Understanding Prefixes and the Word Courteous

The question asks us to choose the correct prefix to make the sentence "It would be ____________ courteous to ignore her" meaningful. The sentence implies that ignoring someone is not a courteous action. We need a prefix that, when added to "courteous," creates a word meaning the opposite or lack of courtesy.

Analyzing the Prefixes

Let's look at the common meanings of the given prefixes:

• mis-: Often means wrongly or incorrectly.
• dis-: Often means lack of, not, or the opposite of.
• un-: Often means not, opposite of, or remove/reverse.
• de-: Often means down, away, from, reverse, or remove.

Evaluating Prefix + Courteous Combinations

Now let's see which prefix creates a valid and appropriate word when combined with "courteous":

• Miscourteous: This is not a standard or recognized English word.
• Discourteous: This is a valid and common English word meaning not courteous; impolite.
• Uncourteous: This is also a valid English word meaning not courteous; impolite. While less common than "discourteous", it is listed in dictionaries.
• Decourteous: This is not a standard or recognized English word.

Choosing the Correct Prefix

Both "discourteous" and "uncourteous" mean "not courteous" and could potentially fit the sentence. However, based on the provided correct answer, the intended prefix is un-.

When we use the prefix un-, the word becomes "uncourteous".

The sentence with "uncourteous" reads: "It would be uncourteous to ignore her."

This sentence is grammatically correct and makes sense. It means that ignoring her would be an action that is not courteous or polite.

Conclusion

Comparing the options, un- is the prefix that forms the word "uncourteous," which correctly fits the context of the sentence, meaning not courteous.

Therefore, the correct prefix to make the sentence meaningful is un-.