Vocabulary Building: Word Formation and Choices

Vocabulary

Word Formation

• Prefixes: added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning
  • Examples: un-, re-, de-, non-
• Suffixes: added to the end of a word to change its meaning
  • Examples: -ful, -less, -ly
• Root Words: base words that can be modified with prefixes and suffixes
  • Examples: tele- (far), graph- (write)
• Compounding: combining two or more words to create a new word
  • Examples: blackboard, toothbrush

Word Choices

• Synonyms: words with similar meanings
  • Examples: big (large, huge, enormous)
• Antonyms: words with opposite meanings
  • Examples: hot (cold, chilly, freezing)
• Homophones: words that sound the same but have different meanings
  • Examples: to (too, two), knight (night)
• Homographs: words that are spelled the same but have different meanings
  • Examples: bank (financial institution, riverbank)

Word Lists

• Common Adjectives: used to describe nouns and pronouns
  • Examples: happy, big, red, old
• Common Adverbs: used to describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
  • Examples: quickly, very, well, loudly
• Common Nouns: people, places, things, and ideas
  • Examples: dog, city, happiness, freedom

Vocabulary Strategies

• Context Clues: using surrounding words to figure out the meaning of an unknown word
• Word Roots: using knowledge of root words to decipher unfamiliar words
• Analogies: using relationships between words to understand their meanings
• Flashcards: creating cards with words on one side and definitions on the other to aid memorization

Vocabulary

Word Formation

• Prefixes are added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, e.g. un-, re-, de-, non-.
• Suffixes are added to the end of a word to change its meaning, e.g. -ful, -less, -ly.
• Root words are base words that can be modified with prefixes and suffixes, e.g. tele- (far), graph- (write).
• Compounding involves combining two or more words to create a new word, e.g. blackboard, toothbrush.

Word Choices

• Synonyms are words with similar meanings, e.g. big (large, huge, enormous).
• Antonyms are words with opposite meanings, e.g. hot (cold, chilly, freezing).
• Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, e.g. to (too, two), knight (night).
• Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings, e.g. bank (financial institution, riverbank).

Word Lists

• Common adjectives are used to describe nouns and pronouns, e.g. happy, big, red, old.
• Common adverbs are used to describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, e.g. quickly, very, well, loudly.
• Common nouns are people, places, things, and ideas, e.g. dog, city, happiness, freedom.

Vocabulary Strategies

• Context clues involve using surrounding words to figure out the meaning of an unknown word.
• Word roots can be used to decipher unfamiliar words by recognizing the root word.
• Analogies involve using relationships between words to understand their meanings.
• Flashcards can be used to aid memorization by creating cards with words on one side and definitions on the other.