WORD
KNOWLEDGE
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Word Origins - Lesson 1
Since language affects a culture in significant ways, well educated people should
know and understand their language. This includes knowing from where words
originally came. But, even after our having made this statement, you may want to
know, nonetheless, exactly why that is.
Well in part, if individuals develop their knowledge of word origins—for example,
learning the meanings of common roots and affixes derived from Greek and
Latin—they will then be able to apply that knowledge to figure out the meanings
of unfamiliar and complex words encountered while reading, such as words like:
international.
Many Latin words came into the English language directly when monks from
Rome brought religious vocabulary to England beginning in the sixth century, and
indirectly after England was conquered by France’s Duke of Normandy in 1066
(French was developed from Latin). Moreover, from the Middle Ages onward,
many scholarly, scientific, and legal terms were borrowed from Latin.
As a result, a large number of English words and “word parts” can be traced back
to Latin. Since breaking down complex words into meaningful parts can provide
clues to their definitions, and since knowing the meaning of at least part of a word
may be helpful in understanding how the word is being used in context, you
should make a point of developing a working knowledge of Latin, and to a lesser
extent, Greek, at least in terms of how they relate to modern English.
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Name: __________________________________________________________ Date: ______/______/______ Score: _______
LANGUAGE ARTS
Vocabulary ♦ Roots & Affixes
WORD STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS
Objective: Students will use knowledge of common root words to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words
within a passage.
Word Origins
The English language has its roots in several languages, including Greek and Latin. Learning to recognize
common roots and affixes that originated from these languages will help you build your vocabulary and improve
your ability to make educated guesses about unknown words you encounter when reading and in test-taking
situations.
Some of theses roots and affixes appear in a large number of words. Consequently, learning them will enhance
your ability to comprehend course readings and learn new terminology. Please begin by making sure you know
the definitions to the following terms and are able to verbalize them by memory.
ROOT WORDS
The root (also known as the base, root word, or base word) is the main part of a word—the part that contains the
word’s primary meaning. You might even say that a root word is a word in its simplest form, without any word
parts attached.
AFFIXES
An affix is a word part added to the beginning or ending of a word. Such additions usually change a root word’s
meaning and its part of speech as well. There are two kinds of affixes: prefixes and suffixes.
PREFIX
An prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a root word.
AFFIX
An affix is a word part added to the end of a root word.
DIRECTIONS: Whe applicable, you should determine the meaning of unknown words by breaking them
down into their component parts. For example, the word international can be divided into the prefix
inter-, the root word nation, and the suffix -al.
By putting together the definitions of these words parts, we are able to figure out that the word
international probably has to do with something that is between countries. For example, an
international agreement refers to an agreement that is between countries.
To help you expand your knowledge of Greek and Latin roots and affixes have provided you with several sets of
flashcards, four to a page. Separate the cards by cutting them along their horizontal lines. Then fold them along
their vertical lines so that the root or affix appears on one side (the front) and the corresponding meaning appears
on the other side (the back). You can practice learning the first four sets at this website: Short Circuit
As you master each set of flashcards, move on to the next. Hopefully you can master one set a day, but if you
find yourself taking more than a week to learn each set of word parts and/or meanings, seek the assistance of
someone who can help you find a more efficient and effective way of memorizing the material.
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anti-
against
ambi-
both
counter-
opposite
ante-
before
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pseudo-
false
uni-
one
neo-
new
trans-
across
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micro-
small
ex-
out
inter-
between
hemi-
half
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cent-
hundred
poly-
many
macro-
large
-ology
study of
8
-arian
one who
-ling
small
-phobia
fear of
-ize
to make
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On the next page you will find a blank template you can copy to make
flashcards of your own.
And if you need a list of affixes already arranged into “units,” you may wish
to use the ones available at the following URL:
http://enloehs.wcpss.net/science/warner/resources/prefixsuffixlist.pdf
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