This week’s prefixes are pre- and post-. These are very common in English, and you probably already know that they mean before and after. Just remember that the root word might be new, or difficult. Here are some examples from the Monday lunchtime IM class. Pre- is first.
- prearrange – To prepare or arrange something before it happens.
- precancerous – Tissue or cells that could become cancer.
- precede – Anything that comes before something else. This is a verb.
- precedent – A similar situation or example or rule that comes before another one. This is a noun form for precede.
- predestination – The belief that all of life has been determined beforehand. Some people believe in free will, while others believe in predestination. This is a very common debate in Western philosophy and religion.
- predict – To state your opinion of what will happen. I predict the weather will be rainy tomorrow.
- preempt – Any time something takes the place of another, because it’s more important. If you are watching your favorite TV show, and a news report starts in the middle of it, we say the news report has preempted your TV show.
Here’s post-.
- postgraduate – Studies done after graduation.
- posthumous – After death. This is usually something good, like a medal or an award.
- postmortem – Also after death, but this is usually used for a report or an analysis. Like on a police drama, the lawyers will wait for a postmortem.
- postmeridian – After the meridian line, which gives us the PM abbreviation: postmeridian.
- postscript – A note written after a letter is finished.
- postwar – After a war has finished.
Here are some common words that start with or include post, but not post-.
- post – Post by itself is a verb and a noun for any postal service. You post a letter to your mother, but you take it to the post to send it. It’s also a noun for a stick that holds up a fence.
- postmark – This is not post- plus mark, it’s
postandmarktogether — postmark. This is the stamp that the post office puts on your letter when you send it.
