Episode 244 Word Power The Prefix re-

Disclaimer

I am using an automatic transcript service as it is not possible for me to do it on my own and I cannot afford human transcription at the moment. The service claims to have about 95% accuracy, which means there will still be some mistakes, so my apologies for having a less than perfect transcript, but I hope I can afford human transcription soon and I will solve this problem. However, the service is pretty good, and the transcript is almost perfect.

Transcript

Welcome to a new episode from English plus podcast. This is your host, Danny, and we will talk today about word power and we will focus on the prefix re R E. We will learn 10 words with this prefix, and we will add them to our active vocabulary bank. Now without further ado, let’s start. And let me tell you about those 10 words.

[00:00:25] You’re going to learn in today’s episode. These 10 words are rebates, rebuttal, recompense, redundant, refrain, reimburse relapse, renegotiate. Renovate and repel. Now, before we start talking about these words, let me tell you about this very common prefix in English. That is R E now when combined with a word or root, it adds the meaning again, or back to the word or root.

[00:00:57] Now the R E or the re brief X comes from a Latin prefix with a similar spelling and meaning the meaning of a route may not always be known, but the prefix is always part of the meaning of the whole word. So here, remember we can have the meaning back or again, do something again or back. I know we will see that in the words we’re going to talk about.

[00:01:21] So let’s start with our very first word rebate. R E B a T E rebate. Let’s take a look at this example and then we will figure out the meaning of the word, and we will see that this word and all the other words are related to this meaning back. And again, so now to the example, the camera costs $200.

[00:01:43] However, if the receipt and a store coupon is mailed to the manufacturer, a rebate of $50 will be sent to the purchaser. So here a rebate of $50, it costs $200. But if you send the receipt and a store coupon, you will have a rebate of $50. The purchaser actually will have a rebate of $50. What does that mean?

[00:02:06] A rebate is the amount of money which is paid to you. When you have paid more tax, more rent, more rates than you need to. And sometimes in this case, it’s just an offer. It’s just like a discount. You get a coupon and you get some money back. So there is something back or again here. Okay. So that is rebate.

[00:02:24] Now let’s talk about rebuttal, R E B U T T a L rebuttal. The example goes, the political debate will follow strict rules. Each candidate will make a 20 minute presentation of his or her position of an issue. Then the opposing candidates will each have 10 minutes for a rebuttal. What is a rebuttal then? If you make a rebuttal of a charge or accusation that has been made against you, you make a statement which gives reasons why the accusation is untrue.

[00:02:59] So here you answer back, you retort back. So that is Reid rebuttal. And now for the next word, That is recompense, R E C O M P E N S E recommence. Now the example goes, the volunteers who collected and distributed toys at the homeless shelter found the children’s smiles, ample recompense for their work. So what is the meaning of recompense?

[00:03:28] If you are given something usually money. In recompense, you are giving it as a reward or because you have suffered now here, obviously those volunteers didn’t get money. They got those smiles from those children, and that was enough. That was ample recompense for their work. So that was recompense. Now let’s move on to talk about redundant.

[00:03:52] Redundant is spelled R E D U N D a N T redundant. And now for the example, the acceptance remarks at the award ceremony soon became redundant. Everyone who got an award thanked his or her parents, coworkers, and the audience. Now, something that is redundant is no longer needed because its job is being done by something else or because its job is no longer necessary or useful.

[00:04:21] Now here it’s redundant because it’s used over and over again. So it is not useful anymore. But here, let me tell you about another common meaning of redundant. If you are made redundant, your employer tells you to leave because your job is no longer necessary or because your employer cannot afford to keep paying you.

[00:04:41] But redundant doesn’t have this meaning in this example to be specific. So that was redundant. Now let’s move on to talk about another word and that is refrain. Let’s take a look at this example. As we walk down the hall, we heard the familiar refrained, three blind mice coming from the kindergarten classroom again.

[00:05:00] And again. What is a refrain, which is spelled by the way, R E F R a I N refrain refrain is a short, simple part of a song, which is repeated many times over and over again. Remember re we’re talking about back and again, back and again, repeat. So that was refrain. And now let’s move on to the next word reimburse.

[00:05:24] But before we continue with the other five words, let me remind you that you can find the show notes of this episode in a link I will leave in the description. This link will take you to our website, English plus podcast.com, where you will find everything you need to practice everything you’re learning here in English plus podcast.

[00:05:43] It is very important to practice when you can, because that will make the information you’re learning permanent. And add to that, that we have interesting exercises, PDF practice, worksheets, and sometimes even interactive activities. Like in the case of this episode, by the way, there are interactive activities that you can play on Quizzlet and I’m saying play because there are games as well.

[00:06:06] So. Don’t miss the chance of cementing the information you’re learning here and take the link that will take you to our website and make the best of English plus podcast. There’s also a link that will take you to Patreon. If you like the content we’re creating and you would like to support us to make more content like that, you can become a patron of English plus podcasts on Patreon.

[00:06:28] You will find a link to our page on Patreon. So please consider this and support English plus podcast. And you can also find another link that will take you to our mailing list. You can subscribe to our mailing list and get updates every two weeks on our schedule, if you would like to stay up to date and you don’t want to miss a thing.

[00:06:47] So let’s go back to what we’re talking about and let’s continue with the next word reimburse. R E I M B U R S E. Reimburse now let’s take a look at this example. Molly left her purse at home. So Liz paid for her ticket. Molly promised to reimburse Liz. As soon as she got home, uh, reimburse here, what do we mean by reimbursed?

[00:07:12] If you reimburse someone for something, you pay them back, the money that they have spent or lost because of it. Sometimes it may be because it’s your fault. Or like in this case here, Molly didn’t have her purse with her. She left it at home and Liz paid for her ticket. So she promised to reimburse her.

[00:07:31] So that was reimbursed. Now what about relapsed? R E L a P S E relapse. Let’s take a look at this example. The doctor warned Meg that returning to work too soon might cause a relapse. What is the meaning of relapse? Now here, obviously we’re talking about Megan. The doctor’s telling her, so obviously she’s sick.

[00:07:51] If a sick person relapses their health suddenly gets worse after it had been improving. Of course, this is one of the main meanings of relapse, but we can use relapse in a close meaning, but it doesn’t have to do with being sick all the time. You can say that someone relapses into a way of behaving that is undesirable.

[00:08:10] And you mean that they start to behave in that way? Again, usually we’re talking about undesirable ways. We can call that a relapse as well. So that was relapsed. Now let’s talk about the next word renegotiate. Of course it comes from negotiate and that is renegotiate. Do it again. So that might be the most obvious of all the other words, but if you noticed all the words that we use, the prefix three with having them the meaning of doing something back and again, In a way or another.

[00:08:41] So here, let’s take a look at this word, but first let me remind you how this word is. Spelled R E N E G O T I a T E renegotiate. Now let’s take a look at the example. The union workers pressured the owners to renegotiate the wages and benefits contained in their contract. Now when you renegotiate something you negotiated again in order to alter or change previously agreed terms.

[00:09:09] So that is renegotiate. Now what about the next word renovate now renovate R E N O V a T E. Now let’s take a look at this example. The old house was in terrible condition, but rather than tear it down, the new owners decided to renovate it. To preserve its historic charm. So here we have the word renovate.

[00:09:32] What does that mean? If someone renovates an old building, they repair and improve it and get it back into good condition. Now I want you to pay attention to something you might’ve noticed. It’s not always re we usually pronounce the prefix R E Erie, but it’s not always read. As you noticed here. I didn’t say reinnovate, it’s not.

[00:09:52] Renominate. Or recompense, it’s rare renovate recompense. Sometimes it’s really, sometimes it’s read, you have to pay attention and check if your pronunciation is correct or not. But let me say that the more common pronunciation of R E the prefix R E is read. Not rare, but sometimes it can be rare anyway, so let’s move on to our last word for this episode.

[00:10:15] And that is repel. Again, we don’t say rebill repel and here R E P E L is the spelling of this word rebel. Let’s take a look at this example, hanging bars of deodorant soap throughout your garden will rebel dear and keep them from destroying your fruit and vegetables. So, what is the meaning of repel? If something repels you and here, we’re talking about the deer, of course, but it can rebel anybody person or an animal.

[00:10:46] If something repels you, you find it horrible and disgusting. Well, maybe this deodorant soap is good for us. We like it. It doesn’t repel us, but as it seems, it repels deer. And that’s what you need. If the deer are coming to your garden and are destroying your fruit. So that is the meaning of repel. And with that, we have the 10 words I promised you at the beginning of this episode, all of them are using the prefix R E re or row, as we said, with the meaning of back.

[00:11:17] And again, as I said earlier, it’s very important, especially when you talk about vocabulary to practice the words you learn. Now, you might have learned 10 words tomorrow. You might forget. Half of them in a week. You might forget most of them. It’s a shame. If you don’t practice more and make those words, part of your active vocabulary bank, the words you can use, not only understand you can use them in your own writing and speaking.

[00:11:44] And to do that, we have created interactive exercises, PDF practice worksheets. You can download practice and then check in the answer keys and everything, all of that. And the show notes, you can find them on our website and you have this link that you can find in the description. Take the link, go to our website, use the material that we’ve created specially for you.

[00:12:04] And don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn and improve your English. And also you can find in the description, a link to Patreon. As I said earlier, if you like the content we’re creating support us and become a patron of English plus podcast on Patriot, and you will also find a link to our mailing list.

[00:12:19] If you’d like to subscribe and stay up to date with our schedules that change every two weeks. Well, that being said, let me thank you for listening to another episode from English plus podcast. This is your host, Danny. I will see you next time.