agrarian metamorphosis
antecedent multifaceted
consensus reconcile
docile subjugate
dubious subordinate
intimidate
Extra Word(s) You Learned in This Lesson _______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
A N S W E R S
P ra c t i c e : F i g u r i n g O u t N ew Wo rd s f ro m P re f i x a n d S u f f i x C l u e s
1. c. The prefix ante-means before. Antecedentmeans that which precedes, or comes before.
2. b.The prefix multi-means many. Multifacetedmeans having many faces, being complex.
3. a. The prefix con-means with, together. Consensusmeans general agreement reached by a group.
4. c. The suffix -ousmeans having the quality of. Dubiousmeans doubtful, questionable.
5. d.The suffix -ianmeans one who is or does. Agrarianmeans relating to or concerning land and its ownership.
6. c. The suffix -sismeans the process of. Metamorphosismeans a transformation, a change of form or function.
7. a. The prefix re-means back, again. To reconcilemeans to reestablish a close relationship, to bring back to harmony.
8. a. The prefix sub-means under, beneath. As an adjective subordinate means of a lower or inferior rank, or subject to the authority of others. As a noun, it means one that is subordinate to another. As a verb, it means to put in a lower or inferior rank, or to subdue.
9. d.The suffix -ilemeans having the qualities of. Docilemeans willing to obey, or easily managed.
10. b.The prefix sub-means under, beneath. To subjugatemeans to conquer, subdue, bring under control.
IN THE PREVIOUS lesson, you learned how prefixes and suffixes modify words. In this lesson, you’ll focus on the root words to which prefixes and suffixes are attached. Our English language is a relatively new language in the history of the world, and it’s one of the richest and most complicated. Its very newness is responsible for the great variety of English words in the lan- guage. Thousands of English words are built upon root words from other languages that have existed for thousands of years. English, as we speak it today, began about 400 or 500 years ago, so we’re practically babies in the language game!
People who study the history and origin of words and languages are called etymologists. But you don’t need to be an etymologist to benefit from knowing how words are formed and re-formed with word roots. As a stu- dent, your vocabulary skills will be enhanced (look up enhancedif you don’t already know what it means) by learning some common root words. Once you do, you’ll be able to use them to help you figure out the meaning of unfa- miliar words.
L E S S O N 6
take words down to their roots
A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword.
—ROBERTBURTON(1577–1640) ENGLISH AUTHOR AND CLERGYMAN
This lesson, like the previous one, will help you build word power by taking words apart. Roots are the building blocks of words, and knowing some com- mon roots will help you to gain vocabulary fluency with unfamiliar words.
The two most common sources for English words are Latin and Greek roots. You probably learned about these civilizations in school, so you know that Latin was the language spoken in ancient Rome more than 2,000 years ago. Latin spread throughout Europe and eventually developed, by about the seventeenth century, into modern languages spoken today, like English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
A SA M P L E L AT I N R O OT A N D I T S U S E I N C O M M O N E N G L I S H WO R D S
Look at some of the many English words that have been built from one Latin root.
ced/ceed/cess: Latin root for to go, yield, stop antecedent: that which comes before cessation: a stopping, the end of something concede: to admit something is true, to surrender exceed: to extend beyond
precede: to come before proceed: to go forward
procedure: the act of proceeding, a process
You don’t have to memorize Latin roots; that would be a huge task and could take years! But a list like the one above should help you see the relationships that exist between words and help you figure out meanings of similar-sound- ing words.
Ancient Greek is the other major original source of many English words.
The language spoken in Greece today is descended (look up that word if you don’t already know it) from earlier forms of Greek that date back to the thir- teenth century B.C. Imagine how fascinating it is for etymologists to trace a modern word in English back through 3000 years of Greek usage!
A SA M P L E G R E E K R O OT A N D I T S U S E I N C O M M O N E N G L I S H WO R D S
Look at some of the many English words that have been built from one Greek root.
chron: Greek root for time
anachronism: something that is out of date or placed in the wrong time chronic: continuing over a long time, or recurring
chronology: the sequence of events in time
chronicle: a detailed record or description of past events synchronize: to cause to occur at the same time
Now that you’ve seen samples of Latin and Greek roots and their descendants in modern English, take the following quiz to see how other roots are used in common words you may use every day.
P R AC T I C E : L E A R N I N G N E W WO R D S A N D S E E I N G T H E I R R O OT S Circle the correct meaning for the italicized word in each sentence.
1. The Latin root ammeans love. An amiableperson is a.talkative.
b.truthful.
c.well educated.
d.friendly, good natured.
2. The Latin root placmeans to please. A complacentperson is one who a.makes frequent mistakes.
b.is argumentative.
c.is self-satisfied.
d.is known to tell frequent lies.
3. The Latin root luc/lum/lusmeans light. A lucidargument is a.very clear and understandable.
b.loosely held together.
c.illogical.
d.one that blames others.
4. The Latin root quimeans quiet. A quiescentplace is a.very isolated.
b.very chaotic.
c.very dangerous.
d.very still and restful.
5. The Latin root loc/loq/loqumeans word, speech. Something that is eloquent is
a.dull and trite.
b.expressed in an effective way.
c.very old-fashioned.
d.equally divided into parts.
6. The Greek word automeans self. To have autonomymeans to a.have a lot of money.
b.be independent.
c.have courage.
d.have strong opinions.
7. The Greek root pas/pat/pathmeans feeling, suffering, disease. To have empa- thyis to
a.give to others.
b.have a love for others.
c.identify with the feelings of others.
d.be similar to others.
8. The Greek root pseudomeans false, fake. The root nom/nymmeans name. A pseudonymis
a.a false name.
b.an ancient god or deity.
c.a harsh sound.
d.a long and boring speech.
9. The Greek root dog/doxmeans opinion. The suffix -icmeans having the quality of. A person who is dogmaticis
a.not in touch with reality.
b.intolerant of other opinions.
c.one who asserts opinions in an arrogant way.
d.secretive and ungenerous.
10. The Greek root philmeans loveand the root anthro/andromeans human.
Philanthropyis
a.the love of humankind.
b.a preference for something in particular.
c.using force to control others.
d.spreading unkind rumors.
TIP:Even if you don’t have a clue about what a new word means, look at it closely and see if it sounds similar to another word you know, or if it has parts similar to other words you know.