adjectives - Are there any patterns to observe in choosing the correct negative prefix to use?


Are there any patterns to observe in choosing the correct negative prefix to use, as in unbelievable, disproportionate, asymmetric, and intolerable? (There are other negative prefixes as well, but these are the ones I usually mix up.)


Un- and in- are probably the ones I most frequently mix up, as in *untolerable/intolerable, *unedible/inedible, *unexact/inexact, *unappropriate/inappropriate, ... I realize these are all in-, but why? Is there anything to look for there?



Answer



Agreeing with the answer Shinto Sherlock gave from Fowler, World Wide Words says,



In general, words take un- when they are of English (Germanic) origin and in- if they come from Latin. (The forms im-, il-, and ir- are variations on in-.) Apart from that, there’s really no good guide to which one you should choose.



Following the link will give you an expanded discussion of this topic.


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