Which statement correctly describes a prefix?

Which statement correctly describes a prefix?

• A. It is added to the end of a word to give it a new meaning.
• B. It is added to the middle of a word to create a new tense.
• C. It replaces the root word.
• D. It is added to the beginning of a word to give it a new meaning.

Answer: (D)

A prefix is a morpheme placed at the front of a word to change its meaning. It attaches to the beginning of the base word to modify or extend meaning without altering the root itself. That’s why describing a prefix as something added to the beginning to give a new meaning is correct. Examples like un- in unhappy, re- in redo, and pre- in preview show how prefixes shift sense. Adding something at the end would be a suffix, not a prefix, and altering tense isn’t done by inserting a piece in the middle of a word in English—tense is shown through verb forms or auxiliary verbs. Replacing the root would give a different word entirely rather than just adding a prefix.

A prefix is a morpheme placed at the front of a word to change its meaning. It attaches to the beginning of the base word to modify or extend meaning without altering the root itself. That’s why describing a prefix as something added to the beginning to give a new meaning is correct. Examples like un- in unhappy, re- in redo, and pre- in preview show how prefixes shift sense. Adding something at the end would be a suffix, not a prefix, and altering tense isn’t done by inserting a piece in the middle of a word in English—tense is shown through verb forms or auxiliary verbs. Replacing the root would give a different word entirely rather than just adding a prefix.