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    WordParts PDF

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    Itzel Hernandz
    The document discusses the components of words: prefixes, roots, and suffixes. It explains that prefixes come at the beginning of a word and can change the meaning, roots are the base words that provide the core meaning, and suffixes are added to the end and can also alter meaning. Some key points are that words are often built from more than one part, and the same prefix/root/suffix can have multiple meanings. Knowing the meanings of common word parts can help determine the definitions of unfamiliar words. Examples of common English prefixes, roots, and suffixes are provided.

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    WordParts PDF

    Uploaded by

    Itzel Hernandz
    153 views2 pages
    The document discusses the components of words: prefixes, roots, and suffixes. It explains that prefixes come at the beginning of a word and can change the meaning, roots are the base words that provide the core meaning, and suffixes are added to the end and can also alter meaning. Some key points are that words are often built from more than one part, and the same prefix/root/suffix can have multiple meanings. Knowing the meanings of common word parts can help determine the definitions of unfamiliar words. Examples of common English prefixes, roots, and suffixes are provided.

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    The document discusses the components of words: prefixes, roots, and suffixes. It explains that prefixes come at the beginning of a word and can change the meaning, roots are the base words that provide the core meaning, and suffixes are added to the end and can also alter meaning. Some key points are that words are often built from more than one part, and the same prefix/root/suffix can have multiple meanings. Knowing the meanings of common word parts can help determine the definitions of unfamiliar words. Examples of common English prefixes, roots, and suffixes are provided.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    153 views2 pages

    WordParts PDF

    Uploaded by

    Itzel Hernandz
    The document discusses the components of words: prefixes, roots, and suffixes. It explains that prefixes come at the beginning of a word and can change the meaning, roots are the base words that provide the core meaning, and suffixes are added to the end and can also alter meaning. Some key points are that words are often built from more than one part, and the same prefix/root/suffix can have multiple meanings. Knowing the meanings of common word parts can help determine the definitions of unfamiliar words. Examples of common English prefixes, roots, and suffixes are provided.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 2

    Word Parts: Prefixes, Roots, & Suffixes

    Suppose that you come across the following sentence in a literature textbook.
    Ralph Waldo Emerson led a movement of nonconformist thinkers.

    If you did not know the meaning of nonconformist, how could you determine it? An easy and fast
    alternative to looking in the dictionary is to break the word into parts and analyze the meaning of each
    part. Many words in the English language are made up of word parts called prefixes, roots, and
    suffixes. These word parts have specific meanings that, when added together, can help you determine
    the meaning of the word as a whole.

    Prefix Root Suffix New word

    conform -ist nonconformist


    non-

    MEANING not + go along + one who does = someone who does not
    something go along with others

    Knowing the meanings of the most common word parts gives you the building blocks for hundreds of
    words in the English language. Before you use word parts there are a few things you need to know.

    1. In most cases, a word is built upon at least one root.


    2. Words can have more than one prefix, root, or suffix.
    a. Words can be made up of two or more roots (geo/logy).
    b. Some words have two prefixes (in/sub/ordination).
    c. Some words have two suffixes (beauti/ful/ly).
    3. Words do not always have a prefix and a suffix.
    a. Some words have neither a prefix nor a suffix (read).
    b. Others have a suffix but no prefix (reading/ing).
    c. Others have a prefix but no suffix (pre/read).
    4. The spelling of roots may change as they are combined with suffixes.
    5. Different prefixes, roots, or suffixes may have the same meaning.
    For example, the prefixes bi-, di-, and duo- all mean “two.”
    6. Sometimes you may identify a group of letters as a prefix or root but find that it does not
    carry the meaning of that prefix or root.
    For example, the letters mis in missile are part of the root and are not the prefix mis-, which
    means “wrong; bad.”
    Prefixes
    When a group of letters having a special meaning appears at the beginning of a word, we call that
    group of letters a prefix. Following is a list of the most frequently used prefixes that account for 97% of
    prefixed words in printed English.

    Prefix Meaning Example


    dis- opposite defrost
    in-, im-, il-, ir- not injustice, impossible
    re- again return
    un- not unfriendly

    Roots
    Word roots are the words from other languages that are the origin of many English words. About 60%
    of all English words have Latin or Greek origins. Roots give words their fixed meaning. Prefixes and
    suffixes can then be attached to the roots to form new words.
    Root Meaning Example

    bio life biology, biography

    chron time chronology, sychronize

    fer carry transfer, inference

    geo earth geography, geode

    nom name nominate, nomenclature

    tele distant telegraph, telepathy

    Suffixes
    A group of letters with a special meaning appearing at the end of a word is called a suffix. Here is a list
    of 6 important suffixes. Following is a list of the 6 most frequently used suffixes that account for 97% of
    prefixed words in printed English.

    Suffix Meaning Example


    -ed past-tense verbs hopped
    -ing verb form/present participle running
    -ly characteristic of quickly
    -s, -es more than one books, boxes
    -able, -ible able to be manageable, defensible
    -ful full of wishful

    Further explanation and activities for Learning Word Parts: Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes can be found in the following texts:
    Flemming, Loraine. Reading for Results, 12th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2014. (See pages 77-83, 108-114)
    Flemming, Loraine. Reading Keys, 3rd ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. (See pages 63-74)
    McWhorter, Kathleen T. Reading Across the Disciplines: College Reading and Beyond, 5th ed. San Francisco: Pearson Education, 2009.
    (See pages 57-69)

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