Roots and Affixes How words are created

Vocabulary English vocabulary include short words like the article a as well as longer word such as inextricably and denunciation. Short word such as speak and solve are called base words Base words cannot be reduced to smaller parts. Other words can be added to them to produce longer words with various meanings.

Word Parts There are two kinds of word parts: roots and affixes. A root is a word part that comes from another language, such as Greek or Latin. An affix is a word part that can be attached to either a root or a base word to create a new word.

Affixes Affixes can be divided into two categories: prefixes (appear at the beginning of words) and suffixes (appear at the end of words). Common Prefixes Common Suffixes Bi- two -al adjectival suffix Anti- against -fy verb suffix Inter- between -ic adjectival suffix Pre- before -ion noun suffix Super- above -ism noun suffix Trans- across -ize verb suffix Dis- not -ous adjectival suffix

Check it out Roots Affixes Latin Root: tang, meaning “touch” Prefix: in-, meaning “not” Greek Root: chrome, meaning “color” Suffix: -ible, meaing “able to”

Meaning The meaning of a word is related to the meaning of its word parts. To unlock the meaning of an unfamiliar word, break the word down into its component parts; then think about the meaning of the word’s affixes and root.

Apply For example one could analyze the word intangible, using the chart shown previously. First break the word into its parts: PREFIX ROOT SUFFIX ENGLISH WORD In- + tang + -ible = intangible Tang is a latin roots meaning “touch” In- is a prefix meaning “not” -ible is a suffix meaning “able to”

Word Families A group of English words may be derived from the same word part of root. Such a group is called a word family. You can use this knowledge to help you determine the meaning of unknown words. Try this out: Shared roots: solo, solitary, solitude Root: sol= ?

Answer: Alone, can you think of other words in the family? Solitare Soloist Based on your knowledge of the root and the meaning of other words in the same family, try to define the meaning of the above words. Solitare- a card game played by one person Soloist- one who performs alone

Try one: Words: Diminish Diminutive Minimum What do these words have in common? Which words do you know? What do you think the meaning of the root is?

Word Family Practice Questions: Word family: ethnicity, ethnic, ethnographer Root: ethn Meaning: Ocean Nation Hesitation

Word Family Practice Questions: Word family: maniac, maniacal Root: mania Meaning: Education Sanitation Madness

Word Family Practice Questions: Word family: epidermis, dermatology Root: derm Meaning: Skin Body Mind

Word Family Practice Questions: Word Family: laboratory, labor Root: lab Meaning: Work Good Weak

Let’s see what you know: Divide and indivisible are members of the same word family. Which root so they share? A. –vis- B. -visible- C. -div- What is the meaning of this root? A. separate B. shrink C. junk What is another member of the same word family? A. December B. dividend C. invisible