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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary
Pronounciation of words that begin with "pre"
Hi there!
I have got a problem pronouncing the words that beign with the suffix "pre".
The problem is, there are two ways to pronounce "pre" and I dont know when to pronounce "pre"
as in "previous"
or
as in "precious"
Is is possible to learn some kind of rule to know how to pronounce the suffix "pre" in newely encountered words? Can it be seen by looking at consonants or vovels?
I know that words which start with " pre- " are all pronounced as "previous".
Cheers,
Tom
I have got a problem pronouncing the words that beign with the suffix "pre".
The problem is, there are two ways to pronounce "pre" and I dont know when to pronounce "pre"
as in "previous"
or
as in "precious"
Is is possible to learn some kind of rule to know how to pronounce the suffix "pre" in newely encountered words? Can it be seen by looking at consonants or vovels?
I know that words which start with " pre- " are all pronounced as "previous".
Cheers,
Tom
Top answer
No, Tom, it cannot be seen that way. It depends on the meaning. If 'pre-' is a prefix and means 'before', then it is pronounced /pri:/, but in cases like 'precious' (where no prefix is involved at all), or in cases where the meaning 'before' has become vague or lost (as in 'prefer'), other factors (stress pattern, origin, etc) will more likely affect the pronunciation.
- No, Tom, it cannot be seen that way.
- It depends on the meaning.
- If 'pre-' is a prefix and means 'before', then it is pronounced /pri:/, but in cases like 'precious' (where no prefix is involved at all), or in cases where the meaning 'before' has become vague or lost (as in 'prefer'), other factors (stress pattern, origin, etc) will more likely affect the pronunciation.
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1 Answers
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No, Tom, it cannot be seen that way. It depends on the meaning. If 'pre-' is a prefix and means 'before', then it is pronounced /pri:/, but in cases like 'precious' (where no prefix is involved at all), or in cases where the meaning 'before' has become vague or lost (as in 'prefer'), other factors (stress pattern, origin, etc) will more likely affect the pronunciation.
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