Re- Doesn’t Always Mean Again

This does not mean to miss again. It means to be negligent in one’s duty. For some reason, students of mine have always had difficulty remembering this word. Sometimes I chide them, “Don’t be remiss as vocabulary scholars by forgetting the word remiss.” While arguably clever, this admonish isn’t usually as efficacious as I’d hope it would be. (So don’t be remiss!).

Sounds like rest. It’s actually the opposite, and means restless. Though most of the ‘re-‘ words are common, ‘restive’ is definitely the ‘re-‘ word you are most likely to see test day. It can be used to describe both people and groups of people.

The verb pine means to yearn for. Like remiss, however, the addition of the prefix re- does not signify again. To repine means to complain or fret over something. Note: the verb pine can also mean to waste away.

You’ve probably guessed already that this does not mean to demonstrate again. To remonstrate means to make objections while pleading.