Vocabulary: Word Formation and Classes

Vocabulary

Word Formation

• Prefixes: attached to the beginning of a word to change its meaning (e.g., un- in unhappy)
• Suffixes: attached to the end of a word to change its meaning (e.g., -ly in quickly)
• Root words: core meaning of a word (e.g., "tele-" means far)
• Compounding: combining two or more words to create a new word (e.g., toothbrush)

Word Classes

• Nouns: person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., dog, city, happiness)
• Verbs: actions or states of being (e.g., run, be, have)
• Adjectives: describe nouns or pronouns (e.g., happy, blue, big)
• Adverbs: describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (e.g., quickly, very, well)
• Pronouns: replace nouns in a sentence (e.g., he, she, it, they)
• Prepositions: show relationships between words (e.g., in, on, under)
• Conjunctions: connect words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., and, but, or)
• Interjections: express emotion or feeling (e.g., oh, wow, ouch)

Vocabulary Building Strategies

• Context clues: use surrounding words to understand unfamiliar vocabulary
• Word families: learn related words with similar prefixes, suffixes, or roots
• Etymology: study the origins and history of words
• Active recall: actively try to remember vocabulary through quizzes or flashcards

Vocabulary Lists

• Tier 1 words: common, everyday vocabulary (e.g., run, happy, dog)
• Tier 2 words: more advanced vocabulary, often used in academic or professional settings (e.g., perspective, nuanced, rigorous)
• Tier 3 words: specialized or technical vocabulary (e.g., photosynthesis, mitochondria)

Vocabulary

Word Formation

• Prefixes are attached to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, such as "un-" in "unhappy".
• Suffixes are attached to the end of a word to change its meaning, such as "-ly" in "quickly".
• Root words are the core meaning of a word, like "tele-" meaning "far".
• Compounding combines two or more words to create a new word, such as "toothbrush".

Word Classes

• Nouns are words that represent a person, place, thing, or idea, like "dog", "city", or "happiness".
• Verbs are words that express actions or states of being, like "run", "be", or "have".
• Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns, like "happy", "blue", or "big".
• Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, like "quickly", "very", or "well".
• Pronouns replace nouns in a sentence, like "he", "she", "it", or "they".
• Prepositions show relationships between words, like "in", "on", or "under".
• Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses, like "and", "but", or "or".
• Interjections express emotion or feeling, like "oh", "wow", or "ouch".

Vocabulary Building Strategies

• Using context clues involves understanding unfamiliar vocabulary by looking at surrounding words.
• Learning word families involves studying related words with similar prefixes, suffixes, or roots.
• Etymology involves studying the origins and history of words.
• Active recall involves actively trying to remember vocabulary through quizzes or flashcards.

Vocabulary Lists

• Tier 1 words are common, everyday vocabulary, like "run", "happy", or "dog".
• Tier 2 words are more advanced vocabulary, often used in academic or professional settings, like "perspective", "nuanced", or "rigorous".
• Tier 3 words are specialized or technical vocabulary, like "photosynthesis" or "mitochondria".

Learn about word formation techniques like prefixes, suffixes, and compounding, and understand the different word classes like nouns and verbs.