Transcript Examples

Guide to College Reading, 6/e
Kathleen T. McWhorter
Chapter 3
Learning New Words
PowerPoint by JoAnn Yaworski
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers
This Chapter Will Show You
How to:
 Figure out the meaning of unfamiliar
words
 Use prefixes, roots, and suffixes
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Finding Meaning in Compound
Words - (Slide 1)
A new word formed by two words that are put
together is called a compound word.
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Waterproof
Horseshoe
Endpoint
Checklist
Outcome
water + proof
horse + shoe
end + point
check + list
out + come
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Finding Meaning in Compound
Words - (Slide 2)
Some words appear frequently in compound
words. The word under, for example, is
common:
 Undertow
 Underage
 Underachiever
 Undergo
 Undercover
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Prefixes, Roots, & Suffixes
 The word trichromatic can be divided
into three parts: its prefix, root, &
suffix.
Prefix - tri - (“three”)
Root - chrome (“color”)
Suffix - atic (“characteristic of”)
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Words Can Have More Than
One Prefix, Root, or Suffix
 Words can be made up of two or more roots
(geo/logy).
 Some words have two prefixes
(in/sub/ordination).
 Some words have two suffixes
(beauti/ful/ly).
 A word is built upon at least one root.
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Words Do Not Always Have a
Prefix & a Suffix
 Some words have neither a prefix nor a
suffix (read).
 Others have a suffix but no prefix
(read/ing).
 Others have a prefix but no suffix
(pre/read).
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The Spelling of Roots May Change As
They Are Combined With Suffixes
 Different prefixes, roots, or suffixes may
have the same meaning.
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Ex: the prefix bi-, di-, and duo- all mean “two.”
 Sometimes a group of letters looks like a
prefix or root, but it does not carry the
meaning of that prefix or root.

Ex: the prefix mis-, means “wrong;bad.” The letters
mis in the word missle do not mean bad/wrong.
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Prefixes
 Alter the meaning of the root.
 Ex: add the prefix re- to the word
“read” reread (to read again).
 Ex: add the pre- to the word “reading”
 prereading (before reading).
 Ex.: add the suffix post- to the word
“reading”  postreading (after reading).
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Roots
Roots carry the basic or core meaning of a
word.
 Root dic/dict = means “tell or say,” then you
know.
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Dictate = to speak for someone to write down.
Diction = wording or manner of speaking.
Dictionary = book that “tells” what words mean.
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Suffixes
Suffixes are word endings that often change the
part of speech of a word:
 Adding the suffix y to the noun cloud forms
the adjective cloudy.
 Cloudy means “resembling clouds; overcast
with clouds; dimmed or dulled as if by
clouds.”
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Several Different Words Can Be
Formed From a Single Root Word by
Adding Different Suffixes
 Examples:
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Root: class
Root + suffix = class/ify, class/ification, class/ic
Root: right
Root + suffix = right/ly, right/ful, right/ist,
right/eous
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Expand Your Vocabulary
 Learn variations in meaning that occur when
suffixes are added to words you already
know.
 Look for the root of a word that you do not
know.
 Use context to figure out what the word
means with the suffix added.
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Changes in Spelling of Root
Words Heading
 A final e may be dropped.
 A final consonant may be doubled.
 Or a final y may be changed to I.
 Example: compil(e) + -ation = something
that has been compiled, or put together
into an orderly form.
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
How to Use Word Parts
First, look for the root.
Look for a prefix.
Locate the suffix.
Substitute your meaning for the
word and see whether the sentence
makes sense.
© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers
Visit the Longman Companion
Website
http://www.ablongman.com/mcwhorter
Take a Road Trip to the Library of Congress!
Visit the Vocabulary module in your
Reading Road Trip CD-ROM
for multimedia tutorials, exercises, and tests.
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