More Prefixes
Can-Do Objective: I can identify and use the prefixes mis-, over-, under-, and non- to understand and form new words.
1. Focus Vocabulary
misunderstand
(verb)
hiểu lầm
Definition: to fail to understand something correctly
Example: Please do not misunderstand my instructions.
midnight
(noun)
nửa đêm
Definition: twelve o’clock at night
Example: The fireworks started at exactly midnight.
overcook
(verb)
nấu quá chín
Definition: to cook food for too long
Example: If you overcook the pasta, it becomes too soft.
underground
(adjective)
dưới lòng đất
Definition: located or happening below the surface of the earth
Example: The train travels through an underground tunnel.
misplace
(verb)
để nhầm chỗ
Definition: to put something in the wrong place and lose it temporarily
Example: I often misplace my glasses on my desk.
nonstop
(adjective)
không ngừng
Definition: continuing without stopping
Example: We took a nonstop flight from New York to London.
overweight
(adjective)
thừa cân
Definition: heavier than is allowed or healthy
Example: The doctor said the dog is a bit overweight.
midway
(adverb)
ở giữa chặng đường
Definition: in the middle of a way or distance
Example: We stopped for gas midway through our trip.
overreact
(verb)
phản ứng thái quá
Definition: to react too strongly to something
Example: Don’t overreact to the small mistake.
underpaid
(adjective)
được trả lương thấp
Definition: paid too little for the work done
Example: Many workers feel that they are underpaid.
2. Grammar & Word Formation
The Prefix ‘mis-‘
The prefix ‘mis-‘ is added to the beginning of a base word to mean ‘wrongly’ or ‘badly’.
Structure: mis- + base word (verb or noun)
- He didn’t mean to misspell the word on the board.
- The cat will misbehave if it doesn’t get enough attention.
- I had a misunderstanding with my friend yesterday.
Prefixes ‘over-‘ and ‘under-‘
The prefix ‘over-‘ usually means ‘too much’ or ‘above’, while ‘under-‘ means ‘too little’ or ‘below’.
Structure: over-/under- + base word
- I missed the bus because I decided to oversleep.
- Submarines can travel deep undersea.
- The baker decided to undercook the cookies so they stayed soft.
3. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 Vocabulary Matching: Match the word on the left with its definition on the right.
1. misplace
2. nonstop
3. overreact
4. underpaid
5. midnight
6. midway
A. twelve o’clock at night
B. to put something in the wrong place and lose it temporarily
C. paid too little for the work done
D. in the middle of a way or distance
E. continuing without stopping
F. to react too strongly to something
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1 – B: misplace means to put something in the wrong place (để nhầm chỗ).
2 – E: nonstop means continuing without stopping (không ngừng / liên tục).
3 – F: overreact means to react too strongly (phản ứng thái quá).
4 – C: underpaid means paid too little for work done (được trả lương thấp).
5 – A: midnight means twelve o’clock at night (nửa đêm).
6 – D: midway means in the middle of a distance (ở giữa chặng đường).
Exercise 2 Gap Fill: Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the vocabulary list.
- 1. Please don’t my text message; I am not angry at all.
- 2. Our suitcase went missing on a flight from Tokyo to Paris.
- 3. The workers went on strike because they felt they were overworked and .
- 4. Be careful not to the steak, or it will become tough and dry.
- 5. He is trying to lose weight because the doctor warned him he is slightly .
- 6. London has a very famous and old train system called the Tube.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. misunderstand: “Don’t misunderstand my text” means đừng hiểu lầm tin nhắn của tôi.
2. nonstop: “Nonstop flight” means chuyến bay thẳng không dừng.
3. underpaid: “Overworked and underpaid” means làm việc quá sức và bị trả lương thấp.
4. overcook: “Overcook the steak” means nấu thịt bò quá chín/bị dai.
5. overweight: “Slightly overweight” means hơi thừa cân một chút.
6. underground: “Underground train system” means hệ thống tàu điện ngầm dưới đất.
Exercise 3 Multiple Choice: Choose the best option to complete each sentence.
- 1. If you ________ your keys, look inside your jacket pocket first.
- 2. The party didn’t finish until ________, so everyone was very tired the next morning.
- 3. It’s just a small scratch on your car; please don’t ________!
- 4. We were tired, so we stopped at a rest area ________ through our long drive.
- 5. Airlines charge extra fees if your luggage is ________.
- 6. I couldn’t sleep because of the ________ noise from the construction site outside.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. B (misplace): Căn cứ vào “keys” (chìa khóa) và tìm kiếm hành động làm mất tạm thời (để nhầm chỗ).
2. C (midnight): Bữa tiệc kéo dài tới nửa đêm (midnight) khiến mọi người mệt mỏi.
3. A (overreact): “Vết xước nhỏ” (small scratch) nên khuyên không nên phản ứng thái quá (overreact).
4. D (midway): Dừng chân khi đi được nửa chặng đường (midway through our drive).
5. B (overweight): Hành lý bị quá cân (overweight) sẽ bị tính thêm phí.
6. A (nonstop): Tiếng ồn liên tục không ngừng (nonstop noise) làm mất ngủ.
Exercise 4 True or False: Read the sentences and decide if the use of the prefix word is Correct (T) or Incorrect (F).
- 1. If you undercook a cake, it might be raw and wet in the middle. [ T / F ]
- 2. A nonstop flight stops at three different airports before reaching its final destination. [ T / F ]
- 3. When you misspell a word, it means you wrote all the letters perfectly. [ T / F ]
- 4. An underground pathway is located high above the city streets. [ T / F ]
- 5. If a teacher thinks a student is underpaid, it means the student needs a higher test grade. [ T / F ]
- 6. To oversleep means you woke up much later than you wanted to. [ T / F ]
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. T: Đúng. Undercook là nấu chưa chín, bánh sẽ bị sống ở giữa.
2. F: Sai. Nonstop flight là chuyến bay thẳng không dừng, không thể ghé 3 sân bay.
3. F: Sai. Misspell là viết sai chính tả, không phải viết hoàn hảo.
4. F: Sai. Underground là dưới lòng đất, không phải ở trên cao so với đường phố.
5. F: Sai. Underpaid dùng cho tiền lương công việc, không dùng cho điểm số học sinh.
6. T: Đúng. Oversleep là ngủ quên, dậy muộn hơn dự kiến.
Exercise 5 Sentence Reordering: Rearrange the words to make complete, grammatically correct sentences.
- 1. misplace / my / I / keys / car / often / .
- 2. food / overcook / do / this / not / delicate / .
- 3. met / midnight / near / we / the / station / at / .
- 4. thought / she / underpaid / was / she / her / job / in / .
- 5. a / small / overreact / do / to / problem / not / .
- 6. tunnels / through / dark / the / train / underground / travels / .
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. I often misplace my car keys. (Tôi thường để nhầm chỗ chìa khóa xe ô tô.)
2. Do not overcook this delicate food. (Đừng nấu quá chín món ăn thanh vị/nhạy cảm này.)
3. We met near the station at midnight. (Chúng tôi gặp nhau gần nhà ga vào nửa đêm.)
4. She thought she was underpaid in her job. (Cô ấy nghĩ rằng mình bị trả lương thấp trong công việc.)
5. Do not overreact to a small problem. (Đừng phản ứng thái quá trước một vấn đề nhỏ.)
6. The train travels through dark underground tunnels. (Tàu hỏa di chuyển qua các đường hầm ngầm tối tăm.)
Exercise 6 Grammar Selection: Choose the correct prefix form to complete the target rule examples.
- 1. Children who (misbehave / overbehave) in class will be sent to the principal.
- 2. Don’t worry about the spelling test; it’s easy to (misspell / underspell) a word by mistake.
- 3. The submarine dived deep (undersea / overseasea) to avoid the heavy storm.
- 4. I forgot to set my alarm, so I (underslept / overslept) by two hours.
- 5. There was a huge (misunderstanding / nonunderstanding) about who was buying the tickets.
- 6. The meat was too tough because the chef decided to (undercook / overcook) it for too long.
? Click to see Answer Key & Explanation (Đáp án & Giải thích)
1. misbehave: Cư xử tồi/sai trái trong lớp (mis- có nghĩa là badly/wrongly).
2. misspell: Viết sai chính tả (sai sót chữ cái). Không tồn tại từ ‘underspell’.
3. undersea: Dưới lòng biển sâu. Từ chính xác ghép với under là undersea.
4. overslept: Ngủ quá giờ/ngủ quên (over- mang nghĩa là quá nhiều).
5. misunderstanding: Sự hiểu lầm (danh từ phổ biến đi với mis-).
6. overcook: Nấu quá lâu làm thịt bị dai (overcook for too long).
