Prefixes: English prefixes tend to fall into two categories:Germanic origin a-, be-, fore-, mis-, out-, over-, un-, under-, up-, with- Examples: awake, belief, forgive, forewarn, outside, mistake, overuse, untie, understand, uphold, withdraw. Latinate origin, as shown below: a(d)-, com-, de-, dis-, en-, ex-, in-, ob-, per-, pre-, pro-, re-, sub-, sur-. Examples: adapt, combust, deactivate, disable, enlist, exhale, inhale, obstruct, persuade, premeditate, proclaim, reaffirm, subside, surmount.
As a general rule, words that contain prefixes (regardless of origin) receive stress on the first syllable of the root element rather than on the prefix. The prefix is either unstressed or lightly stressed, as follows:
- The Germanic prefixes a-, be-, for-, and with- are always unstressed, whereas all others usually light stress
- Prefixes of Latinate origin are generally unstressed when combined with verbs.