Using Greek and Latin Roots
USING GREEK AND LATIN ROOTS
by Renee Sales
Have you ever had a problem figuring out what a word means? Here is a strategy you may find helpful:
Before you read:
Words are made up of several parts: root words, suffixes and prefixes.
A root word is the BASE of the word; it is the main part of a word. Some examples are:
Pyromania
Bibliography
Centimeter
Aqueducts
Introduction
Quadrilateral
A suffix is the part of the word that comes at the end of the word. Some examples are:
Graduation
Experiment
A prefix is the part of the word that comes at the beginning of the word. Some examples are:
Until
Monopoly
Prescribe
Choose two to four words each week that you use a lot in the classroom. Find the definition of the word parts using the dictionary on the following website:
Make some flashcards by copying the example I have given you. Write the root word, the suffix or the prefix on one side of the card and the definition (found on the website) on the other side of the card. Use the examples you have found to make your first set of flash cards. Keep these in a safe place they could come in handy while you read.
