|
In ESOL classes, occasionally focusing on prefixes is helpful for students trying to recognize word patterns and spellings. It also generates some wonderful discussions, as did a recent list of words to which my class added the prefixes "en-" and "em-." (If the word following the prefix begins with "p" or "b," the prefix must be "em-.") The class began by deciphering what "en-" and "em-" mean when attached to the following list of words:
After the class agreed on a definition -- "to make or cause to be" -- we discussed what life events have caused us enrichment, enlightenment, empowerment, enslavement, etc. The answers were tender, clever, and surprising. |