1. Inside the Word Strategy
Deconstruction - The process of breaking apart a word into meaning chunks to figure out the meaning of the whole word.

2. What parts contain meaning?
Words Parts
Roots
Prefixes
Suffixes

3. What You Will Learn
Use roots, prefixes, and suffixes to figure out the meaning of words you do not know.
Some of this will seem basic. I can hear you saying, “but we studied this in elementary school.”
Did you retain it?

4. Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes
Word parts cannot stand alone.
prefixes re-, pre-, ab-
suffixes -ish, -ate, -ness
Some roots/base word can stand alone.
frost, heat, use, war
Some roots/base words cannot stand alone.
-bio-, -sect-, -chron-

5. Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes
A word is built upon at least one root
Words can have more than one root, prefix, or suffix.
Two or more roots (geo / logy)
Two prefixes (in / sub / ordination)
Two suffixes (beauti / ful / ly)

6. Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes
Words do not always have a prefix and a suffix.
Neither a prefix nor a suffix (read)
Suffix and no prefix (read / ing)
Prefix and no suffix (pre / read)

7. Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes
Suffixes change the part of speech
nation (n) – national (adj) – nationally (adv)
The spelling of roots often change as they are combined with suffixes.
Spelling does not change with prefixes.

8. Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes
Sometimes, what looks like a word part is not a word part.
mis in missile is part of the root and not a prefix.
Different word parts may have the same meaning.
bi-, di-, and duo- all mean “two”
un-, dis-, il, and contra- all mean “not”

9. Roots Roots carry the basic or core meaning of a word.
Hundreds of root words are used to build words in the English language.
The most common roots are from Greek and Latin.

10. Common Roots

11. Prefixes Appear at the beginnings of many English words
Alter the meaning of the root to which they are attached
Root = placed (to put)
Prefix = mis (wrongly)
Misplaced = put in the wrong place

12. Common Prefixes (excerpt from handout)
“Not” A-
Dis-
Un-
Contra-
Amount or Number
Quad-
Equi-
Tri-
Deci-
Direction, Location or Placement
Ab-
De-
Inter-
Retro-

13. Suffixes
Suffixes are word endings that often change the part of speech of a word.
Expand your vocabulary
Learn the variations in meaning that occur when adding suffixes to words you already know.

14. Suffixes For Example: Class -ify Classify (verb)
-cation Classification (noun)
-ic Classic (adj.)

15. Common Suffixes (excerpt from handout)
One Who (noun)
-er, -or (teacher)
-ee (referee)
-ist (activist)
State, Condition, Quality (adjectives)
-able, -ible (touchable)
-ive (permissive)
-ish (foolish)
Pertaining to or Referring to (noun)
-ship (friendship)
-hood (brotherhood)
Direction (adverb)
-ward (homeward)
State, Condition, Quality (noun)
-ance (assistance)
-ation (confrontation)
-ment (amazement)

16. How to Deconstruct to figure out meaning.
Look for the root (a word inside a larger word).
Example: non/adapt/able
If you do not recognize the root, then you will probably not be able to figure out the meaning of the word.

17. How to Use Word Parts
If you do recognize the root word, look for a prefix and think of its meaning.
Example: non/adapt/able
Locate the suffix and think of its meaning.
Example: non/adapt/able

18. How to Use Word Parts
Try out the meaning in the sentence in which the word was used.
The dodo became extinct because it was nonadaptable to changes in its environment.
Nonadaptable = not able to change