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Primary English · Year 5Chapter 2 · Prefixes: in-, dis-, de-, re-, auto- and bi-
Year 5 English · Prefixes: in-, dis-, de-, re-, auto- and bi- · Lesson 2.4

Year 5 English: The prefixes re- and auto-: again and self

Part of the Year 5 English prefixes: in-, dis-, de-, re-, auto- and bi- chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

2.4

The prefixes re- and auto-: again and self

Year 5
Use re- to mean again, and auto- to mean self (SP-Y5e)
Story. Mia has been asked to rewrite her story after the teacher reads it. The school library has an autobiography of a famous scientist, which Mia reads to find out about the scientist's own life. She notices that re- and auto- are both useful prefixes.

Key pattern

The prefix re- means again: write becomes rewrite, which means to write again.

The prefix auto- means self: graph (writing) becomes autograph, which is your own signature.

Automatic means working by itself. An autobiography is a book about a person's life, written by that person.

Key ideas

  • re- means again: replay, reheat, rebuild.
  • auto- means self: automatic, autograph, autobiography.
  • The root word tells you the action or thing; the prefix tells you how or when.
  • Check a dictionary if you are not sure.
Worked example 2.4.1
Write the word that means to heat something again.

Method. re- means again.

  1. Find the prefix. re- means again.
    re-
  2. Add it to the root. Heat again is reheat.
    re + heat
  3. Write the answer.
    reheat

Check. Reheat means heat again. ✓

Worked example 2.4.2
Write the word that means working by itself.

Method. auto- means self, so the word means moving or working by itself.

  1. Find the prefix. The prefix auto- means self.
    auto-
  2. Add the root. The root word is matic, from the idea of moving by itself.
    self + moving
  3. Write the answer.
    automatic

Check. Automatic works by itself. ✓

Worked example 2.4.3
Which is a book about a person's own life, written by that person: autobiography or biography?

Method. auto- means self, so the book is written by the person about themselves.

  1. Find the prefix. Auto- means self.
    auto-
  2. Compare the words. A biography is written about someone; an autobiography is written by the person about their own life.
    autobiography
  3. Write the answer.
    autobiography

Check. Autobiography is correct. ✓

Exercise 2D  Practice: re- and auto-

1
FAdd re- to write.
2
FAdd re- to play, to mean play again.
3
FAdd re- to heat.
4
FAdd re- to build.
5
FWrite the word that means to start again.
6
FWrite the word that means working by itself, without a person.
7
FWrite the word that means a book about your own life, written by you.
8
FWrite the word that means your own handwritten name, such as on a card or book.
9
FWhich is spelt correctly: restart or restert?
10
PSWhich prefix means again: re- or auto-?
11
PSSam says that autograph means a book written by a robot. Is he right? Explain.
12
RExplain what reheat means, using its prefix.

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