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Question

Difficulty: EasyWord Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

The student's handwriting was so untidy that the examiner found the script completely unreadable. Which of the following options correctly applies a negative prefix to the root 'legible' to mean unreadable?

  1. illegibleAnswer
  2. B
    unlegible
  3. C
    inlegible
  4. D
    dislegible

Answer

The word 'illegible' is the correct negative form of 'legible'.
The root word 'legible' requires the negative prefix 'il-', which is an assimilated form of 'in-' used specifically before words beginning with the letter 'l'. Combining 'il-' and 'legible' correctly forms 'illegible', meaning incapable of being read.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the root word and its initial consonant.
The root word is 'legible', which begins with the consonant 'l'.
Prefix assimilation rules depend on the starting sound of the base word.
2
Apply the appropriate negative prefix rule for roots beginning with 'l'.
The Latin negative prefix 'in-' changes (assimilates) to 'il-' before 'l'.
English morphological rules require assimilation of 'in-' to 'il-' before 'l' to create phonetically smooth word formations.

Key Concept

Prefix Assimilation in Negation
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Topics

Word Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

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