ESL General English Grammar Questions

ESL General English Grammar Questionshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)Re: Prefixes, how and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#968534Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:26:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:968534Anonymous0http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#968534http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-968534.xmlI need help with the prefix non and my math. lol sincerly chase gwinRe: negative prefixeshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#950813Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:12:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:950813andreabritobabapulle1http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#950813http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-950813.xmlhi,"the terms you use are "coined phrases" not frequently used by the average English speaker,or the speaker of average english, however there is a practical approach to the usage of English, i.e. it is more than likely that 98% of the population will never drive a plane, therefore the use of "plane-ing" a person is rather unlikely. Over 98% of the population in the western world would use "carred him" but if used in countries where there is traditional English, they would think that you meant "cared" and have omitted a very essential preposition'FOR' (a frrequent error or omission), but we have planed a plank and hit a tree or him, which is more acceptable and easily understood by any...Re: Prefixes, how and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#681921Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:23:20 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:681921Anonymous2http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#681921http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-681921.xmlI like to use "un" when it refers to something completely opposite to itself. I use "dis" when there is still a degree of the word existing. For example: I will refer my belief in a Great Spirit yet there are times when I am in unbelief (nothing); and times when I am doubtful or in disbelief.Difference of un and inhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#674982Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:07:17 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:674982Anonymous3http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#674982http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-674982.xml"In-" is usually used when something seems to be impossible, but is actually possible, but incredibly hard to succeed, so they put "in" rather than"un" In-dependence - You don't depend on something, it would be extremely hard to live if you had to depend on something because you haven't. Like, you suddenly start depending on burgers in McDonald because every other restaurant or store has been destroyed. Now, it would be hard to live on those burgers because you haven't eaten them for years straight, 3 times a day, unless you have been doing it. If you have, you probably are fat, and you depend on it. No offence. Just examples. "Un-" is rather impossible, or seemingly impossible. So, if...Re: negative prefixeshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#641214Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:641214Anonymous4http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#641214http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-641214.xmlhello guys, this for a help forum was a great help about the dis and un prefix. thanks.Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#611726Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:611726Anonymous5http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#611726http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-611726.xmlThis is very interesting Thank you for taking the time to write it. I found this thread because, I was recently corrected for using 'un' instead of 'non'. I argue that Non makes no sense. Understand the wordiness of the paragraph is sarcastic because a young poster had implied that another member was not using English, because he could not understand the message conveyed. What we obviously need to do, is raise Academic standards, and remove the unnegotiable electives that are diverting the resources of institutionalized imparting of knowledge , degenerating the objective of that endeavor we call public education, perhaps then H.S. graduates can recognize and interpret the English language, prior to the pursuit of...Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#584868Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:584868Anonymous6http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#584868http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-584868.xmlhi,guys!i can understand you...negative prefixes are extremely difficult!!just try to be patient..bye..Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#525453Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:525453Anonymous7http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/4/wvkl/Post.htm#525453http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-525453.xmlThat is an excellent explanation! I had a book once that explained the rules, and your description was many times better than what the book offered, and what I was hoping to find on the internet! Thanks!Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#500696Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:500696Anonymous8http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#500696http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-500696.xmlplease sir, can you tell me what are the refrences that you used?Re: Prefixes, how and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#474514Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:474514Anonymous9http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#474514http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-474514.xmlThere are some rules to help you remember. This chart always helps my students. ir - used before r - irrelevant, irresponsible il - used before l - illicit, illogical, illegal im - used before p,b,m - imperfect, impossible, immoral, in - used before all other letters - uncomfortable, unexceptable un, non, and dis have no rules and require a little memorizationRe: Prefixes, how and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#447611Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:447611Anonymous10http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#447611http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-447611.xmli have no clue im trying to figure out the same thing so if u find out tell me and if i find out ill tell u! ~cupcake PrincessRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#370887Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:370887Anonymous11http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#370887http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-370887.xmlHey! You have done a good work! Very interesting explanaation (although I do not know if practically useful) MarmarinaRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#349775Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:349775CalifJim12http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#349775http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-349775.xmlGoogle should be able to help you with suffixes. There are many! Here's a good list: http://www.paulnoll.com/Books/Clear-English/English-suffixes-1.html There are several pages of suffixes at that site. CJRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#349725Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:349725Anonymous13http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#349725http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-349725.xmlDear Califjim, I'm an English teacher in Peru and I was just trying to find some information regarding Suffixes, and to be honest with you have shed some light upon that issue. Thanks a lot CarlXRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#290995Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:290995Anonymous14http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#290995http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-290995.xmlwhere the word has another feature, <img src="/emoticons/emotion-67.gif" alt="Camera " />, <img src="/emoticons/emotion-56.gif" alt="Sleep " />, , <img src="/emoticons/emotion-65.gif" alt="Kiss " />, = NON (Non-Venerial) , , , I.e Elsewhere = DIS (Dis-Affected) UN distinction is semantic, not phonologically driven. Also these prefixes were most likely separate words origionally and over time changed to the bound morpheme we know them as. I see that most of them are semantically driven but there is a distiction between NON and DIS as above from the data I saw.Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#290982Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:290982Anonymous15http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#290982http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-290982.xmlIf anything I would say it is regressive since the affix is changing depending on the following phonemes. Ill try to figure it out and report back in a few minutes.Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#216580Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:216580CalifJim16http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/3/wvkl/Post.htm#216580http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-216580.xmlthis stupid dictionary site thinks UNTHAW is a word -- emphasis on stupid ! I agree that sometimes it's just best to drop it. CJRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#216575Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:216575Clive17http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#216575http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-216575.xmlHi Joanne, I'd just drop it. People don't always appreciate having their errors pointed out. Best wishes, CliveRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#216556Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:216556Anonymous18http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#216556http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-216556.xmlI see this message is very old - but I was looking for help and this address came up - so I'm hoping you can help me. I clicked on this link and found out that I was right, UNTHAW is not a word. If something is UN-thawed, it is obviously NOT thawed, thawed being a state of not frozen - if something is NOT thawed, then it has to still be frozen. HOWEVER, there is a woman at a professional site on the web who is a cook and publishes recipes, believe it or not, who uses this word, UNTHAW, in a lot of her recipes. Check out - http://busycooks.about.com/od/quickbreads/r/blueberrymuffin.html and http://busycooks.about.com/od/turkeyrecipes/r/crockpotturkey.html I emailed her and told her about this word and she emailed me back a link to...Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#198132Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:198132Goodman19http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#198132http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-198132.xmlClive wrote: Hi Zdenek, This last post seems to me to be a very feeble attempt to be ill-mannered and annoying. Can't you do any better than that? Clive Come with every deck of card, there always will be two “jokers”. Lurking around every forum, there will always be a couple of “loose nuts”-Quoted goodman That’s not my rule but a reality. Clive, It’s not even worth it. It’s pretty evident who is “educated” or otherwise!Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#198117Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:198117Clive20http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#198117http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-198117.xmlHi, deregister The office registered you in the wrong course, so they deregistered you. ie they removed you from the register. unregister You come to the class but your name is not on the register. Your name has never been on the register.You are an unregistered student. Best wishes, CliveRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#197712Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:197712Anonymous21http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#197712http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-197712.xmlPlease tell me which is more correct as the opposite act of registering something. Is it unregister or deregister? I've looked in the online dictionaries and can't find either word. Thanks!Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#164750Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:164750Anonymous22http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#164750http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-164750.xmladding a word that existRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#157834Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:157834Klavier23http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#157834http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-157834.xmlAnonymous wrote: Hi, freak guy, otherwise You would not ferer the poor guy to long lists of words to memorise by heart or to practical usage ONLY. Have a nice sleep in Your den So, should I learn ancient roots, rules, and which consonant and vowels go here and there ? Should I burn my brain with this stuff when it comes to the prefix retro- for example, or is it more 'PRACTICAL' to learn all the words in the dictionary in this pattern? Please allow me: retroactive - retrograde - retrospect - retrospective. Oh! I think I have already learnt them. Have a nice sleep in Your monastery.Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#154911Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:154911Clive24http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#154911http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-154911.xmlHi Zdenek, This last post seems to me to be a very feeble attempt to be ill-mannered and annoying. Can't you do any better than that? CliveRe: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#154768Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:154768Anonymous25http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/2/wvkl/Post.htm#154768http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-154768.xmlHi, freak guy, of course, there are very strict rules, but these rules are rooted in ancient LAtin, if You do not know Latin, then You can claim there are no rules. But if You are not educated enought, You should not state such a nonsense. There are rules as to what consonants or vowels must precede to add this or that prefix. Have you ever heard of a progressive assimilation, for example? You do not seem to have, otherwise You would not ferer the poor guy to long lists of words to memorise by heart or to practical usage ONLY. Have a nice sleep in Your den Yours ZdenekRe: negative prefixeshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#76418Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:76418CalifJim26http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#76418http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-76418.xml"I planed him" means "I hit him with a plane" You can also 'car' somebody. You can also 'glass' somebody. "Dude! I totally glassed him!" And you can bus someone somewhere, so I suppose you can car someone somewhere. So in "I carred them home" you're doing a favor, but in "I carred them in the street" you probably did quite a bit of damage. And then we can face things, and deface things. Go figure. Go disfigure. And you might have kneed someone, but then again you might have need of someone.Re: negative prefixeshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#76403Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:76403Guest27http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#76403http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-76403.xmlThanks a lot, CalifJim. However, I must point out that yes, you CAN 'plane' someone. "I planed him" means "I hit him with a plane" You can also 'car' somebody. You can also 'glass' somebody. "Dude! I totally glassed him!" Means "My friend, I would like to exclaim loudly and excitedly that I cut my friend with glass shards" There. This is a concept called verbing (according to Calvin of Calvin & Hobbes). While the above was a joke, you can in fact 'knee' someone, 'elbow' someone and even 'finger' someone (make no mistake- 'finger' is meant exclusively as an Internet Relay Chat term). In many cases, certain words are both...Re: negative prefixeshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#70356Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:70356Mister Micawber28http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#70356http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-70356.xmlHello Bozena, Welcome to English Forums. The prefixes you mention are not specifically negative, but carry meanings of 'opposite', 'down', 'out', 'beyond', or associated ideas depending on the specific use. The entire word formed, of course, could be negative by association, irrespective of the prefix: 'superbad'. Prefixes of any kind may or may not influence word stress, depending on the root and other affixes. Again, you'll have to use the dictionary; there are no lists and rules.Re: negative prefixeshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#70351Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:70351Bozena29http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#70351http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-70351.xmlAre only these prefixes (a-, non-, in-, dis-, un-) negative one? What about anti-, contra-, counter-, de-, ex-, and extra-? Aren't they sometimes negative, too? Do negative prefixes have influence on pronunciation?Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40966Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:40966praveenkbox30http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40966http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-40966.xmlHi califjim, Excellent material.You have done a great job. Thanks for your help. praveen.Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40819Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:40819CalifJim31http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40819http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-40819.xmlThere is no rule. Words with these prefixes have come about through accidents of history. The most usual is "un-", but always consult a dictionary. The following does not really answer your question, but you may find it somewhat useful anyway, especially if you're willing to work to dig some of this out of a dictionary. Dissertation on "Negative Prefixes" in English. "a-" is a Greek prefix meaning "not" or "without". It is found almost exclusively with words formed from Greek roots. You can usually spot these by the spellings: "ph", "th", "y", "rh", "chr", "pn", "mn", final "sis" or "ic". theist / atheist chromatic / achomatic rhythmic / arhythmic symmetry / asymmetry This prefix is found mostly in scientific terminology,...Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40789Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:40789praveenkbox32http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40789http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-40789.xmlHi micawber, Thanks for your information. Meanwhile, do you know the reasons for their present usages like dis- in disappointment,un- in unimportant,etc.Are there any rules for their usages or just they are employed inaccordance to better pronunciation. praveen.Re: How and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40706Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:40706Mister Micawber33http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htm#40706http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-40706.xmlUnfortunately, there are no rules, only usage, so you'll have to use the dictionary, Praveen. Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, in addition to the more common negatives in the main listings, also includes a long list of other words with the same prefix.Prefixes, how and where to use negative prefixes like un-,dis,non-,etc?http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htmMon, 25 May 2009 23:37:24 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:40641praveenkbox34http://www.englishforums.com/English/PrefixesNegativePrefixes/wvkl/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-40641.xmlHi, I just have one confusion of where to apply the negative prefixes life un,dis,non,a correctly. We may have come across different fields where they are employed frequently, but, we don't know how to apply the correct negative prefixes. So, can anyone help me out please. Thanks, praveen.