A prefix is a letter or group of letters, for example ‘un-‘ or ‘multi-‘, which is added to the beginning of a word in order to form a different word. Look at the following words:
- inter+national = international = across two or more nations
- post-+ production = post-production = after production
Complete the table by adding the correct prefix, bi, multi, re, pre, semi- or counter- to the words. The first one has been done for you.
| word | word+prefix | meaning of prefix |
| view | 1.preview | before |
| productive | 2………………… | opposite/opposite way |
| final | 3………………… | half |
| national | 4………………… | many |
| create | 5……………….. | again |
| lingual | 6………………. | two |
Some words are made negative by using prefix. For example:
- un + imaginable = unimaginable = not imaginable
- in + flexible = inflexible = not flexible
Complete the table by adding correct prefixes: ‘un, ir, im, dis, in’ to the words.
| word | word+prefix |
| quality | 1………………….. |
| trust | 2………………… |
| perfect | 3………………… |
| responsible | 4………………… |
| aware | 5………………… |
5. Complete the words 1-6 in the passage with the correct prefixes.
I love being amusician because I get to use my creativity and talent. The only problem is that the word is so (1) ……….regular; I never know when I’m going to get paid. I’d love to make a (2)………-million-pound deal with a record label, but that”s (3) ………..unlikely to happen. I like to dream, though! I played a few concerts last month, but if word doesn’t start coming soon, I’m going to have to (4)…………..-think my options. Some people think I’m (5) ……….responsible, but I just want to do the thing I love. Is that (6)……..reasonable?
Part 2: Practice exercises
If you paraphrase someone’s words, you express what they have said or written in a different way. For example:
The new action film is being released on Sunday – — The new aciton movie is coming out on Sunday.
Both these sentences have the same meaning, but some of the words are different.
Changing the word form and substituting synonyms are two common ways of paraphrasing. Look at the following examples:
Substituting synonyms:
Helen Davies is the most famous person in this twon —– Helen Davies is the most well-known person in this twon.
Changing word forms:
Andrew Johnson replaced Jack Sullivan as the hero. —–Andrew Johnson was Jack Sullivan’s replacement as the hero.
Paraphrase the sentences 1-4 by changing word forms.
- Felix Thomson was the composer of ‘Jules’ Theme.
Felix Thomson ……………..’Jules’ Theme.
2. Edward Howard is recognized by the nation as the best president the country has ever had.
Edward Howard is ……………………recognised as the best president the country has every had.
3. She performed really well in the new play.
She gave an excellent………………… in the new play.
4. The actor and director had creative differences.
The actor and director differed…………………….
Now paraphrase the sentences 5-8 by substituting synonyms.
5. It’s the final night of the show.
It’s the ………………night of the show.
6. Nicole was nervous because it was the premier of her film.
Nicole was nervous because it was the ………………. of her film.
7. The prize for Best Score goes to Harriet James for the theme song ‘Leaving Mississippi.’
The …………………for Best Score goes to Harriet James for the theme song ‘Leaving Mississippi.’
8. The lead actor was fired from the film because of his bad behaviour.
The lead actor was…………….. from the film because of his bad behaviour.
Exam information: Matching
In the IELTS Listening exam, you may have to match sentence beginnings with sentence endings. The words you read will not be the same as the ones you hear, so be prepared to listen for synonyms or paraphrases.
2. The sentece endings i-vii are paraphrases of the sentence endings a-d. Some paraphrases involve changing word forms and some involve substituting synonyms. Match each sentence ending a-c with two sentence endings i-vii. Sentence ending d has only one paraphrase. The first one has been done for you.
| changing word forms | substituting synonyms | |
| a.……..has had ten best selling books | iii | 1…………….. |
| b.…….was inspired by Tanbridge. | 2…………………. | 3………………. |
| c………is burried in the twon. | 4…………………. | 5………………. |
| d……...had a job in Tanbridge. | NONE | 6…………………… |
i. ……drew on Tanbridge for many of his novels.
ii………was laid to rest in Tanbridge
iii…………has written many books, ten of which were best sellers.
iv…………’s burial took place here in Tanbridge.
v………..was employed in Tanbridge for many years.
vi……….found Tanbridge as inspiration for his novels.
vii………had ten books which achieved massive sales.
Exam information: Multiple choice
As you must have come across with multiple-choice single-answer questions, another type of multiple-choice question gives you a sentence stem (i.e. the beginning of a sentence) and you have to choose the ending from three answer options.
The words you read will not be the same the ones you hear, so be prepared to listen for snynonyms or paraphrases.
4. Read the sentence beginning and the three answer options below.
The Final Chapter is based on
a. the director’s travels in South America
b. a story the director heard.
c. a novel.
In this type of multiple-choice question, there are three possible sentences, only one of which is correct:
- The Final Chapter is based on the director’s travels in South America.
- The Final Chapter is based on a story the director heard in Mexico.
- The Final Chapter is based on a South American novel.
Now read the extract from the recording for the question above and identify the paraphrased sections. Then decide which answer option a-c is correct and why.
The Final Chapter is a murder mystery film set in South America. Written and directed by Bruce Chambers, it is a project very close to his heart. Chambers found inspiration for the film whilst travelling around South America. There he heard about a Peruvian book which tells the story of the fight for gold in South America. Reading this story, he at once realised this was a film he had to make.
Exam tip: The recording will usually refer to all answer options. They may all be paraphrased but the details will not match. The wrong answers are known as distractors.
Exam information: Choosing answers from a list
You may have to choose a number of correct answers from a list. You are likely to hear all the answer options, but only some of them will be correct; the other options will be incorrect in some way.
6. Read the question and the answer options a-e.
| How has fame changed? a. More people are famous nowadays. b. Talent is irrelevant in becoming famous. c. The public now know almost everything about famous people. d. Famous people have lost their mystery. e. Fame is more short-lived. |
The sentences i-v are examples of sentences you might hear on the recording. Read the sentences and decide which answer option a-e above are correct.
i. Famous people have maintained their mystery.
ii. People are now famous for only short periods.
iii. It still takes immense talent to become famous.
iv. Compared to the past, the number of celebrities has almost doubled.
v. All aspects of a celebrity’s life are made known to the public.