Basic Negation — Fill in the Gap, Set 3 (B1)

Your task

Fill in the gap in each sentence with the correct word or phrase.

0 / 7 answered

Your score

0 / 70%

Keep practising! Focus on the explanations below.

Scientists a new species of insect in the rainforest last year. (COVER)

Correct answer: discover

Add dis- to "cover" to form "discover" — to find something for the first time. Dis- here has a Latin origin meaning "apart", giving the sense of revealing something hidden.

The journalist managed to the scandal after months of investigation. (COVER)

Correct answer: uncover

Add un- to "cover" to form "uncover" — to remove a cover or to expose something secret. Compare: discover = find something new for the first time; uncover = reveal something that was deliberately hidden.

Eating fast food every day is . It contains too much fat and sugar. (HEALTHY)

Correct answer: unhealthy

Add un- to "healthy" to form "unhealthy" — bad for your health. Note: "unhealthy" (un-) not "inhealth" — the prefix un- is used with adjectives ending in -y.

The new bus route was very . Passengers complained about the long journey times. (POPULAR)

Correct answer: unpopular

Add un- to "popular" to form "unpopular" — not liked by many people.

She gave all her food to the hungry children. It was a very act. (SELFISH)

Correct answer: unselfish

Add un- to "selfish" to form "unselfish" — thinking of others before yourself. "Selfless" is a more common synonym but "unselfish" is the standard un- derivation.

The smell from the factory was very . Everyone in the area complained. (PLEASANT)

Correct answer: unpleasant

Add un- to "pleasant" to form "unpleasant" — not pleasant; causing a bad feeling. Un- is used with "pleasant" even though it ends in a consonant cluster.

Arriving late to a meeting without explanation shows for other people's time. (RESPECT)

Correct answer: disrespect

Add dis- to "respect" to form "disrespect" — lack of respect or rude behaviour. Here "disrespect" is a noun (add dis- to the noun "respect").

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