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You can change the meaning of some words by adding prefixes (extra letters at the beginning of words). For example, you can change the meaning of 'polite' to mean 'not polite' by adding 'im' to the beginning of it to make 'impolite', or you can create the opposite 'efficient' by adding 'in' to the beginning of it to make 'inefficient'.
Here are some common prefixes and their meanings:
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anti - against
aging – anti-aging (adj): describes substances that are meant to prevent or limit the process of becoming old
depressant – anti-depressant (n): a drug to help people feel less sad or anxious
racist – anti-racist (adj): against the unfair treatment of belong to other racial groups from you
counter – against
argument – counter-argument (n): an argument or point of view against another argument or suggestion
intuitive – counterintuitive (adj): the opposite of what seems obvious or natural
productive – counterproductive (adj): having the opposite result to the one you intended
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dis – not, opposite
appear – disappear (v): go somewhere where you cannot be seen or found
agree – disagree (n): have a different opinion or idea from someone else
similar – dissimilar (adj): different from someone or something
un – not, opposite
fair – unfair (n): not treating people in a equal way, or not morally correct
available – unavailable (adj): not able to go somewhere to meet someone or do something
competitive – uncompetitive (n): not able to compete successfully with other businesses or products
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centi – one hundredth
metre – centimetre (n): one hundredth of a metre
litre – centilitre (n): one hundredth of a metre
milli – one thousandth
second – millisecond (n): one thousandth of a second
metre – millimetre (n): one thousandth of a metre
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Most words which are created with prefixes don't use hyphens. However, some do, for example, co (co-operate), pro (pro-government) and non (non-starter).
Some words with prefixes are hyphenated and other words with the same prefix aren't. For example, co-star and coexist or multilayered and multi-purpose. There's no hard and fast rule why this is the case. Use a good English-English dictionary to help you.
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politely
in a socially correct way that shows you are aware of and care about other people's feelings:
efficiently
in a way that uses time and energy well
change
take something back in order to get a different one
compensation
money that is paid to someone who has been inconvenienced
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