Year 4 · SPaG · Word families, prefixes and suffixes
Year 4 prefixes in-, il-, im- and ir- worksheet and PowerPoint
To add in-, il-, im- or ir- to a word to make its opposite, and to choose the right one.
Prefixes that mean not
The prefixes in-, il-, im- and ir- all mean not. Which one you use depends on the first letter of the word: il- before l (illegal), im- before m, p and b (impossible), ir- before r (irregular), and in- for most other words (incorrect).
| il- | il + legal = illegal |
|---|---|
| im- | im + possible = impossible, im + polite = impolite |
| ir- | ir + regular = irregular |
| in- | in + correct = incorrect, in + active = inactive |
Examples
- It is impossible to finish.
- That answer is incorrect.
Key words
- prefix
- letters added to the start of a word
- in-, il-, im-, ir-
- all mean not
- opposite
- a word with the opposite meaning
What is on the worksheet
Every sheet for this lesson has a short teaching box and 12 questions that get gradually harder: 8 fluency questions, then 4 reasoning questions that ask pupils to explain or choose. A writing challenge follows. The questions use the same styles as the key stage 2 grammar and punctuation test (circle, underline, tick, fill the gap, add punctuation, rewrite, explain). They are written for this website, not copied from past papers.
All the answers are on the last page of the same editable Word file. New questions are made every time, so you can print a different sheet for every group or for homework. The same sheet code always gives the same sheet.
Writing challenge: Write ten sentences, each with a word made with in-, il-, im- or ir-. Underline the prefix.
Pupil target: I can choose in-, il-, im- or ir-.
The PowerPoint
A 20-slide lesson deck for the same lesson: a starter that revisits earlier learning, key words, an I do and a You do question on each slide with a countdown timer, answers that appear one click at a time, and a challenge. Download the prefixes in-, il-, im- and ir- PowerPoint.
Where this lesson fits
This is lesson 56 of 60 in the Year 4 SPaG scheme, in the block “Word families, prefixes and suffixes”.
Other lessons in this block
- Word families
- Prefixes dis-, mis- and re-
- Words ending -sure, -ture and -cher
- Endings -ation, -sion, -ssion, -tion and -cian
- Using suffixes
- Root words together
This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Standards and Testing Agency or the Department for Education.