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Free ATI TEAS 7 English & Language Usage guide

October 2026 - Latin & Greek Prefixes Study Guide

Latin and Greek prefixes carry most medical vocabulary: pre- before, post- after, inter- between, intra- within, sub- under, trans- across. Learning thirty of them replaces memorising several hundred words.

English & Language Usage guide Using language and vocabulary to express ideas in writing · 10 scored questions 5 min read

Position and direction

PrefixMeansExample
inter- between intercostal — between the ribs
intra- within intravenous — within a vein
sub- under subcutaneous — under the skin
supra- above suprapubic
trans- across transdermal — across the skin
peri- around perianal
endo- inside endoscopy
ex- out of excise — to cut out
circum- around circumference

Inter- and intra- differ by one letter and matter enormously in practice. Intermuscular is between muscles; intramuscular is within a muscle — the route an injection actually takes. Read the third letter before answering.

Time, number and negation

PrefixMeansExample
pre- before preoperative
post- after postpartum
ante- before antenatal
re- again reassess
uni-, mono- one unilateral, monocyte
bi-, di- two bilateral
tri- three trimester
multi-, poly- many multidisciplinary, polypharmacy
semi-, hemi- half hemiplegia
un-, in-, im-, non- not unresponsive, insufficient, immobile
contra-, anti- against contraindicated, antiseptic
mal- bad malnutrition, malignant

How this earns marks

The exam does not usually ask what a prefix means in isolation. It gives a word you may not know in a sentence and asks what the sentence means — and the prefix is what lets you answer.

So the useful skill is not recitation but decomposition: seeing contraindicated and reading it as "against" plus "indicated", or postprandial as "after" plus "a meal". Practise splitting long words rather than memorising lists in the abstract.

Reading a word in context

Worked example

A note reads: The dressing is applied subdermally. What does that tell you, if you have not met the word?

  1. Split it: sub + derm + ally.
  2. sub- means under.
  3. derm refers to skin — as in dermatology.
  4. So the application is beneath the skin rather than on its surface.

Beneath the skin. Two familiar pieces are enough to place an unfamiliar word accurately, which is exactly what these questions reward.

The pairs most often confused

  • inter- between / intra- within.
  • ante- before / anti- against. Antenatal is before birth; antiseptic works against infection.
  • hyper- above / hypo- below.
  • pre- before / peri- around / post- after. Preoperative, perioperative and postoperative describe three different periods.

Terms to know

Prefix
A word part attached to the front of a root, changing its meaning.
Root
The core of a word, carrying its basic meaning.
Etymology
The origin and history of a word.
Cognate
A word sharing a root with another, often across languages.
Decomposition
Breaking a word into its parts to work out what it means.

What the TEAS asks most

The same core ideas appear in different wording. If you can answer these without stopping to think, you have what this section requires.

What does this prefix mean?

Learn the position, time, number and negation sets.

What does this unfamiliar word mean in context?

Split off the prefix, identify the root, and reassemble.

Which word means the opposite of this one?

Usually the same root with an opposing prefix: pre- against post-, hyper- against hypo-.

Key points

  • pre- before, post- after, inter- between, intra- within, sub- under, trans- across.
  • Inter- and intra- differ by one letter and by a great deal of meaning.
  • Ante- means before; anti- means against.
  • uni/mono one, bi/di two, tri three, multi/poly many, semi/hemi half.
  • Split unfamiliar words into prefix and root rather than guessing whole.

Review quiz

4 questions on this topic, each with the reasoning worked through. Pick an answer to see how it went, or open the explanation straight away.

  1. Question 1 of 4

    An injection given intramuscularly is delivered

    Answer choices for question 1

    Show the answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B. within a muscle.

    Intra- means within, so the injection goes into the muscle itself. Between muscles would be intermuscular, under the skin would be subcutaneous, and across would be trans-.

  2. Question 2 of 4

    What does antenatal mean?

    Answer choices for question 2

    Show the answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B. Before birth

    Ante- means before, so antenatal care is care given during pregnancy. "Against" is anti-, a one-letter difference that changes the meaning completely, and after birth would be postnatal.

  3. Question 3 of 4

    A medication described as contraindicated for a patient is

    Answer choices for question 3

    Show the answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B. advised against for them.

    Contra- means against, so the word says the medication is counselled against in this case. The prefix alone rules out the first choice, and neither prescription status nor dosing is carried anywhere in the word.

  4. Question 4 of 4

    Which word means "affecting one side only"?

    Answer choices for question 4

    Show the answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B. unilateral

    Uni- means one and lateral means side. Bi- gives two, tri- three and multi- many — the same root with four different number prefixes, which is exactly how these questions are built.

Put this TEAS topic into practice

Build a set on latin prefixes and use the rationale on every question to reinforce what you just reviewed.

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