Mastering Vocabulary: Latin and Greek Roots

• Vocabulary can be increased by understanding the meaning of Latin and/or Greek roots and affixes

Roots

• A word's root is the smallest meaningful unit

• Roots cannot be broken down further

• "Bio" is a root with its own meaning

• Adding parts to roots creates new words

• These new words retain the meaning of the original root, such as "biology," "biography," and "bionic"

• bio (Greek): means life, example biology

• cele (Latin): means honor, example celebrate

• crac (Greek): means govern, example democracy

• dur (Latin): means to bold, example durable

• ethn (Greek): means nation, example ethnicity

• hydr (Greek): means water, example hydrated

• hyper (Greek): means above, example hypertension

• hypo (Greek): means below, example hypotension

• ign (Latin): means fire, example ignite

• leg (Latin): means to choose, example legislature

• liber (Latin): means free, example liberty

• micro (Greek): means small, example microscope

• multi (Latin): means many, example multiple

• neg (Latin): means deny, example negative

• simil (Latin): means likeness, example similar

• therm (Greek): means heat, example thermometer

Affixes: Prefixes & Suffixes

• Affixes are word parts added to change meaning

• The affix "un" added to "real" becomes "unreal"

• Affixes are added to words or roots

• Prefixes are added at the beginning of a word

• Suffixes are added at the end of a word

• Correct (Latin correctus): means "free of error"

• Incorrect: prefix "in" (Latin, meaning "not") plus "correct" means "not free from error"

• "Liberty" consists of "liber-" (Latin root "liber," meaning "free") and "-ty" (Latin suffix "-tas" or "-tat," meaning "condition")

• "Liberty" means "the condition of being free"

• de, dis: means opposite, examples: develop, discover

• in, im: means not, examples: indiscreet, improper

• mis: means wrongly, example: miscalculate

• pre: means before, example: prefix

• re: means again, example: review

• semi: means half, example: semifinal

• un: means opposite, example: unreal

• able: means can be, example: disable

• en: means made of, example: wooden

• er: means more, example: stronger

• est: means most, example: strongest

• ful: means full, example: regretful

• ion: means process, example: caution

• less: means without, example: worthless

• ness: means condition, example: business

• Adding affixes to "view" creates "review," "preview," and "viewable," each with a distinct meaning

Unlock the power of vocabulary by understanding Latin and Greek roots! This lesson explores common roots, providing examples of how they form the basis of many English words. Learn to decipher unfamiliar words and expand your lexicon effectively.