#2 (permalink) Sun Mar 15, 2009 13:00 pm "unconvenient" or "inconvenient"? Rules for "un-" |
|
|
"inconvenient" ?
Sorry, don't know the rule, if any. Just know that it is. _________________ If you need me, I'm here. |
|
Kitosdad I'm a Communicator ;-)

Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Posts: 3909 Location: ESSEN, Germany, (but English.)
|
#3 (permalink) Sun Mar 15, 2009 14:04 pm "unconvenient" or "inconvenient"? Rules for "un-" |
|
|
So many negative prefixes Author: Thomas Tsoi
In English, we can use a number of prefixes on adjectives to form their opposites. The following pairs come to mind as examples:
typical - atypical hydrous - anhydrous social - antisocial honest - dishonest legal - illegal possible - impossible active - inactive regular - irregular existent - nonexistent kind - unkind
In most cases, these prefixes are not interchangeable, so we do not have *unlegal or *apossible, for instance. Of course, fluent speakers have no problem in using the right prefix for the right word, as more than often, the negative adjectives are learned word by word. Having recognized that some of the prefixes are in fact no more than variations of the same prefix, our list of negative prefixes can be reduced to the following:
a- (an-) anti- dis- in- (il-, im-, ir-) non- un- http://www.linglish.net/2008/09/15/so-many-negative-prefixes/ _________________ con·text - The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning. |
|
Milanya I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 29 Dec 2008 Posts: 841 Location: Texas, USA (at present)
|