a week.
2) The company lost millions because of ______management at the highest level.
3) Six of ______-workers have lost their jobs in the past year.
4) last proper holiday from work was four years ago, although I’ve had a few ______-breaks.
5) If we can’t find the right person for the job, we’ll just have to ______-advertise.
6) She finished her university degree and then did a ______graduate qualification.
7) She never stops for lunch: she just drinks coffee and takes ______vitamin pills!
8) I don’t want to sound ______confident, but I’m sure I’ll be good at this job.
Show answers
1) semi-retired 2 mismanagement 3) co-workers
4) mini-breaks 5) re-advertise 6) postgraduate
7) multivitamin 8) overconfident
3. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use one word only, beginning with a prefix from exercise 1 or 2.
1) You cooked this meat for too long.
You overcooked this meat.
2) Our team did not perform well enough last season.
Our team ________. last season.
3) I met a former school friend in a café in town.
I met an ________. in a café in town.
4) She’s an expert in history after World War II.
She’s an expert in ________. history.
5) I’m sorry, I typed your name incorrectly.
I’m sorry, I ________. your name.
6) They bought the house, but sold it again a year later.
They bought the house, but ________. it a year later.
7) Ben Stiller wrote Zoolander with two other writers.
Ben Stiller and two other writers ________. Zoolander.
Show answers
2) underperformed 3) ex-girlfriend 4) post-war
5) mistyped 6) resold 7) co-wrote
VOCAB BOOST!
You can use mind maps for groups of words that are connected. Mind maps are particularly useful for people who have a visual memory.
4. Read the Vocab boost! box. Add these words and phrases to the mind-map for jobs
answer the phone badly-paid gardener hairdresser
lorry driver paramedic programmer receptionist
repetitive serve customers tiring well-paid
Show answers
indoors : programmer, hairdresser, receptionist
activities : serve customers, answer the phone
outdoors : gardener, paramedic, lorry driver
describing : badly-paid, repetitive, tiring, well-paid
5. What are the sentences about? Add a prefix to the words in bold to make one word with the same meaning as the sentence.
1) He was her husband , but now he isn’t. ________.
2) We are workers in the same company. ________.
3) We took a small bus to the hotel. ________.
4) There is an extremely small processor in your phone. ________.
5) I hope they don’t interpret what I say in the wrong way. ________.
6) He is a great performer. He’s talented in many ways. ________.
7) We need to do this again – it isn’t right. ________.
8) Don’t work too much! ________.
Show answers
1) ex-husband 2) coworkers 3) mini-bus
4) microprocessor 5) misinterpret 6 multitalented
7) redo 8) overwork