Chapter 5

Developing a Solid Vocabulary

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Defining words for better understanding

check Putting words together to make new words

check Playing word games

The military is in love with words. Military personnel write almost everything down in memos, manuals, regulations, standard operating procedures, and policy letters. They should hire a few For Dummies authors to write these items, because the current writers seem to love fancy words. A little shovel isn’t a shovel in the military; it’s an “entrenching tool.” The boss of your duty section isn’t “the boss” or even “the supervisor”; she’s the “noncommissioned officer in charge” (NCOIC for short).

If you’re going to be successful in the military, you have to have a solid vocabulary, and that’s why the military includes the Word Knowledge subtest as part of the AFQT score. How can you obey a regulation if you don’t know what the words mean? And trust me, failure to obey a regulation is a big no-no in the military.

Your score on the Word Knowledge subtest, along with your score on the Paragraph Comprehension subtest (see Chapters 7 and 8), is used to compute what the military calls a verbal expression (VE) score. The VE score is then combined with your Arithmetic Reasoning score (see Chapters 11 and 12) and your Mathematics Knowledge score (see Chapters 9 and 10) to compute your AFQT score. (For more information on how these scores combine, turn to Chapter 2.)

The VE score is also used to determine whether you’re qualified for many military jobs. If you’re interested in which military jobs require a good VE score, you may want to consider picking up a copy of the bestselling book ASVAB For Dummies, which is also published by Wiley.

The good news is that anybody can improve his or her vocabulary. You’ve been learning new words and their meanings since you first learned to talk. In this chapter, I give you some hints, tips, and techniques you can use to speed up the process.

Growing Your Vocabulary

Your vocabulary naturally grows throughout your life. Even professional writers learn a new word once in a while through everyday life experiences. But if the ASVAB is staring you in the face, you may not want to wait for life’s natural process. In the following sections, you descry omnifarious contrivances to expedite progression of a comprehensive phraseology. I’m sorry; I got carried away. What I mean is you find some ways to improve your vocabulary.

Reading more to learn more

People who read a lot have larger vocabularies than people who don’t read much. That sounds kind of obvious, but I’m sure the government has spent a few thousand dollars funding studies to confirm this.

It doesn’t matter much what you read, as long as you make it a regular, daily practice. You don’t have to read Homer or Keats. Leave that to the intellectuals in the Berkeley coffee shops. Your reading choices may be action-adventure or romance books for enjoyment, the daily newspaper, magazines, Internet articles and blogs, or even comic books. (If it weren’t for Batman and Robin, I wouldn’t know what “Zow!” means.)

tip When reading online, get into the habit of keeping an extra browser tab open and pointed to an online dictionary site, such as www.dictionary.com. That way, if you run into a word you don’t know, you can quickly copy and paste it to the online dictionary. Most browsers let you highlight a word and right-click it to search for it online, too.

Talking to people

Other people have vocabularies that differ from yours. If you speak to a variety of people, and you do it often, you’re exposed to a variety of cultures and occupations, all of which expose you to new words.

tip Carry a small pocket notebook with you wherever you go. That way, when you come across a new word, you can write it down and look it up in a dictionary later.

Adding words to your vocabulary

Make a goal to learn at least one new word per day. A great way to meet that target is to visit or subscribe to one of the many Internet word-of-the-day websites or download an app. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Dictionary.com: You can visit the site daily or subscribe to the word of the day via email. Visit http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday.
  • Merriam-Webster Online: A new vocabulary word appears every single day. Point your browser to www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day. You can also download M-W’s app to your smartphone; you’ll always have a dictionary at your fingertips, and you can check out the word of the day when you have a spare 30 seconds.
  • The New York Times Word of the Day: The New York Times offers a new word every day, along with an example of how the word was used in recent New York Times stories. Visit http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/category/word-of-the-day.
  • The Oxford English Dictionary: If you want more than just a word and definition, try the Oxford English Dictionary word of the day. In addition to definitions, the page provides pronunciation, spelling, etymology, and a date chart that shows when the word was first used. The word of the day is also available by email subscription and RSS feed. Check out www.oed.com.

Try to use your new word in conversation a couple of times to help you remember it. Writing a few example sentences can help you remember the new words in context.

Using puzzles and games to improve your vocabulary

A fun way to increase your word knowledge is to do crossword puzzles or play word games. Scrabble and Mad Libs, for example, are great ways to reinforce new vocabulary words. There are dozens of word game apps, too, such as Word Streak and Words with Friends. You can improve your vocabulary while having fun! It’s a win-win.

You’re on my list: Working with word lists

Learning a new word doesn’t do you much good if you forget it a week later. Learning often requires repetition, and that’s especially true when it comes to memorizing new words.

tip Keep a list of all the new words you learn and go over that list at least two or three times a week until you’re sure the new words have become part of your vocabulary.

Just to get you started, I give you 50 words in Table 5-1.

TABLE 5-1 Fifty Vocabulary Words

Word

Part of Speech

Meaning

Abrupt

Adjective

Beginning, ending, or changing suddenly

Acrid

Adjective

Harshly pungent or bitter

Becalm

Verb

To make quiet

Buffoon

Noun

A clown

Chaos

Noun

Utter disorder and confusion

Cognizant

Adjective

Taking notice of something

Defer

Verb

To put off or delay to a later time

Derision

Noun

The act of ridiculing or making fun of something

Effulgence

Noun

Great brightness

Enmity

Noun

Hatred

Famish

Verb

To cause extreme hunger or thirst

Fealty

Noun

Loyalty

Generalize

Verb

To draw general inferences

Grotto

Noun

A small cavern

Habitual

Adjective

According to usual practice

Hideous

Adjective

Extremely ugly or appalling

Ichthyic

Adjective

Fishlike

Icon

Noun

An image or likeness

Illusion

Noun

An unreal image

Irritate

Verb

To excite ill temper or impatience in something

Jovial

Adjective

Merry

Juxtapose

Verb

To place close together

Kernel

Noun

A grain or seed

Kinsfolk

Noun

Relatives

Laggard

Adjective or noun

Falling behind; one who lags behind

Laud

Verb

To praise

Maize

Noun

Corn

Malevolence

Noun

Ill will

Nestle

Verb

To adjust cozily in snug quarters

Novice

Noun

Beginner

Obese

Adjective

Exceedingly fat

Obtrude

Verb

To push or thrust oneself into undue prominence

Pare

Verb

To cut, shave, or remove the outside from anything

Pedagogue

Noun

Teacher; one who is fussily academic

Quadrate

Verb

To make square; to make conform or agree with

Quiescence

Noun

Quietness

Rancor

Noun

Malice

Raucous

Adjective

Loud and rowdy

Sanguine

Adjective

Cheerfully optimistic; having the color of blood

Sepulcher

Noun

A burial place

Teem

Verb

To be full to overflowing

Tenacious

Adjective

Unyielding

Umbrage

Noun

Injury or offense

Vacillate

Verb

To waver

Valid

Adjective

Founded on truth

Velocity

Noun

Speed

Wile

Noun

An act or a means of cunning deception

Wizen

Verb

To become or cause to become withered or dry

Yokel

Noun

Country bumpkin

Zealot

Noun

One who is enthusiastic to an extreme or excessive degree

Getting flashes of memory with flashcards

Flashcards have been around for a long time. They’re still in wide use in these days of electronics and computers because they work. And they work especially well for subjects that just require simple memorization.

You can make flashcards from any stiff paper material, like index cards, construction paper, or card stock. Write the words from your list on flashcards — words on the front and a short definition on the back. Use only one word per card.

tip As far back as 1885, a psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus, who specialized in memory research, published a study that detailed the effective use of flashcards. According to his rules, you should follow these steps:

  1. Review all the cards in the set, looking at each front and back.

    Go through the set several times.

  2. Test and sort.

    Read the front of the card. Try to say what’s written on the back. If you’re wrong, put the card in a “wrong” pile. Do the same for each card until the cards are sorted into “right” and “wrong” piles.

  3. Review the “wrong” pile.

    Read each card in the “wrong” pile, front and back. Go through the “wrong” pile several times.

  4. Test and sort with the “wrong” pile.

    Go through the cards of the “wrong” pile, testing yourself with them and sorting them into “right” and “wrong” piles just as you did with all the cards in Step 2. Keep working with the cards of the “wrong” pile until they’re all in the “right” pile.

Building a Word from Scratch

Many English words are created from building blocks called roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Not every word has all three, but many have at least one. The prefix is the part that comes at the front of a word, the suffix is the part that comes at the end of a word, and the root is the part that comes in the middle of a word. Think of roots as the base of the word and prefixes and suffixes as word parts that are attached to the base.

If you don’t know the meaning of a word, you can often break it down into smaller parts and analyze those parts. For instance, introspect is made up from the root spect, which means to look, and the prefix intro, which means within. Taken together, introspect means “to look within.” Wasn’t that fun?

If you memorize some of these word parts, you’ll have a better chance of figuring out the meaning of an unfamiliar word when you see it on the Word Knowledge subtest — and that’s a good thing. Figuring out the meaning of unfamiliar words is how people with large vocabularies make them even larger. (They look up words in the dictionary, too.)

Rooting around for roots

A root is a word part that serves as the base of a word. If you recognize a root, you can generally get an idea of what the word means, even if you’re not familiar with it. As Mr. Miyagi said in The Karate Kid, “Root strong, tree grow strong.” All right, Daniel-san, in terms of your vocabulary, think of it this way: If your knowledge of word roots is strong, your vocabulary will be much stronger.

In Table 5-2, I list some common roots. Memorize them. When you sit down to take the ASVAB, you’ll be glad you did.

TABLE 5-2 Roots

Root

Meaning

Sample Word

anthro or anthrop

relating to humans

anthropology

bibli or biblio

relating to books

bibliography

brev

short

abbreviate

cede or ceed

go, yield

recede

chrom

color

monochrome

circum

around

circumnavigate

cogn or cogno

know

cognizant

corp

body

corporate

dic or dict

speak

diction

domin

rule

dominate

flu or flux

flow

influx

form

shape

formulate

frac or frag

break

fragment

graph

writing

biography

junct

join

juncture

liber

free

liberate

lum

light

illuminate

oper

work

cooperate

pat or path

suffer

pathology

port

carry

portable

press

squeeze

repress

scrib or script

write

describe

sens or sent

think, feel

sentient

tract

pull

traction

voc or vok

call

revoke

Attaching prefixes and suffixes

A prefix is a group of letters added before a word or base to alter the base’s meaning and form a new word. In contrast, a suffix is a group of letters added after a word or base. Prefixes and suffixes are called affixes because they’re attached to a root.

Tables 5-3 and 5-4 list some common prefixes and suffixes. Each list has the word part, its meaning, and one word that uses each word part. Writing down additional words that you know for each word part can help you memorize the lists.

TABLE 5-3 Prefixes

Prefix

Meaning

Sample Word

a-

no, not

atheist

ab- or abs-

away, from

absent

anti-

against

antibody

bi-

two

bilateral

contra-

against

contradict

de-

away from

depart

dec-

ten

decathlon

extra-

outside, beyond

extracurricular

fore-

in front of

foreman

geo-

earth

geology

hyper-

excess, over

hyperactive

il-

not

illogical

mal- or male-

wrong, bad

malnutrition

multi-

many

multifamily

non-

not

nonfat

omni-

all

omnivore

ped-

foot

pedestrian

que-, quer-, or ques-

ask

question

re-

back, again

replay

semi-

half

semisweet

super-

over, more

superior

tele-

far

telephone

trans-

across

transplant

un-

not

uninformed

TABLE 5-4 Suffixes

Suffix

Meaning

Sample Word

-able or -ible

capable of

agreeable

-age

action, result

breakage

-al

characterized by

functional

-ance

instance of an action

performance

-ation

action, process

liberation

-en

made of

silken

-ful

full of

helpful

-ic

consisting of

acidic

-ical

possessing a quality of

statistical

-ion

result of act or process

legislation

-ish

relating to

childish

-ism

act, practice

Buddhism

-ist

characteristic of

elitist

-ity

quality of

specificity

-less

not having

childless

-let

small one

booklet

-man

relating to humans, manlike

gentleman

-ment

action, process

establishment

-ness

possessing a quality

goodness

-or

one who does something

orator

-ous

having

dangerous

-y

quality of

tasty

A Word by Any Other Name: Surveying Synonyms and Antonyms

English is a complicated language. You could probably learn Spanish, German, or even Korean from scratch more easily than you could English. How many other countries do you know that have to teach their own native language throughout all the school grades (and even college!)?

In the English language, you usually have more than one way to say the same thing, even by swapping just one word. These different words with the same meaning are called synonyms. Synonyms are different words that have the same or very similar meanings. Funny, amusing, and comical are synonyms; they all mean the same thing.

In fact, that’s what the Word Knowledge subtest on the ASVAB really does: It tests your ability to select synonyms for the underlined words contained in the question stem. Look at the following example.

example Perform most nearly means

(A) eat.

(B) dance.

(C) execute.

(D) sing.

The correct answer is Choice (C). Execute (to carry out something) is a synonym of perform, which means the same thing. Although you can perform a dance or perform a song, dance and sing don’t actually mean the same thing as perform.

tip When you look up a new word in the dictionary (see “Adding words to your vocabulary”) and add it to your word list (see “You’re on my list: Working with word lists”), you should include synonyms, because you’re very likely to see them on the Word Knowledge subtest.

An antonym is a word that has the opposite or nearly opposite meaning of another word. Smile and frown are antonyms of one another. The test makers often use antonyms as wrong answers on the Word Knowledge subtest. Knowing antonyms for words not only improves your chances of narrowing your answer choices. It also beefs up your vocabulary. For example, if you know that fast is an antonym of slow and you know what slow means, you also know what fast means.

tip How can you find the synonym of a word (or the antonym, for that matter)? A good place to start is the dictionary. Many dictionary entries include the abbreviation syn., which means synonym. The words that follow this abbreviation are synonyms of the entry word. You may also see the abbreviation ant. in an entry. This abbreviation stands for antonym, and the word or words that follow it mean the opposite of the entry word.

Thesauruses are special dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms. We writers use them all the time to make us look smarter. Here are a couple of online thesauruses you can use to look up synonyms for words on your word list:

Getting Homogeneous with Homonyms

Some words in the English language are spelled the same but have two or more meanings. For example, a fluke can mean a fish, the end parts of an anchor, the fins on a whale’s tail, or a stroke of luck.

Some words are spelled the same but have different meanings and are often pronounced differently. The word bow, meaning a special kind of knot, is pronounced differently from bow, meaning to bend at the waist. Bow, meaning the front of a boat, is pronounced the same as bow (bend at the waist), but bow, meaning a weapon, is pronounced the same as bow (a special knot). See why foreigners trying to learn English get frustrated?

Other words are pronounced the same but are spelled differently and mean something different. To, too, and two and there, their, and they’re are examples. All these types of words are collectively known as homonyms.

The last type of homonym is especially important when it comes to the Word Knowledge subtest of the ASVAB. The test makers won’t try to trick you by having two homonym answers for words that are spelled the same but have multiple meanings, but they will use homonyms that are spelled differently and have different meanings.

example Flue most nearly means

(A) sickness.

(B) fly.

(C) chimney.

(D) None of the above.

You may be tempted to choose Choice (A), but that would be correct if flu were the test word. The past tense of fly is flew. The word flue means a chimney pipe.

Table 5-5 shows you a few more examples of common homonyms.

tip You can see an extensive list of homonyms on Enchanted Learning at www.enchantedlearning.com/english/homonyms.

TABLE 5-5 Common Homonyms

Word

Definition

Example Sentence

Allowed

Permitted

He allowed the audience to participate.

Aloud

Normal volume of speaking

They couldn’t speak aloud in the library.

Cent

A penny

I couldn’t believe I got the comic book for just one cent.

Scent

Aroma

The scent coming from the kitchen made my mouth water.

Sent

Past tense of send

He sent the letter Monday.

Cue

Stimulus to action

A door slamming was his cue to exit the stage.

Queue

Line

There was a large queue of cars waiting to park.

Die

To cease living

The flowers die when the weather gets cold.

Dye

To color or stain

She wants to dye her hair red.

Elicit

To draw or bring out

He vowed to elicit the truth from his friend.

Illicit

Unlawful

He used illicit means to avoid paying taxes.

Fairy

Supernatural being

The fairy was dancing in the night.

Ferry

A boat for crossing rivers or other small bodies of water

The ferry took us quickly across the river.

Gorilla

Large ape

I threw the gorilla a banana.

Guerrilla

Irregular soldier

The band of guerrillas attacked the convoy.

Hangar

Building for airplanes

Jack pulled the aircraft into the hangar.

Hanger

A device for hanging things

Mom said to put the shirt on a hanger.

It’s

Contraction of it is

It’s a very hot day.

Its

Belonging to it

The bank said its savings accounts were the best.

Know

To possess knowledge

I know you went to the store.

No

Zero or negative

I told John there was no way we would travel together.

Lessen

To make less

We gave him medicine to lessen his pain.

Lesson

Something to be learned

We must never forget the lessons of the past.

Mail

Postal delivery

I expected the check to be in the mail.

Male

A gender

The teacher asked all males to go to one room and all females to go to another.

Naval

Pertaining to ships

He wanted to become a naval officer.

Navel

Belly button

Mom always said not to play with my navel.

Ordinance

Decree or local law

Spitting on the sidewalk was against the town ordinance.

Ordnance

Military ammunition

We were running low, so we asked the sergeant for more ordnance.

Patience

The ability to suppress restlessness

I couldn’t believe her patience with the students.

Patients

People under medical care

The nurse treated all her patients with respect.

Reek

Bad smell

The reek of the skunk invaded the living room.

Wreak

Inflict

Jack continued to wreak havoc every time he got upset.

Sleight

Dexterity

The magician’s sleight of hand was amazing.

Slight

Small amount

There was only a slight increase in salaries this year.

Threw

Propelled by hand

He threw the ball to first base.

Through

In one side and out the other

Dad drove through the tunnel.

Vary

Change

The interest rate continues to vary up and down.

Very

Extreme

I am very happy with ASVAB AFQT For Dummies.

Weak

Not strong

After his illness, Paul was very weak.

Week

Seven days

It’ll take at least a week to finish this report.

Your

Belonging to you

Your new car is really cool.

You’re

Contraction of you are

You’re going to be in trouble when Dad gets home.

Flex Your Lexicon: Vocabulary Exercises

The best way to improve your vocabulary? Practice, practice, and more practice. The vocabulary exercises in this section will give you a little face-time with the nuts and bolts of the questions you’ll find in the Word Knowledge subtest of the ASVAB.

Practicing synonyms? It’s all the same to me

Activity 1 is a matching game (See? I told you playing word games to grow your vocabulary would be fun!). Match the word on the left with the word that has the most similar meaning — its synonym — on the right; you’ll find the correct answers at the end of this chapter.

ACTIVITY 1 Synonym Practice

Answer

Vocabulary Word

Synonym

1.

1. consider

A. uncommon

2.

2. evident

B. capsize

3.

3. scarce

C. fail

4.

4. vain

D. flounder

5.

5. render

E. go-between

6.

6. gadget

F. deliberate

7.

7. backfire

G. give

8.

8. wallow

H. descend

9.

9. habits

I. arrogant

10.

10. fabricate

J. within

11.

11. pressured

K. compelled

12.

12. keel

L. assemble

13.

13. plunge

M. obvious

14.

14. intermediary

N. customs

15.

15. internal

O. apparatus

Antithetic antonyms: The opposite of synonyms

Activity 2 has 15 vocabulary words and their opposites. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to match the vocabulary word with the word it is the most opposite of. The correct answers are at the end of this chapter.

ACTIVITY 2 Antonym Practice

Answer

Vocabulary Word

Antonym

1.

1. contrary

A. concern

2.

2. disregard

B. innocent

3.

3. protest

C. inept

4.

4. endorse

D. admire

5.

5. guilty

E. freeze

6.

6. ill

F. fabrication

7.

7. melt

G. individual

8.

8. actual

H. clumsiness

9.

9. abstain

I. agreeable

10.

10. despise

J. disapprove

11.

11. faultless

K. imperfect

12.

12. clan

L. counterfeit

13.

13. resourceful

M. continue

14.

14. fact

N. healthy

15.

15. agility

O. concur

Digging around word roots

Activity 3 gives you a word with a common root. It’s your job to find the root, guess what the word means, and look it up in the dictionary (or flip to the end of this chapter, where I’ve written out the definition for you). It’s often helpful to think of words you already know that sound similar to words you don’t know; that can help you guess the right answers.

ACTIVITY 3 Word Root Practice

Word

Root

Your Definition

1. hemorrhage

2. magnify

3. alleviate

4. verbalize

5. dismal

6. marine

7. affirm

8. admonish

9. autograph

10. hydrate

11. convene

12. relapse

13. liberate

14. pathetic

15. unanimous

Parsing prefixes: Defining the beginnings of words

Activity 4 has 15 vocabulary words that have prefixes attached. Tap into your existing vocabulary to figure out what each word means based on its prefix. Write the prefix in the column beside the word, and then write what you think the word means. Then, when you’re done, check your answers at the end of this chapter.

ACTIVITY 4 Prefix Practice

Word

Prefix

Your Definition

1. apolitical

2. predetermined

3. devalue

4. coaxial

5. extraordinary

6. miniature

7. undesirable

8. forerunner

9. byproduct

10. overreact

11. uplift

12. midway

13. intergalactic

14. omnipotent

15. substrate

Suffering through suffixes: The ends of words

Activity 5 contains 15 vocabulary words with suffixes tacked on their back ends. Separate the suffix from the word (and write it down), jot down what the word probably means, and then check your answers in the dictionary or at the end of this chapter.

ACTIVITY 5 Suffix Practice

Word

Suffix

Your Definition

1. postage

2. annoyance

3. disciplinarian

4. wisdom

5. clemency

6. artful

7. celestial

8. zanily

9. completion

10. placement

11. authorship

12. fascination

13. fortitude

14. circular

15. audible

Defining words from their context

You find 15 sentences in Activity 6. Try to define the underlined word based on the context of the sentence that it’s in and write your definition in the “Your Definition” column. Then look up the word in the dictionary or flip to the end of this chapter to find out whether you were right (or pretty close). Write the official definition in the final column so you can better boost your vocabulary.

ACTIVITY 6 Context Practice

Sentence

Your Definition

Dictionary Definition

1. Smoking has deleterious effects on your health.

2. The topic was too serious for her to be so facetious.

3. The English lexicon contains hundreds of thousands of words.

4. She told him not to plagiarize, but he copied the text anyway.

5. The commander didn’t want to capitulate, but the general told him to surrender.

6. His sunny disposition and sanguine attitude made everyone like him.

7. Nobody wanted a dictator or a totalitarian regime.

8. David vehemently denied the accusations because he was not guilty.

9. Cheryl never saw a structure as colossal as the Great Pyramid of Giza.

10. Jesse’s bizarre hairstyle often got him attention from the girls at school.

11. The teens participated in the boycott by refusing to buy coffee.

12. The embargo on car sales made it impossible to get a new model.

13. The idea that black cats are unlucky is a fallacy.

14. The artist made the mosaic with pieces of colored glass.

15. The dog’s constant barking was a nuisance.

Answers and Explanations

Check your answers for each of the exercises here, and take some time to review the explanations if you’re not sure where you went wrong.

Activity 1: Synonyms

Answer

Vocabulary Word

Synonym

1. F

consider

deliberate

2. M

evident

obvious

3. A

scarce

uncommon

4. I

vain

arrogant

5. G

render

give

6. O

gadget

apparatus

7. C

backfire

fail

8. D

wallow

flounder

9. N

habits

customs

10. L

fabricate

assemble

11. K

pressured

compelled

12. B

keel

capsize

13. H

plunge

descend

14. E

intermediary

go-between

15. J

internal

within

Activity 2: Antonyms

Answer

Vocabulary Word

Antonym

1. I

contrary

agreeable

2. A

disregard

concern

3. O

protest

concur

4. J

endorse

disapprove

5. B

guilty

innocent

6. N

ill

healthy

7. E

melt

freeze

8. L

actual

counterfeit

9. M

abstain

continue

10. D

despise

admire

11. K

faultless

imperfect

12. G

clan

individual

13. C

resourceful

inept

14. F

fact

fabrication

15. H

agility

clumsiness

Activity 3: Word Roots

  1. Hemorrhage is a noun that refers to an escape of blood from a ruptured blood vessel. (It’s also a verb that means to bleed profusely.) If you guessed that it had something to do with blood because of the root hemo, you were on the right track. Other words using hemo include hemoglobin, hemophilia, and hemorrhoids.
  2. Magnify is a verb that means to make something appear larger than it is. The root, magn, means great or large. Other words that use magn include magnitude and magnificent.
  3. Alleviate is a verb that means to make suffering or a problem less severe. Its root is lev, which means to lift or raise, and you see this root used in the words levitate, levity, and elevate.
  4. Verbalize is a verb that means to express ideas or feelings in words. The root of this word, verb, literally means word. Other words that contain verb include proverb, reverberate, and verbiage.
  5. Dismal is an adjective that means depressing or dreary. Its root is mal, which means bad or wretched. Mal is also part of words such as malevolent, malfunction, and malady.
  6. Marine is an adjective that refers something that’s of, found in, or produced by the sea. (It’s a noun referring to a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, a seascape, and seagoing ships, too.) Its root, mar, means sea, and you find it in words such as marina, maritime, and submarine.
  7. Affirm is a verb that means to state something as a fact. Its root, firm, means firm or strong. You also see firm in confirm, firmament, and firmly.
  8. Admonish is a verb that means to warn or reprimand someone firmly. The root, mon, means warn, and it serves as the root in the words monitor and premonition.
  9. Autograph is a noun that means a signature (especially that of a celebrity). Its root, graph, means to write or draw. You also see graph in words such as biography, cartography, and graphic.
  10. Hydrate is a verb that means to cause to absorb water. Hydr, its root, means water. You see it in hydrant, hydroponics, and hydrogenated.
  11. Convene is a verb that means to come or bring together for a meeting or activity. Its root is ven, which means come, just as in the words event, venue, and intervene.
  12. Relapse is a verb that means to suffer deterioration after a period of improvement. (It’s a noun, too, that means the return of a disease or illness after a partial recovery.) Its root is laps, which means to slide or slip. Other words that use laps include collapse, elapse, and prolapse.
  13. Liberate is a verb that means to set someone free from a situation, such as imprisonment or slavery, in which their liberty is severely restricted. Its root, liber, means free; you also see it in liberal and libertarian.
  14. Pathetic is an adjective that means arousing pity, particularly through sadness or vulnerability. Its root is path, which means feeling or disease, just like you see in apathetic, pathologist, and sociopath.
  15. Unanimous is an adjective that refers to two or more people being fully in agreement about something. Its root is un (but don’t get it confused with the prefix un-, which means not). You also see this root in unity, union, and reunification.

Activity 4: Prefixes

  1. Apolitical’s prefix is a-, which means not or without. Apolitical is an adjective that means not involved or interested in politics. Other words with the prefix a- are atheist, asexual, and apathy.
  2. Predetermined, which is a verb that means established or decided in advance, uses pre- as its prefix. Pre- means before, and you see it in the words prefix, pregame, and prevent.
  3. Devalue is a verb that means to reduce the worth or importance of something. Its prefix, de-, means off, down, or away from. You see it in words such as defrost, demotivate, and devolve.
  4. Coaxial is an adjective that means having a common axis (like a coaxial cable). Its prefix, co-, means with. Co- is also seen in words like cooperate, co-locate, and coworker.
  5. Extraordinary is an adjective that means very unusual or remarkable. Its prefix is extra-, and it means outside or beyond. Extra- is also part of the words extracurricular, extraterrestrial, and extrajudicial.
  6. Miniature is a noun that means a representation or image of something on a reduced or small scale. (It’s also an adjective that refers to something that’s represented on a small or reduced scale.) As a prefix, mini- means small; you also see it in words like minivan, minimal, and miniseries.
  7. Undesirable is an adjective that means not wanted due to harmfulness or unpleasantness. The prefix, un-, means not or against. Un- also appears in words such as unnecessary, unhappy, and unfazed.
  8. Forerunner is a noun that refers to a person or thing that precedes someone or something else. The prefix in this word is fore-, and it means before. You also see it in words like foreman, foresee, and forego.
  9. Byproduct is a noun that refers to an incidental or secondary product made while making something else. Its prefix, by-, means near or next to. This prefix also appears in the words byway and bypass.
  10. Overreact is a verb that means to respond more emotionally or forcibly than fits the situation. Its prefix is over-, which means excessive or above, and you see it in words like overbearing, overjoyed, and overuse.
  11. Uplift is a verb that means to lift or raise something. It’s also a noun that describes the act of raising something. Its prefix, up-, means greater, higher, or better, so you see it in upgrade, upright, and upsweep.
  12. Midway is an adjective and adverb that means in or toward the middle of something. (It’s also a noun that refers to the hotspot in an amusement park, carnival, or fair where all the concessions, games, and sideshows are located.) Mid- is its prefix, which means middle, so it also shows up in the words midtown, midday, and midst.
  13. Intergalactic is an adjective that refers to something relating to or situated between two or more galaxies. Its prefix, inter-, means among or between. You find it in international, Internet, and interim.
  14. Omnipotent is an adjective that means having unlimited power or able to do anything. Omni- is its prefix, and it means all. You also see it in omnivore, omnibus, and omniscient.
  15. Substrate is a noun that means a substance or layer that underlies something. Sub-, its prefix, means under, so you also see it in subway, submarine, and subsystem.

Activity 5: Suffixes

  1. Postage is a noun that refers to the charge for sending a letter or other matter by mail. Its suffix is -age, which means action or process. It also appears in passage, pilgrimage, and voyage.
  2. Annoyance is a noun that means nuisance or a person or thing that annoys. Its suffix, -ance, means state or quality of, so you see it in words like defiance, brilliance, and compliance.
  3. Disciplinarian is a noun that means a person who enforces or advocates discipline, and its suffix is -arian, which means a person who does something. This suffix appears in vegetarian, librarian, and egalitarian.
  4. Wisdom is a noun that means scholarly knowledge or learning, or the state of being wise. Its suffix is -dom, which means condition of, state, or realm, so it also shows up in words like boredom, freedom, and kingdom.
  5. Clemency is a noun that means a disposition to show compassion or forgiveness, leniency, or mercy. Its suffix is -ency, which means condition or quality. You find it in dependency, efficiency, and complacency.
  6. Artful is an adjective that means crafty, cunning, skillful, or clever. Its suffix, -ful, means full of, so you see it in words like helpful, cheerful, and thankful as well.
  7. Celestial is an adjective that means pertaining to the sky or to the universe beyond the atmosphere. Its suffix is -ial, which means relating to. It also makes an appearance in words like editorial, martial, and racial.
  8. Zanily is an adverb that means comically or clownishly, and its suffix is -ily, which means in a certain manner. You see it in sloppily, steadily, and breezily.
  9. Completion is a noun that means conclusion or fulfillment. Its suffix is -ion, which means action or process, and it appears in celebration, navigation, and abduction.
  10. Placement is a noun that means location or arrangement or that indicates the act of placing. Its suffix is -ent, which means action or result. You see -ent in words like movement, shipment, and abolishment.
  11. Authorship is a noun that means origin with reference to an author, creator, or producer of a work. Its suffix is -ship, which means skill of or state or condition of, and it shows up in words like citizenship, friendship, and governorship.
  12. Fascination is a noun that means the state or instance of being fascinated, and its suffix is -tion. The suffix -tion means state or quality, so you also see it in frustration, attention, and dejection.
  13. Fortitude is a noun that means mental and emotional strength during difficulty, adversity, or danger. Its suffix, -tude, means state, condition, or quality, and it shows up in words like gratitude, magnitude, and servitude.
  14. Circular is an adjective that means having the form of a circle or being roundabout or indirect. Its suffix is -ular, which means relating to or resembling. You find it in cellular, muscular, and regular, too.
  15. Audible is an adjective that means capable of being heard, and its suffix is -ible, which means able to be. You see it in words like plausible, legible, and visible.

Activity 6: Context

  1. Deleterious is an adjective that means causing harm or damage.
  2. Facetious is an adjective that means treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor.
  3. Lexicon is a noun that means the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge.
  4. Plagiarize is a verb that means to take someone else’s work or idea and pass it off as one’s own.
  5. Capitulate is a verb that means to cease to resist or to surrender.
  6. Sanguine is an adjective that means optimistic or positive, especially in a difficult or bad situation.
  7. Totalitarian is an adjective that means relating to a system of centralized, dictatorial government that requires complete subservience to the state.
  8. Vehemently is an adverb that means in a forceful, passionate, or intense manner.
  9. Colossal is an adjective that means extremely large.
  10. Bizarre is an adjective that means very strange or unusual, especially in a way that causes interest or amusement.
  11. Boycott is a verb that means to withdraw from commercial or social relations as a punishment or protest.
  12. Embargo is a noun that means an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country.
  13. Fallacy is a noun that refers to a mistaken belief, especially if it’s based on an unsound argument.
  14. Mosaic is a noun that refers to a picture or pattern made by arranging small colored pieces of a hard material.
  15. Nuisance is a noun that means a person, thing, or circumstance causing inconvenience or annoyance.
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