EVERYONEFROM BEGINNING LEARNERS in English to veterans in journalismknows the frustration of not having the right word immediately available

in that lexicon one carries between one's ears. Sometimes it's a matter of not being able to recall the right word; sometimes we never knew it. It is also frustrating to read a newspaper or homework assignment and run across words whose meanings elude us. Language, after all, is power. When your children get in trouble fighting with the neighbors' children, and your neighbors call your children little twerps and you call their children nefarious miscreantswell, the battle is over and they didn't stand a chance. Building a vocabulary that is adequate to the needs of one's reading and self-expression has to be a personal goal for every writer and speaker. Several quizzes have been connected to this section as vocabulary muscle builders. In addition, a javascript pop-up lexicon, A YEAR'S WORTH OF WORDSwith a word for every day of the yearis available. See the hyperlinks at the bottom of this page. Making It Personal Using some durable piece of paperwhite construction paper or the insides of the rippedoff covers of old notebooksbegin to write down words in small but readable script that you discover in your reading that you can't define. Read journals and newspapers that challenge you in terms of vocabulary. Pursue words actively and become alert to words that you simply overlooked in the past. Write down the words in one column; then, later, when you have a dictionary at your disposal, write down a common definition of the word; in a third column, write a brief sentence using the word, underlined. Carry this paper or cardboard with you always. In the pauses of your busy daywhen you're sitting on the bus, in the dentist's office, during commercialstake out the paper and review your vocabulary words until you feel comfortable that you would recognize (and be able to use) these words the next time you see them. The amazing thing is that you will see the words againeven "nefarious miscreants," and probably sooner than you thought. In fact, you might well discover that the words you've written down are rather common. What's happening is not that, all of a sudden, people are using words you never saw before, but that you are now reading and using words that you had previously ignored. Using Every Resource Most bookstores carry books on building a more powerful vocabulary, some of them with zany names such as Thirty Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary. If you've got money to spare or if they're on sale, buy them and use them; they can't hurt. Books that group words according to what they have in commonmore in meaning than in spellingare especially useful. Newspapers often carry brief daily articles that explore the meanings of words and phrases. These articles often emphasize peculiar words that won't find themselves into your working vocabulary, but they can still be fun. Often you'll find that learning one new word leads to other new words, little constellations of meaning that keep your brain cells active and hungry for more. Make reading these articles one of your daily habits, an addiction, even.

Play dictionary games with your family in which someone uses the dictionary to find a neat word and writes down the real definition and everyone else writes down a fake (and funny) definition. See how many people you can fool with your fake definitions. Two trucks loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus collided as they left a New York publishing house last Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Witnesses were aghast, amazed, astonished, astounded, bemused, benumbed, bewildered, confounded, confused, dazed, dazzled, disconcerted, disoriented, dumbstruck, electrified, flabbergasted, horrified, immobilized, incredulous, nonplussed, overwhelmed, paralyzed, perplexed, scared, shocked, startled, stunned, stupified, surprised, taken aback, traumatized, upset. . . . joke circulated on the Internet December 2003 A thesaurus is like a dictionary except that it groups words within constellations of meaning. It is often useful in discovering just the right word you need to express what you want to say. Make sure you correctly understand the definition of a word (by using a dictionary) before using it in some important paper or report. Your bookstore salesperson can provide plenty of examples of an inexpensive thesaurus. The onlineMerriam Webster's WWWebster Dictionary has access to both an extensive dictionary and a hyperlinked thesaurus. Links allow you to go conveniently back and forth between the dictionary and the thesaurus. If you have a speedy computer processor and a fast hookup to the internet, we recommend the Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus. Once the program is entirely loaded, type in a word that you would like to see "visualized," hit the return key, and a construct of verbal connections will float across the screen. Click on any of the words within that construct and a new pattern of connections will emerge. Try the Visual Thesaurus with several different kinds of wordsverbs, adverbs, nouns, adjectivesand try adjusting some of the various controls on the bottom of the window. We do not recommend this web-site for slow machines; in fact, the bigger your monitor and the faster your computer and connection, the more satisfying this experience will be. When people use a word that puzzles you, ask what it means! You'll find that most instructors, especially, are not in the least bothered by such questionsin fact, they're probably pleased that you're paying such close attentionbut if they do seem bothered, write down the word and look it up later, before the context of the word evaporates.

Knowing the Roots At least half of the words in the English language are derived from Greek and Latin roots. Knowing these roots helps us to grasp the meaning of words before we look them up in the dictionary. It also helps us to see how words are often arranged in families with similar characteristics. For instance, we know that sophomores are students in their second year of college or high school. What does it mean, though, to be sophomoric? The "sopho" part of the word

comes from the same Greek root that gives us philosophy, which we know means "love of knowledge." The "ic" ending is sometimes added to adjectival words in English, but the "more" part of the word comes from the same Greek root that gives us moron. Thus sophomores are people who think they know a lot but really don't know much about anything, and a sophomoric act is typical of a "wise fool," a "smart-ass"! Let's explore further. Going back to philosophy, we know the "sophy" part is related to knowledge and the "phil" part is related to love (because we know that Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love and that a philodendron loves shady spots). What, then, is philanthropy? "Phil" is still love, and "anthropy" comes from the same Greek root that gives us anthropology, which is the study ("logy," we know, means study of any kind) of anthropos, humankind. So a philanthropist must be someone who loves humans and does something about itlike giving money to find a cure for cancer or to build a Writing Center for the local community college. (And an anthropoid, while we're at it, is an animal who walks like a human being.) Learning the roots of our language can even be fun! Some common Greek and Latin roots: Root (source) Meaning aster, astr (G) star audi (L) bene (L) bio (G) dic, dict (L) fer (L) fix (L) geo (G) graph (G) jur, just (L) to hear good, well life to speak to carry to fasten earth to write law English words astronomy, astrology audible, auditorium benefit, benevolent biology, autobiography dictionary, dictator transfer, referral fix, suffix, affix geography, geology graphic, photography jury, justice

log, logue (G) word, thought, monolog(ue), astrology, speech biology, neologism luc (L) manu (L) meter, metr (G) op, oper (L) path (G) ped (G) phil (G) phys (G) scrib, script light hand measure work feeling child love body, nature to write lucid, translucent manual, manuscript metric, thermometer operation, operator pathetic, sympathy, empathy pediatrics, pedophile philosophy, Anglophile physical, physics scribble, manuscript

(L) tele (G) ter, terr (L) vac (L) verb (L) vid, vis (L) far off earth empty word to see telephone,television territory, extraterrestrial vacant, vacuum, evacuate verbal, verbose video, vision, television

Authority for this chart: The Little, Brown Handbook by H. Ramsay Fowler and Jane E. Aaron, & Kay Limburg. 6th ed. HarperCollins: New York. 1995. By permission of AddisonWesley Educational Publishers Inc. Learning Prefixes and Suffixes Knowing the Greek and Latin roots of several prefixes and suffixes (beginning and endings attached to words) can also help us determine the meaning of words. Ante, for instance, means before, and if we connect bellum with belligerant to figure out the connection with war, we'll know that antebellum refers to the period before war. (In the United States, the antebellum period is our history before the Civil War.) Prefixes showing quantity Meaning half one two hundred thousand without, no, not Prefixes in English Words semiannual, hemisphere unicycle, monarchy, monorail binary, bimonthly, dilemma, dichotomy century, centimeter, hectoliter millimeter, kilometer asexual, anonymous, illegal, immoral, invalid,irreverent, unskilled

Prefixes showing negation

not, nonbreakable, antacid, antipathy, contradict absence of, opposing, against opposite to, counterclockwise, counterweight complemen t to do the dehorn, devitalize, devalue opposite of, remove, reduce do the disestablish, disarm

opposite of, deprive of wrongly, bad before after again misjudge, misdeed

Prefixes showing time antecedent, forecast, precede, prologue postwar rewrite, redundant

Prefixes showing direction or position above, over supervise, supererogatory across, over below, under in front of behind out of into around with transport, translate infrasonic, infrastructure, subterranean,hypodermic proceed, prefix recede erupt, explicit, ecstasy injection, immerse, encourage, empower circumnavigate, perimeter coexist, colloquy, communicate, consequence,correspond, sympathy, synchr onize

Authority for this table: The Little, Brown Handbook by H. Ramsay Fowler and Jane E. Aaron, & Kay Limburg. 6th ed. HarperCollins: New York. 1995. By permission of AddisonWesley Educational Publishers Inc. Suffixes, on the other hand, modify the meaning of a word and frequently determine its function within a sentence. Take the noun nation, for example. With suffixes, the word becomes the adjectivenational, the adverb nationally, and the verb nationalize. See what words you can come up with that use the following suffixes.

Typical noun suffixes are -ence, -ance, -or, -er, -ment, -list, -ism, -ship, -ency, sion, -tion, -ness, -hood, -dom Typical verb suffixes are -en, -ify, -ize, -ate Typical adjective suffixes are -able, -ible, -al, -tial, -tic, -ly, -ful, -ous, -tive, -less, -ish, -ulent The adverb suffix is -ly (although not all words that end in -ly are adverbslike friendly)

Using Your Dictionary

The dictionary should be one of the most often used books in your home. (We'll allow room for sacred texts here.) Place the dictionary somewhere so that you can find it immediately and use it often. If you do your reading and homework in the kitchen and the dictionary is on a shelf in the den or bedroom, it's too tempting to say "I'll look it up next time." The home dictionary should be large enough to contain much more than just spellings. It should contain extensive definitions, word origins, and notes on usage. Carrying in your purse or backpack a pocket dictionary with more concise definitions is also a good idea. Get in the habit of turning to it often. A well worn dictionary is a beautiful thing. Using the Internet You can use the internet as an aid to vocabulary development by exploring the abundant opportunities for reading available on the World Wide Web. Capital Community College maintains an extensive list of online newspapers and commentary magazines. Choose magazines such as Atlantic and Mother Jones that challenge your mind and your vocabulary with full-text articles. At least once a week read a major article with the purpose of culling from it some vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to you. We also recommend the New York Times Book Review (which might require an easy, one-time, free registration). Vocabulary University is a new online resource for working on groups of related vocabulary words in a puzzle format. Vocabulary U., a graphically rich Web site, is broken into beginning, intermediate, and college-level work. Vocabulary for English Language Learners is a treasury and nicely organized resources for ESL students. It is maintained by the College of Arts & Sciences of Ohio University. There are also at least two services that send you an e-mail message every day with a new wordwith definitions, pronunciation guides, and examples of its use. Get in the habit of reading these messages regularly. Print out the words and definitions you think will be really useful, or write them down and carry them around with you on your personal vocabulary builder.

Garner's Usage Tip OF the Day Bryan Garner, author of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage (Oxford University Press), offers this invaluable, free, daily e-mail service. Subscription is easy. http://www.us.oup.com/us/subscriptions/subscribe/?view=usa . Vocab Vitamins (formerly "MyWordaDay"): Colin O'Malley maintains this Website, a treasure for people who know that developing an adequate vocabulary is not a short-term project. Users can visit the Website or have the WordaDay emailed to them. Words are arranged in meaningful groups and defined in painstaking and useful detail, with plenty of examples. http://www.vocabvitamins.com/. WORDSMITH: To subscribe or unsubscribe to A.Word.A.Day, send a message to wsmith@wordsmith.org with the "Subject:" line as "subscribe " or "unsubscribe." The Wordsmith has thousands of subscribers. It does a great job of discovering interesting themes and sources of words and then exploring those wordsa word a dayfor a week or so and then goes off to another theme and series of words.

Word of the Day: Maintained by Merriam Webster, Inc., the dictionary people. Go to the online WWWebster Dictionary and click on Word of the Day. From there, you can either subscribe to their free daily service or explore their archives. The guides for pronunciation are easier to follow than Wordsmith's and the examples are well founded and even fun. The Merriam-Webster people also provide a neat link directly to their word database so that you can highlight a word on a Web-page, click on their icon in your personal toolbar and get an instant and authoritative definition for that word. The following resources do not go to your e-mail account, but they are easily available online if you can just remember to visit them on a regular basis.

Word of the Day from the OED: Although the online version of the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary is not available without a hefty price tag, you can get a free Word of the Day from the OED. You will find more information there about each word presented than you could ever imagine existed. The New York Times Word of the Day: every weekday, a word chosen from the archives of the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/wordofday/. Michael Quinion's "World Wide Words": investigating the use and creation of English words, from a British point of view. Fun to read, always something new.http://www.worldwidewords.org/index.htm. The Atlantic section on Language: from the Atlantic Monthly's online journal. Select from "Word Court," "Word Fugitive," and "Word Police."http://www.theatlantic.com/language/. Word Safari challenges web surfers' knowledge of vocabulary, and then sends them off on expeditions to see the chosen word used in context on the web. Aiming her Web site at building academic vocabulary skills, Ruth Pettis adds new vocabulary words every week. http://home.earthlink.net/~ruthpett/safari/index.htm. The Maven's Word for the Day was maintained by the Reference division of Random House. It went belly-up in December 2001, but the archives are still available online.http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/.

You can also go to the web-site of the Scripps-Howard Annual National Spelling Bee and listen to words on Audio Paideia. The words are arranged in interesting groups. With RealAudio on your browser, you can hear the word and its definition and then try to spell it on your own. Have a dictionary handy! This Guide to Grammar and Writing also has a series of spelling tests that can be used as a vocabulary builders: go to the section on Spelling and choose the spelling tests (bottom of the page) that use sound (the words you're asked to spell are accompanied by brief definitions). Javascript Vocabulary Stretchers, maintained by John Gales, offers a new computergraded vocabulary test (ten words) every week. Michael Quinion maintains a series of articles about the English language called Wide World of Words (also available as a weekly e-mail newsletter). You can spend days wandering through the maze of word-games and language resources listed in Judi Wolinsky'sWord Play.

Crossword puzzles are an excellent way to develop your vocabulary. Do the puzzles that appear in your local newspaper on a daily or weekly basis or try these interactive crossword puzzles on the internet:

The Christian Science Monitor Interactive Crossword Puzzle Crossword of the Day Michael Curl's Puzzles and Wordplay (This stuff is a real challenge!)

Voycabulary.com provides a means of typing in the URL of any Web page and the program will turn every word on that page into a clickable hyperlink that will reveal a definition in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary or Thesaurus. Voycabulary will also translate a Web page into another language for you. Try it with this page, whose URL is http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/vocabulary.htm Five-Dollar Words An extensive vocabulary can be a powerful writing and speaking tool; it can also be misused, made to make others feel powerless. Never use a five-dollar word where a fifty-cent word will do the job just as well or better. Do we really need utilize when a three-letter word, use, will nicely suffice. Risible is a lovely word, but is it worth sending your readers to the dictionary when laughable is at hand? It's a good question. On the other hand, don't cheat yourself or your readers out of some important nuance of meaning that you've discovered in a word that's new to you. At some point you have to assume that your readers also have dictionaries. It's sometimes a tough line to drawbetween being a pedantic, pretentious boor (Oh, there are three dandies!) and being a writer who can take full and efficient advantage of the English language's multifarious (another one!) resources. ROOT -ast(er)-(G) -audi- (L) -auto- (G) -bene- (L) -bio- (G) -chrono- (G) -dict- (L) -duc- (L) -gen- (L) -geo- (G) -graph- (G) -jur-, -jus(L) -log-, -logue(L) -luc- (L) -man(u)- (L) -mand-, MEANING star hear self good life time say lead, make give birth earth write law thought light hand order EXAMPLES asteroid, astronomy audible, audience automatic, autopsy benefit, benign biography, biology chronic, synchronize dictate, diction deduce, produce gene, generate geography, geology autograph, graph jury, justice logic, obloquy lucid, translucent manual, manure demand, recommend

mend- (L) -mis-, -mit(L) -omni- (L) -path- (G) -phil- (G) -phon- (G) -photo- (G) -port- (L) -qui(t)- (L) -scrib-, script- (L) -sens-, -sent(L) -tele- (G) -terr- (L) -vac- (L) -vid-, -vis(L) Prefix a-, ananteantiautocircumcocom-, concontradedisenexextraheterohomohyperil-, im-, in-, irininterintra-

send all feel love sound light carry quiet, rest write feel far off earth empty see Meaning without before against self around with with against off, away from not put into out of, former beyond, more than different same over, more not, without into between between

missile, transmission omnivorous empathy, pathetic philosophy, bibliophile phonics, telephone photograph, photon export, portable acquit, tranquil ascribe, script resent, sensitive telecast, telephone terrain, territory evacuate, vacate visible, video Example amoral antecedent anticlimax autopilot circumvent copilot companion, contact contradict devalue disappear enclose extract, ex-president extracurricular heterosexual homonym hyperactive illegal, immoral, inconsiderate, irresponsible insert intersect intravenous

macromicromonononomnipostpre-, prosubsyntranstriununiSuffix -acy -al -ance, -ence -dom -er, -or -ism -ist -ity, -ty -ment -ness -ship -sion, -tion -ate -en -ify, -fy -ize, -ise -able, -ible -al -esque -ful -ic, -ical -ious, -ous

large small one not, without all, every after before, forward under same time across three not one Meaning state or quality act or process of state or quality of place or state of being one who doctrine, belief one who quality of condition of state of being position held state of being become become make or become become

macroeconomics microscope monocle nonentity omniscient postmortem precede, project submarine synchronize transmit tricycle unfinished unicorn Example privacy refusal maintenance, eminence freedom, kingdom trainer, protector communism chemist veracity argument heaviness fellowship concession, transition eradicate enlighten terrify civilize edible, presentable regional picturesque fanciful musical, mythic nutritious, portentous

Verb Suffixes

Adjective Suffixes capable of being pertaining to reminiscent of notable for pertaining to characterized by

-ish having the quality of fiendish -ive having the nature of creative -less without endless -y characterized by sleazy Listed here, according to the 100-million-word British National Corpus, are the 100 most commonly used words in English. Where needed, the part of speech is identified to distinguish different grammatical uses of the same word. 1. the 2. be 3. of 4. and 5. a 6. in (preposition: "in the old days") 7. to (infinitive marker: "to sing") 8. have 9. it 10. to (preposition: "to the country")

11. for (preposition: "for you") 12. I 13. that (relative pronoun: "the book that I read") 14. you 15. he 16. on (preposition: "on the beach") 17. with (preposition: "with pleasure") 18. do (verb: "I do") 19. at (preposition: "at school") 20. by (preposition: "by midnight")

21. not 22. this (determiner: "this page") 23. but 24. from (preposition: "from home") 25. they 26. his (determiner: "his job") 27. that (determiner: "that song") 28. she 29. or 30. which (determiner: "which book")

31. as (conjunction: "as we agreed") 32. we 33. an 34. say (verb: "say a prayer") 35. will (auxiliary verb: "I will try") 36. would

37. can (auxiliary verb: "I can go") 38. if 39. their 40. go (verb: "go now") 41. what (determiner: "what time")

42. there 43. all (determiner: "all people") 44. get (verb: "get busy") 45. her (determiner: "her job") 46. make (verb: "make money") 47. who 48. as (preposition: "as a child") 49. out (adverb: "go out") 50. up (adverb: "go up")

51. see (verb: "see the sky") 52. know (verb: "know a place") 53. time (time: "a time to laugh") 54. take (verb: "take a break") 55. them 56. some (determiner: "some money") 57. could 58. so (adverb: "I said so") 59. him 60. year

61. into (preposition: "into the room") 62. its 63. then 64. think (verb: "think hard") 65. my 66. come (verb: "come early") 67. than 68. more (adverb: "more quickly") 69. about (preposition: "about you") 70. now

71. last (adjective: "last call") 72. your 73. me 74. no (determiner: "no time") 75. other (adjective: "other people") 76. give 77. just (adverb: "just try") 78. should

79. these (determiner: "these days") 80. people

81. also 82. well (adverb: "well written") 83. any (determiner: "any day") 84. only 85. new (adjective: "new friend") 86. very 87. when (conjunction: "when you go") 88. may (auxiliary verb: "you may go") 89. way 90. look (verb: "look here")

91. like (preposition: "like a boat") 92. use (verb: "use your head") 93. her (pronoun: "give her") 94. such (determiner: "such problems") 95. how (adverb: "see how") 96. because 97. when (adverb: "know when") 98. as (adverb: "as good") 99. good (adjective: "good time") 100. find (verb: "find time") "Advice" or "advise"? "Farther" or "further"? "Principal" or "principle"? It's easy to confuse words that are similar in sound, spelling, or meaning. But with a bit of review it's also easy to clear up such confusions. Here in our Glossary of Usage you'll find more than 300 sets of commonly confused words-with links to definitions, examples, and practice exercises that should help you keep these words straight. You can test your understanding of these words at our Review Quiz: Commonly Confused Words and Quiz on 20 Commonly Confused Words. See also:

200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs The Big Quiz on Commonly Confused Words Another Big Quiz on Commonly Confused Words

A, An, & And Abstruse and Obtuse

Accept, Except, and Expect Accidental and Incidental Adapt and Adopt Adverse and Averse Advice and Advise Affect and Effect Afterward(s) and Afterword Aggravate and Irritate Aid and Aide All Ready and Already All Together and Altogether Allude and Elude Allusion and Illusion Allusive and Elusive A Lot (Much, Many) Altar and Alter Ambiguous and Ambivalent Among and Between Amoral and Immoral Amount and Number Amuse and Bemuse Anecdote and Antidote Angel and Angle Anonymous and Unanimous Anxious and Eager Anyone and Any One Appraise and Apprise Ardent and Arduous Are and Our Ascent and Assent Assure, Ensure, and Insure Aural and Oral Avocation and Vocation Awhile and A While B

Bail and Bale Baited and Bated Band and Banned Bare and Bear Bathos and Pathos Beside and Besides Bloc and Block Boar, Boor, and Bore Board and Bored Bolder and Boulder Brake and Break Breakdown and Break Down

Breath and Breathe Bridal and Bridle Bring and Take Broach and Brooch Buy, By, and Bye C

Calvary and Cavalry Cannon and Canon Canvas and Canvass Capital and Capitol Carat, Caret, and Carrot Ceiling and Sealing Cel, Cell, and Sell Censor and Censure Cent, Scent, and Sent Cereal and Serial Chafe and Chaff Chaotic and Inchoate Childish and Childlike Choose, Chose, and Chosen Chord and Cord Cite and Site Cleanup and Clean Up Click and Clique Climactic and Climatic Close, Clothes, and Cloths Coarse and Course Collaborate and Cooperate Complement and Compliment Complementary and Complimentary Confidant and Confident Conscience and Conscious Consequently and Subsequently Contemptible and Contemptuous Continual and Continuous Council and Counsel Credible, Creditable, and Credulous Criterion and Criteria D

Dam and Damn Days and Daze Dazed and Dazzled Defective and Deficient Defuse and Diffuse Dependant and Dependent

Deprecate and Depreciate Desert and Dessert Device and Devise Diagnosis and Prognosis Discover and Invent Discreet and Discrete Disinterested and Uninterested Distinct and Distinctive Dual and Duel E

Earthly and Earthy Economic and Economical E.g. and I.e. Elicit and Illicit Emigrate and Immigrate Eminent and Imminent Envelop and Envelope Epigram, Epigraph, and Epitaph Etc. and Et al. Eventually and Ultimately Everyday and Every Day Everyone and Every One Evoke and Invoke Exhort and Extort Explicit and Implicit F

Faint and Feint Fair and Fare Farrago and Fiasco Farther and Further Faze and Phase Few (Fewer) and Little (Less) Finally and Finely Fir and Fur Flair and Flare Flammable, Inflammable, and Nonflammable Flaunt and Flout Flesh Out and Flush Out Flew, Flu, and Flue Flounder and Founder Forbear and Forebear Foreword and Forward Formally and Formerly Forth and Fourth Fortunate and Fortuitous

Full and Fulsome G

Garner and Garnish Gibe, Jibe, and Jive Good and Well Gorilla and Guerrilla Gourmand and Gourmet Grate and Great Grisly and Grizzly Groan and Grown Guessed and Guest H

Hanged and Hung Hardy and Hearty Have and Of Hear and Here Heard and Herd Heroin and Heroine Higher and Hire Historic and Historical Hoard and Horde Hoarse and Horse Hole and Whole Home and Hone Hoping and Hopping Human and Humane Hurdle and Hurtle I

I and Me Imaginary and Imaginative Imply and Infer In and Into Incidence and Incidents Incite and Insight Incredible and Incredulous Indiscreet and Indiscrete Ingenious and Ingenuous Inhuman and Inhumane Insidious and Invidious Intense and Intent Interment and Internment Inveigh and Inveigle

Its and It's J

Judicial and Judicious K

Know and No L

Last and Latter Later and Latter Lay and Lie Leach and Leech Lead and Led Leave and Let Lend and Loan Lessen and Lesson Liable and Libel Lightening and Lightning Limp and Limpid Literally and Figuratively Loath and Loathe Loose and Lose Luxuriant and Luxurious M

Mail and Male Manner and Manor Mantel and Mantle Many and Much Marital and Martial Material and Materiel Maybe and May Be Medal, Meddle, Metal, and Mettle Media, Medium, and Mediums Militate and Mitigate Miner and Minor Moot and Mute Moral and Morale N

Naval and Navel

Noisome and Noisy Nutritional and Nutritious O

Obsolescent and Obsolete Official and Officious P

Pail and Pale Pain and Pane Pair, Pare, and Pear Palate, Palette, and Pallet Passed and Past Patience and Patients Peace and Piece Peak, Peek, and Pique Pedal and Peddle Perpetrate and Perpetuate Perquisite and Prerequisite Persecute and Prosecute Personal and Personnel Perspective and Prospective Perverse and Perverted Plain and Plane Pole and Poll Poor, Pore, and Pour Pray and Prey Precede and Proceed Precedence and Precedents Premier and Premiere Prescribe and Proscribe Principal and Principle Prodigy and Protg Prophecy and Prophesy Prostate and Prostrate Q

Quell and Quench Quiet, Quit, and Quite Quotation and Quote R

Rack and Wrack Rain, Reign, and Rein

Raise, Raze, and Rise Rapt and Wrapped Rational and Rationale Ravage and Ravish Recourse and Resource Regretful and Regrettable Reluctant and Reticent Respectfully and Respectively Restive and Restless Review and Revue Riffle and Rifle Right, Rite, Wright, and Write Ring and Wring Risky and Risqu Role and Roll S

Scene and Seen Seam and Seem Seasonable and Seasonal Sensual and Sensuous Serve and Service Set and Sit Shall and Will Shear and Sheer Should and Would Sic and Sick Simple and Simplistic Soar and Sore Sole and Soul Sometime, Some time, and Sometimes Stanch and Staunch Stationary and Stationery Statue and Statute Steal and Steel Straight and Strait Suit, Suite, and Sweet T

Tack and Tact Tail and Tale Taught and Taut Team and Teem Temerity and Timidity Than and Then Their, There, and They're Threw, Through, and Thru

Throes and Throws Tide and Tied To, Too, and Two Torpid and Torrid Tortuous and Torturous Track and Tract Troop and Troupe Trustee and Trusty Turbid, Turbulent, and Turgid U

Urban and Urbane V

Vain, Vane, and Vein Vale and Veil Vary and Very Venal and Venial Veracious and Voracious W

Wade and Weighed Waist and Waste Wait and Weight Waive and Wave Ware, Wear, and Where Way and Weigh Weak and Week Weather and Whether Were, We're, and Where Wet and Whet Who, Which, and That Who and Whom Whoever and Whomever Whose and Who's Y

Yoke and Yolk Young and Youthful Your and You're Many studies show the importance of building childrens vocabulary. One study has shown that a

set of 20 prefixes and 14 roots, and knowing how to use them, will unlock the meaning of over 100,000 words. A similar study showed that a set of 29 prefixes and 25 roots will give the meaning to over 125,000 words. Imagine adding suffixes! Below are lists of prefixes, suffixes, and roots with their meanings and example words. Reviewing these also can help many ELL students to see relationships between and among languages. Many prefixes have a basis in Latin also the basis for Spanish, French, and Italian or Greek. Table 1: 32 Prefixes Prefix Meaning Example words and meanings a, ab, abs away from absent abscond not to be present, away abscond to run away ad, a, ac, af, ag, an, ar, at, as to, toward adapt adhere annex

 attract to fit into to stick to to add or join to draw near anti against antifreeze antisocial a substance to prevent freezing refers to someone whos not social bi, bis two bicycle biannual biennial two wheeled cycle twice each year every two years circum, cir around circumscribe circle to draw around a figure that goes all around com, con, co, col with, together

 combine contact collect co-worker to bring together to touch together to bring together co-worker de away from, down, the opposite of depart decline to go away from to turn down dis, dif, di apart dislike dishonest distant not to like not honest away epi upon, on top of epitaph

 epilogue writing upon a tombstone speech at the end, on top of the rest equ, equi equal equalize equitable to make equal fair, equal ex, e, ef out, from exit eject exhale to go out to throw out to breathe out in, il, ir, im, en in, into inject impose to put into to force into in, il, ig, ir, im not inactive ignoble irreversible

 irritate not active not noble not reversible to put into discomfort This document revised from Gary Grubers work on increasing childrens test scores: Dr. Gary Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids, Grades 3, 4, & 5. (1986); Dr. Gary Gruber's Essential Guide to Test Taking for Kids, Grades 6, 7, 8, & 9. (1986); and Gruber's Complete Preparation for the SAT (9th Edition, 2001) -- all published by Collins, New York City. alter other alternate, alter ego ami, amic love amiable, amicable amphi both ends or allsides amphibian, amphitheater ann, enni year anniversary, annual, biennial, perennial anthrop human,man anthropology, anthropomorphic, misanthrope aqua, aque water aquatic, aquarium, aqueduct arch chief, leader,ruler archangel,monarch, archaic, archenemyalter other alternate, alter ego ami, amic love amiable, amicable

amphi both ends or allsides amphibian, amphitheater ann, enni year anniversary, annual, biennial, perennial anthrop human,man anthropology, anthropomorphic, misanthrope aqua, aque water aquatic, aquarium, aqueduct arch chief, leader,ruler archangel,monarch, archaic, archenemyalter other alternate, alter ego ami, amic love amiable, amicable amphi both ends or allsides amphibian, amphitheater ann, enni year anniversary, annual, biennial, perennial anthrop human,man anthropology, anthropomorphic, misanthrope aqua, aque water aquatic, aquarium, aqueduct arch chief, leader,ruler archangel,monarch, archaic, archenemy Link Root wordMeaningsExamples and Definitions a/nnot, withoutabyss without bottom; achromatic without color; anhydrous without water aonafire on fire; ashore on the shore; aside on the side ab/s, afrom, away, offabduct carry away by force; abnormal away from normal, not normal; absent away, not present; aversion the act of turning away from; abbreviate: to shorten. ac, ad to, toward, near accelerate to increase the speed of; accessible easily entered, approached, or obtained; admittance allowing into; acrotop, height, tip, beginning acrobat a high walker; acronym a word formed from the first (capital) letters of a word; acrophobia fear of height

actdoactivity something that a person does; react to do something in response; interaction communication between two or more things aer/oairaerate to let air reach something; aerial relating to the air; aerospace the air space agr/i/ofarmingagriculture management of the land, agribusiness making money by utilizing land; agrarian relating to the management of land alg/opainneuralgia pain caused by a nerve; analgesic a drug that makes one pain free; nostalgia aching for the familiar ambi, amphiboth, on both sides, aroundambidextrous able to use both hands equally; ambiguous having more than one meaning; ambivalence conflicting or opposite feelings toward a person or thing ambulwalk, moveamble to walk in a slow, relaxed way; ambulant walking or moving around; ambulance a vehicle that moves a patient ami/oloveamiable friendly, pleasant, lovable; amity friendly and peaceful relations; amorous showing romantic love anaup, back, against, again, throughoutanalysis a close examination of something; anatomy the structure of something as visible when cut up for analysis; anachronism not being in the right place in time andr/oman, maleandrogynous being both male and female; android resembling a human; misandry hatred towards men animlife, spiritanimal a living organism; animate to make alive; equanimity of balanced spirit ann/ennyearanniversary a date observed once a year; annual happening once a year; millennium 1,000 years antebefore, in frontantecede to come before something in time; antemeridian before noon; anteroom- a small room before the main room anth/oflowerchrysanthemum and amaranth names of flowers; anthology a collection of treasured writings; anthozoan half plant, half animal, like anemones and corals. anthrop/ohumananthropology the study of mankind; anthropomorphism giving human form to non-human things; philanthropy the love to mankind (expressed through good deeds) antiagainst, opposite ofantibody a substance that destroys micro-organisms; antiseptic preventing infection; antisocial opposing social norm apo, aphoaway, off, separateaphorism a short expression of a general truth; apology an explicit expression of regret, apostrophe a small dash used in place of an omitted letter aqu/awateraquarium a water container for fish; aquaticrelating to water; aqueduct a pipeline for water arbortreearborist someone working with trees; arbor a shady area formed by trees; arborous having many trees arch/i chief, most important, rulearchbishop the highest ranking bishop; archenemy chief or worst enemy; matriarch a female who rules a group; monarch a king or queen arch/a/iprimitive, ancientarchaeology the study of ancient cultures; archaic belonging to an earlier period; archive a collection of historical materials arthr/ojointarthroscope a tool to see inside a joint; arthritis inflammation of a joint; arthropod invertebrates with jointed legs, like spiders, crustaceans, insects artskillartifact object made by a persons skill; artisan a person skilled in a craft; artist a person who creates skillfully astro, asterstar, stars, outer spaceastronaut a person traveling to the stars; astronomer someone who studies the stars; asterisk a star-shaped sign used as a reference tool aud/i/iohearaudible loud enough to be heard; audience people who listen to a program; audiovisual relating to sound and vision autoself, same, oneautocrat a person who governs with absolute power; autograph a persons own signature; automatic moving by itself avi/abirdaviary a large enclosure for birds; aviatrix a female airplane pilot; aviation the art of designing or operating aircraft bar/opressure, weightbaric pertaining to pressure, esp. of the atmosphere; milliard metric unit, equal to 1/1000th of a bar; baryon heavy elementary particle bell/iwarbellicose warlike; belligerent hostile,

ready to fight; rebel person who opposes and fights benegood, wellbenefactor person who gives money to a cause; beneficial producing a good effect; benevolent showing kindness or goodwill bi/ntwo, twice, once in every twobiannual happening twice a year; binoculars optical device with two lenses; bilateral of or involving two sides bibli/obookbibliography a list of books used as sources; bibliomania an extreme love of books; bibliophile a person who loves books biolife, living matterbiography- a life story written by another person; biology the science of life; biosphere Earths surface inhabited by living things blast/ocell, primitive, immature cellblastula an early stage of embryonic development; fibroblast a cell that forms connective tissue; blastoderm the layer surrounding the inside of an egg capt, cept, ceivetake, holdintercept to stop or interrupt; perceive to take notice of something; captivating taking hold of cardi/oheartcardiac relating to the heart; cardiogenic resulting from heart disease; cardiologist a heart doctor carn/iflesh, meatcarnivorous flesh-eating; carnal pertaining to the body or flesh; incarnate given bodily form catadown, against completely, intensive, according tocataclysm a flood or other disaster, catalog a complete listing; catastrophe turning for the worst, a substantial disaster caust, cautto burn cauterize to burn with a hot instrument; caustic capable of burning or eating away; holocaust total devastation, especially by fire cede, ceed, cessgo, yield exceed to go beyond the limits; recede to go back; accessible easily entered, approached, or obtained; celerfastaccelerate to increase the speed of; decelerate to reduce the speed of cent/ihundred, hundredthcentennial- the 100th anniversary; centimeter 1/100 of a meter; century 100 years centr/o/icenteregocentric self-centered; eccentric not having a common center, not according to norm; centrifugal moving outward from a center cephal/oheadencephalitis inflammation of the brain; cephalic pertaining to the head; cephalopod marine mollusks like octopus and squid who have tentacles growing from their head cerebr/obrain cerebral pertaining to the brain; cerebrate to use the brain; cerebrospinal pertaining to the brain and the spinal cord certsureascertain- to find out something with certainty; certain being absolutely sure; certify to state that something is true chrom/o chromat/o, chroscolor, pigmentachromatic without color; chromium a blue-white metallic chemical element, chromatics the study of color chron/otimechronic lasting for a long time; chronological arranging events in time order, synchronize happening at the same time chrys/ogold, yellowchrysanthemum and helichrysum golden/yellow flowers; chrysolite a yellowish gem cide, cisecut, killhomicide murder; incisor a sharp tooth for cutting food; insecticide a chemical used to kill insects circum, circlearound, aboutcircumnavigate to sail around; circumscribe to draw around; circumspect looking around claim, clamshout, speak outclamor to shout and make noise; exclaim to cry out loudly and suddenly; proclamation something announced officially in public clarclearclarification an explanation; clarify to make something clear; declare to state something clearly clud, cluscloseconclusion the end or last part;

exclusion shutting out, rejecting; seclude to keep away from; to isolate clineleaninclination a leaning toward; incline a surface that slopes or leans; recline to lean back and relax cowith, together, jointcoauthor writer who collaborates with another author; coeducation educating males and females together; cohousing planning your neighborhood in an intentional neighborly fashion coltogether, jointlyCollaborate to work together; collision smashing together; colloquial words formed by everday interaction comtogether, commoncommemorate to memorize together; composition an arrangement or putting together of parts; commune living together while owning things in common cogn/iknowcognition process of acquiring knowledge; incognito disguised so no one knows you; recognize to discover that one knows conwith, jointlyconcur to agree with someone; contemporary of the same time period as others; convention a gathering of people with a common interest contra/oagainst, oppositecontradict to argue against, Contraflow, contraception, contrary not in agreement, controversy disagreement corp/obodycorporation a company recognized by law as a single body; corpse a dead body; corporal pertaining to the body cosm/ouniversecosmonaut a Russian astronaut; cosmos the universe; microcosm a miniature universe counteropposite, contrary, opposingcounteract to oppose the effects of an action; countermand to cancel a previous order; counteroffensive attack against an attack cranioskullcraniology the study of skull characteristics; cranium skull of vertebrates; cranial pertaining to the skull credbelievecredence belief that something is true or valid; credulous believing things too easily, gullible; incredible unbelievable cryptohidden, secretcryptic of hidden meaning; cryptography science of secret codes; encrypt encode into secret code cumulmass, heapaccumulate to gather or pile up; cumulative gradually building up cyclcircle, ringbicycle a vehicle with two wheels; cycle a sequence that is repeated; cyclone a storm with circling winds dereduce, away, down, removedecelerate to slow down, reduce speed; dethrone to remove from power; debug to remove bugs dec/a, dekatendecade 10 years; decathlon athletic contest that includes 10 disciplines in which each participant competes; December formerly the 10th month of the Roman calendar decione tenthdeciliter a tenth of a liter; decimate reduce dramatically; decibel one tenth of the sound volume unit bel dem/opeopledemocracy government of the people; demographic the study of people; epidemic spreading among people in a region demihalf, less thandemitasse a small cup of coffee; demimonde someone of little respected life style dendr/o/itreephilodendron a climbing plant that grows on trees; dendrochronology dating events by studying growth rings in trees; dendriform in the shape of a tree dent, donttoothdental relating to teeth; dentist a doctor for the teeth; dentures a set of false teeth derm/askindermatologist a doctor for the skin; pachyderm a class of animals with very thick skin (elephant, rhinoceros); dermatitis inflammation of the skin di/plotwo, twicedichromatic displaying two colors; diploma a certificate, literally a letter folded double; dilemma a situation that requires a choice between two alternatives. di/sapart, away, not, to the oppositedigression a departure from the main issue, subject; disappear to move out of sight; dissect to cut apart piece by piece. diathrough, between, apart, acrossdiabetes disease characterized by excessive thirst and discharge of urine; diagnosis understanding a condition by going through a detailed review of symptoms; dialog conversation between two people. dictspeakcontradict to express the opposite of; prediction a statement foretelling the future; dictate to speak out loud for another

person to write down. dominmasterdominate to be the master of; domineering excessively controlling; predominate to have more power than others don/atgivedonation a contribution or gift; donor someone who gives something; pardon to give forgiveness for an offense duc/tleadconduct to lead musicians in playing music; educate to lead to knowledge; deduction a subtraction of an amount. du/otwo, twiceduplicate make an identical copy; duet a musical composition for two voices or instruments; duo a pair normally thought of as being together. durharden, to last, lastingdurable having the quality of lasting; duration the length of time something lasts; enduring able to last. dyn/a/ampower, energy, strengthdynamo a generator of energy; dynamic having physical energy/power; dynamite a powerful explosive. dysabnormal, baddyspepsia abnormal indigestion; dystopia an imaginary place of total misery; dyslexia impairment of the ability to handle words. e-out, awayeloquent speaking beautifully and forcefully; emissary a representative of a country or group sent on a mission; eject throw out forcefully. egoselfegoistic self-centered; alter ego a higher aspect of oneself; egomania excessive preoccupation with oneself. em, eninto, cover with, causeempathy intention to feel like another person; empower put into power; engorge make larger. endowithin, insideendotherm a creature that can keep its inside temperature fairly constant; endocrine relating to glands that secrete directly into the blood or lymph; endogamy the custom to marry within ones clan, tribe etc. enn/i, anniyearsbicentennial of or relating to an age or period of 200 years; centennial of or relating to an age or period of 100 years; perennial -lasting through many years. en, ininside, inwardsenvision to picture in the mind; enclose lock inside; inwards towards the inside. ep/ion, upon, over, among, at, after, to, outside epidemic the rapid spread of something negative; epilogue a short speech delivered after a play; epicenter the center of an earthquake. equ/iequal, equallyequidistant - an equal distance from two points; equanimity calm temperament, evenness of temper; equation a statement of equality. erg/oworkergonomics study of the working environment; energy the power to accomplish work; energetics science that looks at energy and its transformation. esth/aesthfeeling, sensation, beautyesthetician someone who beautifies; aesthetic pertaining to a sense of beauty; kinesthesia the sensation of bodily movement. ethnorace, peopleethnic pertaining to a defined group of people; ethnocentric focusing on the ethnicity of people; ethnology the science of people and races. eugood, welleuphemism replacing an offensive word with an inoffensive one; euphonious having a pleasant sound; euphoria feeling of well-being. exfrom, out,excavate to dig out; exhale to breathe out; extract to pull out. extra, extrooutside, beyondextraordinary beyond ordinary; extraterrestrial outside the Earth; extrovert an outgoing person. fac/tmake, doartifact an object made by a person; factory a place where things are made; malefact a person who does wrong. ferbear, bring, carryconfer to bring an honor to someone; ferry a boat that carries passengers; transfer to move to another place. fidfaithconfide place trust in someone, fidelity faithfulness; fiduciary a trustee; flectbenddeflect to bend course because of hitting something; inflection a bending in the voices tone or pitch; flexible easily bending. flor/a, fleurflowerflorist someone working with flowers; floral flowerlike; flora the plant life of a particular time or area forcompletely (used to intensify the meaning of a word)forsaken or forfeited completely lost; forgiven completely given (a

release of debt). forein front of, previous, earlierforebear ancestor; forebode to give an advance warning of something bad; forecast a preview of events to be. fract, fragbreakfracture a break; fragile easy to break; fragment or fraction a part or element of a larger whole; fugflee, run away, escapefugitive a person who is running away; refuge a sheltered place to flee to; refugee a person seeking protection functperform, workdefunct no longer working or alive; function to work or perform a role normally; malfunction to fail to work correctly. fuspourconfusion being flooded with too much information that is hard to make sense of; fuse to melt by heating; infuse to put into. gastr/ostomachgastric pertaining to the stomach; gastronomy serving the stomach by providing good food; gastritis inflammation of the stomach. gen/o/e/ genesisbirth, production, formation, kindgenealogy the study of the history of a family; generation all the people born at approximately the same time; genetic -relating to heredity encoded in the genes. geoearth, soil, globalgeography study of the earths surface; geology study of the structure of the earth; geoponics soil based agriculture. gerold agegeriatrics medicine pertaining to the elderly; gerontocracy the rule of the elders; gerontology the science of aging. gigaa billiongigabyte unit of computer storage space; gigahertz unit of frequency (one billion Hz/sec); gigawatt unit of electric power (one billion watts). gonangledecagon a polygon with 10 angles; diagonal a slanting line running across a space; octagon a geometrical figure with 8 angles. gramletter, writtendiagram a simple drawing; grammar rules of how to write words in sentences; telegram a message sent by telegraph. graph/ywriting, recording, writtenGraphology the study of handwritings; autograph written with ones own hand; seismograph a machine noting strength and duration of earthquakes. gratpleasinggratify to please someone; grateful feeling thankful; gratuity a tip, token of appreciation. gyn/o/ewoman, femalegynecology the science of female reproductive health; gynephobia fear of women; gynecoid resembling a woman. gress, grad/e/ito step, to godigression a departure from the main issue, subject, etc.; progress movement forward or onward; gradual step by step. hect/o, hecathundred hectoliter 100 liters; hectare metric unit equaling 100 ares or 10,000 square meters; hectometer 100 meters. helic/ospiral, circularhelicopter an aircraft with horizontal rotating wing; helix a spiral form; helicon a circular tuba. heli/osunheliotropism movement or growth in relating to the sun; heliograph apparatus used to send message with the help of sunlight; helianthus genus of plants including sunflowers. hemihalf, partialhemicycle a semicircular structure; hemisphere one half of the earth; hemistich half a line of poetry. hem/o/abloodhemorrhage clotting of the blood; hemorrhoids swelling of the blood vessels; hemoglobin red blood particle. hepaliverhepatitis inflammation of the liver; hepatoma a tumor of the liver; hepatotoxic toxic and damaging to the liver. hept/asevenheptagon a shape with seven angles and seven sides; Heptateuch the first seven books of the Old Testament; heptameter a line of verse consisting of seven metrical feet. herbigrass, plantherbicide any chemical used to kill unwanted plants, etc.; herbivorous plant-eating; herbal relating to plants. heterodifferent, otherheterogeneous made up of unrelated parts; heteronyms words with same spelling but different meanings; heterodox not conforming to traditional beliefs. hex/asixhexagon a shape with six angles/sides; hexameter a verse measured in six; hexapod having six legs. histotissuehistology study of the microscopic structure of tissues; histochemistry study of the chemical constitution of cells and tissues. homo, homeolike, alike, samehomogeneous of the same nature or kind; homonym sounding

alike; homeopath a therapy that is based on treating same with same hydr/oliquid, waterhydrate to add water to; hydrophobia intense fear of water; hydroponics growing plants in liquid nutrient solution; hydraulic operated by force created by a liquid. hygr/omoisture, humidityhygrometer tool used to measure humidity; hygrograph instrument for recording variations in atmospheric humidity. hypertoo much, over, excessive, beyondhyperactive very restless; hypercritical too critical; hypertension above normal pressure. hyp/ounderhypoglycemia an abnormally low level of sugar in the blood; hypothermia abnormally low body temperature; hypothesis a theory that is unproven but used under the assumption that it is true. iatr/omedical caregeriatrics medical care of the elderly; pediatrician a doctor who treats children; podiatry medical care for feet. icon/oimageicon an (often religious) image, in modern usage a simplified graphic of high symbolic content; iconology science of symbols and icons; iconoclast someone who destroys religious images and traditional beliefs. idiopeculiar, personal, distinctidiomatic Peculiar to a particular language; idiosyncracy a physical or mental characteristic typical or a particular person; idiot someone who is distinctly foolish or stupid. il, in in, intoilluminate to give light to; innovation a new idea, method, or device; inspection the act of examining or reviewing. ig, il, im, in, irnot, withoutillegal not legal; impossible not possible; inappropriate not appropriate; irresponsible not responsible. imaglikenessimage a likeness of someone; imaginative able to think up new ideas or images; imagine to form a picture or likeness in the mind. infrabeneath, belowinfrastructure underlying framework of a system; infrared below the regular light spectrum. interbetween, among, jointlyinternational involving two or more countries; intersection place where roads come together; intercept to stop or interrupt the course of. intra, introwithin, insideintrastate existing in one state; intravenous inside or into a vein; introvert shy person who keeps within him/herself. irnotirredeemable not redeemable; irreformable not reformable; irrational not rational. isoequalisobar a line on a map connecting points of equal barometric pressure; isometric having equality of measure; isothermal having equal or constant temperature. jectthroweject to throw someone/something out; interject to throw a remark into a discussion; project to cast or throw something. judlawjudgment a decision of a court of law; judicial having to do with judges or courts of law; judiciary a system of courts of law. junctjoinconjunction a word that joins parts of sentences; disjunction a disconnection; junction a place where two things join. juvenyoungjuvenile youthful or childish; rejuvenate to bring back to youthful strength or appearance. kilothousandkilobyte 1,000 bytes; kilometer 1,000 meter; kilograms 1,000 grams. kine/t /matmotion, divisionkinetics study of the force of motion; psychokinesis or telekinesis the ability to move objects with your mind; cinematography motion picture making. labworkcollaborate to work with a person; elaborate to work out the details; laborious requiring a lot of hard work. lact/omilklactate to give milk, nurse; lactose the sugar contained in milk; lactic acid. latersidebilateral of or involving two sides; unilateral affecting one side of something. leuk/o, leuc/owhite, colorlessleukemia abnormal increase of white blood cells in the blood; leukocyte a mature white blood cell; leucine a white, crystalline amino acid. lexword, law, readinglexicology the study and history of words; alexia -loss of the ability to read; illegal not authorized by the official rules or laws. liberfreeliberate to set free; libertine a person with a free, wild lifestyle; liberty freedom. lingulanguage,

tonguelinguist one who studies languages; multilingual able to communicate in multiple languages; linguine long, flat tongue-shaped pasta. lip/ofatliposuction the mechanical removal of fat reserves in the tissue; lipase enzyme that breaks down fat; lipoid resembling fat. lite, ite, lith/omineral, rock, fossilapatite a group of common minerals; granite a hard, granular rock; monolith a remarkable, unique stone. locplacedislocate to put something out of its usual place; location a place; relocate to move to a new place. log/oword, doctrine, discourselogic correct reasoning; monologue a long speech by one speaker;analogy similarity, especially between things otherwise dissimilar. loqu, locuspeakeloquent speaking beautifully and forcefully ; loquacious very talkative; elocution art of public speaking. luclightelucidate to explain, to throw light on; lucid easily understood, giving off light; translucent allowing light through. lud, lusto playprelude introduction to the major performance; illusion misleading optical image or impression; delude to mislead, deceive. luminlightilluminate to fill with light; lumen unit measuring light. lun/a/imoonlunar relating to the moon; lunarscape the surface of the moon; lunatic insane (as if driven mad by the moon). macrolarge, greatmacroevolution large scale evolution; macromolecule a large molecule; macroeconomics study of the overall forces of economy. magn/a/igreat, largemagnify make larger; magnificent grand; magnate a powerful person, especially in business or industry. mal/ebad, ill, wrongmalcontent wrong content; malaria bad air, infectious disease thought to originate from the bad air of the swamps, but caused by the bite of an infected mosquito; malicious showing strong ill will. man/i/uhandmaneuver to move by hand; manual done with the hands; manuscript a book written by hand. mandto ordercommand an order or instruction; demand a hard-to-ignore order; mandate an official order. maniamadness, insanity, excessive desirebibliomania a crazy love of books; egomania a mad love of oneself; maniac an insane person. mar/isea marina a harbor for pleasure boats; maritime relating to the sea; submarine an undersea boat; aquamarine color of sea water. mater, matr/imothermaternal relating to motherhood; maternity the state of being a mother; matriarch a woman head of a household. maxgreatestmaximal the best or greatest possible; maximize to make as great as possible; maximum the greatest amount. medimiddlemedieval pertaining to the Middle Ages; medium in the middle; mediocre only of medium (inferior) quality. megagreat, large, millionmegalopolis an area with many nearby cities; megaphone a device that projects a loud voice; megastructure huge building or other structure. melan/oblackmelancholy a state of dark emotions; melanoma malignant dark tumor of the skin; melodrama a dark, pathetic drama. memor/iremembercommemorate to honor the memory of, as by a ceremony; memorial related to remembering a person or event; memory: an ability to retain knowledge or an individuals stock of retained knowledge. merge, mersdip, diveimmerge or immerse to put or dip something into a liquid; submerge to dip something completely into wate.r mesomiddleMesoamerica Middle America; meson

elementary particle with a mass between an electron and a proton.

metachange, after,

beyond, betweenmetaphysics study of nature and reality; metamorphosis a complete change of form; metastasis the transmission of disease to other parts of the body. meter, metr/ymeasureaudiometer- an instrument that measures hearing acuteness; chronometer- an instrument that measures time; metric measured. microvery small, short, minutemicrobe a very small living thing; microchip a tiny wafer with an integrated circuit; microscope a device to see very small things. midmiddlemidriff the area between the chest and the waist; midterm middle of a term in school; midway halfway between. migrmoveimmigrant a person who moves to a new country to settle; migrant person who moves from place to place; migration the process of moving. millionethousandthmillimeter one thousandth of a meter; millibar one thousandth of a bar; milliliter one thousandth of a liter. min/ismall, lessmini something that is very small; minuscule extremely tiny; minutiae very small or trivial details. mis/obad, badly, wrong, wrongly, to hatemisbehave to behave badly; misprint an error in printing; misnomer an error in naming a person or thing. miss, mitsend, let godismiss to send someone away; missile a weapon sent into the air; emit to send something out; admittance entry. mobmoveimmobilize to stop from moving; mobile able to move freely; mobility the quality of being able to move. mon/oone, single, alonemonochromat having one color; monologue a speech spoken by one person; monotheism belief in one god. mot, movmovemotion the act of moving; motivate to move someone to action; promote to move someone forward; removable able to be taken or carried away. morph/oformmetamorphosis complete change of form; endorphins chemical in the brain able to transform pain; amorphous without distinct shape or form. mortdeathimmortal living forever, unable to die; mortal certain to die; mortician an undertaker. multimany, more than one or twomulticolored having many colors; multimedia using a range of media; multitasking doing many things at once. mutchangeimmutable not changing; mutant an organism that has undergone change; mutate to undergo a change. my/omusclemyocardium the middle muscle of the heart; myasthenia muscle fatigue or weakness; myosin common protein in muscle tissue. narrtellnarrate to tell a story; narrative a story; narrator a person who tells a story. natborninnate included since birth; natal relating to birth; natural gotten at birth, not afterward. navshipcircumnavigate to sail around a place; naval relating to a navy or warships; navigate to sail a ship through a place. necr/odead, deathnecrophil loving death; necrosis the death of tissue due to disease or injury; necrology a list of persons who have recently died. negnonegate to say it didnt happen; negative meaning no; renege to go back on a promise. neonew, recentneoclassic a revival of classic form,

neocolonialism the indirect (new) economical and political control of a region by a more powerful foreign power; neonatal a newborn child, especially the first few weeks. nephr/okidneynephritis inflammation of the kidneys; nephrotomy surgical incision of a kidney; nephron a single, excretory unit in the kidney. neur/onerveneuralgia pain along a nerve; neurologist doctor specializing in the nerves; neurotic - mental disorder that usually does not include an impaired perception of reality. nom/innamemisnomer an error in naming a person or thing; nominal being something in name only but not in reality; nominate to name for election or appointment, to designate. nonno, not, withoutnondescript with no special characteristics; nonfiction true, real, not made-up; nonsense without sense. notmarknotable marked as worthy of attention; notarize to certify a signature on a legal document; annotate to add remarks. noun, nuncdeclareannounce to declare in public; denounce to proclaim harsh criticism; enunciate to speak or declare something clearly. novnewinnovate to introduce a new way; novelty something new; novice a person who is new at a job; renovate to make something like new again. numernumberenumerate to name a number of items on a list; numerology the study of magical uses of numbers; numerous a large number. ob, opin the way, againstobject to be against something; obscure hard to understand; opposition the act of resistance or action against. oct/a/oeightoctagon a figure with 8 sides and 8 angles; octogenarian person in his or her 80s; octopus sea animal with 8 arms. ocueyebinoculars lens device for seeing distances; monocula relating to one eye; oculist an eye doctor. omniallomnipotent with all the power; omniscient knowing all things; omnivorous eating all foods. op/t/seye, visual condition, sightoptic relating to the eyes; optician a person who fits eyeglasses; autopsy the examination of a dead body. optbestoptimal the best, the most desirable; optimize to make the best of; optimum the best something could be. orthostraightorthodontist a dentist that straightens teeth; orthopedic a doctor concerned with the proper alignment of the bones; orthography the correct way of writing. osteoboneosteoarthritis inflammation caused by degeneration of the joints; osteopathy therapy that uses among others manipulation of the skeleton to restore health; osteology the study of bones. outgoes beyond, surpasses, exceedsOutgoing being of lively, sharing nature; outdoing doing better than; outdoor outside. overexcessiveoverconfident more confident than is appropriate; overstock more supplies than is desirable; overexcited ,more excited than one should be. oxysharpoxymoron combining two ideas that sharply contradict each other; oxydize corrode a surface. pale/oancientpaleontology study of ancient fossils; paleography the study of ancient forms of writing; Paleolithic period of the Stone Age. panall, any, everyonepanacea a cure for all diseases or problems; panorama an all-around view; pantheism the worship of all gods; pandemic affecting all. parabeside, beyond, abnormal,

assistantparasite an organism that lives on and off another living being; parallel alongside and always an equal distance apart; paragraph a portion of a writtenn document that presents a distinct idea. paraprotection fromparachute protection from falling; parasol an umbrella used to protect from the sun; pater, patr/ifatherpaternal relating to fathers; paternity fatherhood; patriarch a man who rules a group. pathfeeling, emotionantipathy a feeling of great dislike; apathy a lack of feeling or interest; empathy ability to understand anothers feelings. ped/i/efoot, feetpedal a lever pushed by the foot; pedestrian one who walks; pedicure cosmetic treatment of feet and toes. peldrive, forcecompel to force someone to act; expel to drive someone out of a place; repel to force back. pent/afivepentagon shape having 5 angles and 5 sides, pentagram a five-pointed star formerly used as a symbolic figure in magic; pentathlon an athletic contest that includes five events. pept, pepsdigestiondyspepsia abnormal digestion; peptic aiding digestion; pepsin a digestive enzyme. perthrough, throughoutpermanent lasting throughout all time; permeate to spread throughout; persist to continue for a long time; perennial lasting through many years. periaround, enclosingperiodontal pertaining to bone and tissue around a tooth; peripheral lying outside of the center; perimeter the outer boundary of an area. phag/eto eatesophagus muscular tube that carries food to the stomach; anthropophagy or sarcophagy cannibalism; xylophagous feeding on wood. phil/olove, friendphilanthropist one who loves humanity; philology the love of words; philosophy the love of wisdom; bibliophil loving books. phon/o /e/ysoundcacophony loud, unpleasant sounds; microphone a device that records and amplifies sound; phonetic relating to human speech sounds. phot/olightphotogenic caused by light; photograph image made on light-sensitive film; photon the smallest possible unit of light. phyll/oleafchlorophyll a group of green pigments found in leaves; phyllotaxis the arrangement of leaves on a stem; phyllite a rock that forms sheets, similar to slate. physnature, medicine, the bodyphysical relating to the body; physician a doctor; physique nature and shape of ones body. phyt/o/eplant, to growepiphyte a plant growing independently on the surface of another; hydrophyte a plant that grows only in water; neophyte a beginner, especially a person recently converted to a new belief. plas/t/mto form, development, forming cellsprotoplasm something that is the first made or formed, also the living portion of a cell; plastic able to be formed, especially when warm; plaster a mixture of lime, sand and water that forms a smooth solid covering for walls. pneum/obreathing, lung, air, spiritpneumonia inflammation of the lungs; pneumatic using the force of air; dyspnea difficulty breathing. pod/efootpodiatrist a doctor for the feet; podium a small platform to stand on; tripod a stand or frame with 3 legs. policitymetropolis a large city; police people who work for the government to maintain order in a city; politics actions of a

government or political party.

polymany, more than onepolychrome with many colors;

polyglot a person fluent in many languages; polygon shape with 3 or more straight sides. ponplace, putopponent a person who places him/herself against an action, idea, etc.; postpone to put off doing something. poppeoplepopular appealing to a lot of people; population all of the people who live in a particular area; populist a supporter of the rights of people. portcarryexport to carry goods out of a place to another; portable able to be carried; porter a person who carries luggage. posplace, putdeposit to place or drop something; expose to place out into the open for all to see; position the place where someone is. postafter, behindposthumous after someones death; postpone to delay something; postscript an addition to an already completed document. preearlier, before, in front ofpreamble a part in front of a formal document; prepare to get ready in advance; prediction a statement foretelling the future. probefore, in front of, for, forwardprognosis a prediction of what will happen; prologue a passage before the main part; prophet a person who foretells the future. prot/oprimitive, first, chiefprototype the first of a kind; proton on of the very basic parts of an atom; protocol a first draft from which a document is prepared. pseud/owrong,falsepseudonym a fictitious name; pseudoscience theories presumed without proof of a scientific nature; pseudopregnancy a false pregnancy. psych/omind, mentalpsyche the human spirit or soul; psychic relating to the human mind or someone who has supernatural mental abilities; psychology the study of the mind. pugn/a, pung to fightpugnacious having a quarrelsome or aggressive nature; repugnant distasteful, offensive or revolting; pungent piercing. pulurgecompulsion a very strong urge; expulsion to someone out; impulsive having a spontaneous urge to do something. purgcleanpurge remove anything undesirable; purgatory according to Roman Catholics a place where souls must clean themselves of sin; expurgate remove objectionable passages from a publication. putthinkcomputer an electronic thinking device; dispute to disagree with what another person thinks; input contribution of ones thinking. pyr/ofire, heatpyrotechnics the art of making fireworks; pyrometer a thermometer for measuring high temperature; pyretic relating to or producing fever. quad/r/rifourquadrant open space with buildings on 4 sides; quadrennium period of 4 years; quadruped a 4-footed animal. quartfourthquarter one fourth; quart a fourth of a gallon; quartet a musical composition or group involving 4 voices or instruments. quin/tfive, fifthquintett a composition for 5 voices or instruments; quintessence pure essence, based on the ancient philosophy that there was a fifth element that was present in all things; quintuple fivefold. radic, radixrooteradicate pull out at the roots; radical fundamental, looking at things from a drastic point of view; radish an edible root of the mustard family. radioradiation, rayradioactive emitting radiation; radiologist someone diagnosing or treating via

radiation.

ram/ibranchramification the resulting consequence of a decision; ramify to

spread or branch out; ramus a branchlike part. reagain, back, backwardrebound -to spring back again; rewind to wind something backward; reaction: a response; recognize: to identify someone or something seen before. regguide, ruleregent a person who rules on behalf of a king or queen; regime a government that rules; regulate to apply a rule. retrobackward, backretroactive relating to something in the past; retrogress to go back to an earlier condition; retrospect the remembering of past events. rhin/onoserhinoceros a species of animals with a big horn on the snout; rhinoplasty surgery of the nose; rhinovirus viruses that are causing the common cold. rhod/oredrhododendron a flower with red/pink flowers; rhodium an element which produces a red solution; rhodopsin a purple pigment in the retina that is needed for vision. ridlaughderide to make fun of someone; ridicule to make fun or mock; ridiculous silly, causing laughter. rrh/ea /oea/agflow, dischargediarrhea abnormally excessive bowl movement; hemorrhage heavy blood flow; catarrh inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially the nose and throat. rubredruby deep red color and a precious stone of the same color; rubella measles; bilirubin reddish pigment in bile. ruptbreak, burstbankrupt unable to pay because youre broke; interrupt to break into a conversation or event, to disturb; rupture a break in something. sanhealthsane mentally healthy; sanitary relating to cleanliness and health; sanitation maintenance of public health and cleanliness. scendclimb, goascend to climb upward; crescendo a climbing up of the volume of music; descend to go or climb down. sciknowconscience sense of knowing right from wrong; conscious knowing what is happening; omniscient knowing everything. scler/ohardarteriosclerosis hardening of the arterial walls; multiple sclerosis disease which causes the tissue of the brain and spinal cord to harden; sclerometer instrument for measuring hardness. scop/e/ysee, examine, observemicroscope a device used to see tiny things; periscope a seeing instrument on a submarine; telescope a device used to see over a distance. scrib, scriptwrite, writteninscribe to write letters or words on a surface; scribe a person who writes out documents; describe to represent with words or pictures. seapartsecede to formally break away from; seclude to keep away from; serum a liquid isolated out of another. sectcutdissect to cut apart piece by piece; intersection the place or point where two things cross each other; bisect to cut into two equal parts. selfof, for, or by itselfself-discipline the ability to discipline yourself; self-respect respect for yourself; selfish concerned only with your own interests. semihalf, partialsemiannual every half year; semicircle half a circle; semiconscious partly conscious; semiannual every half of a year. sept/isevenSeptember this used to be the seventh month in the Roman calendar; septet a group of seven musicians; septuagenarian a person in his/her seventies. servsave, keepconserve to save or keep something safe; preserve to save something; reservation a place kept for a person. sexsixsextet or sextette a composition or group

of six, sextuple sixfold; sexagenarian person in his/her sixties.

solalonedesolate

lonely, dismal, gloomy; solitary done alone, by yourself; solo a performance done by one person alone. solsunsolar involving the sun; parasol umbrella protecting from the sun; solarium a room where one is exposed to sun light. somn/Isleepinsomnia inability to fall asleep; somniloquy talking in your sleep; somnolent feeling sleepy. sonsoundconsonant a speech sound; sonorous producing loud, full, rich sounds; supersonic faster than sound; unison as one voice. sophwisephilosopher a wise person; sophisticated wise about the ways of the world; sophism a clever but misleading argument. spec/t, spicsee, lookcircumspect cautious, looking all around; retrospective a looking back at past things; spectator a person who sees an event. sphereballbiosphere the whole round surface of the earth; hemisphere half the earth spherically shaped like a ball. spirbreatheinspire to stimulate or animate; transpire to give of vapor with waste product through the skin or a membrane; spirit invisible life force. stastandstable standing steady and firm; stagnant standing still, not moving; stationary at a standstill, fixed. stellstarconstellation a group of stars that forms a pattern; interstellar between the stars; stellar relating to stars. structbuildconstruct to build; destruction the act of destroying something that was built; structure something built; infrastructure underlying framework of a system. subunder, lower than, inferior tosubmarine an underwater boat; submerge to put underwater; substandard inferior to accepted standards. sumhighestsum the combined total of everything; summation the total, highest amount; summit the highest point or top. superhigher in quality or quantitySuper bowl the final annual football game; superior above average, better in quality; supersonic faster than the speed of sound. sy/m /n/l/stogether, with, samesymmetry -similarity in size, form or arrangement; synergy the combined effect; synchronize to cause to occur at the same time. tact, tangtouchcontact a state in which two things touch; tactile relating to the sense of touch; tangible able to be touched; intact with nothing missing. tax/oarrangementsyntax the systematic arrangement of words; taxonomy the science of classification; ataxia loss of the ability to coordinate muscle action. technotechnique, skilltechnology the practical application of knowledge; technocracy rule of technology; technologically characterized by technology. tel/e/ofar, distant, completetelephone a device to talk to a distant person; telescope a device to view distant objects; television a device to receive pictures from afar; telecommuting working remotely, bridging the distance via virtual devices. temp/ortimecontemporary existing at the same time; temporal relating to time; temporary lasting for a limited time. term/inaend, limitdetermine to find something out at the end of an investigation; terminate to end; exterminate to destroy or get rid of

completely.

terr/a/iland, earthextraterrestrial existing outside the earth; terrain ground

or land; territory an area of land. tetrafourtetrapod having 4 legs; tetrarchy government by 4 rulers; tetrose a monosaccharide with four carbon atoms. the/ogodmonotheism belief in one god; polytheism worshiping more than one god; theology the study of religion, god, etc. therm/oheatthermal relating to heat; thermos an insulated jar that keeps heat in; thermostat a device that controls heat. torttwistcontortion a twisted shape or position; distort to alter the shape or condition of; retort reply in a manner that is supposed to change the effect of something previously said. toxpoisondetoxification - the process of removing poisons; toxic poisonous; toxicology the study of poisons; intoxicated influenced by drugs. tractpull, dragattract to pull objects nearer; distract to drag attention away from something; tractor a motor vehicle that pulls things. transacross,beyond, throughtranscontinental across the continent; transfer to move from one place to another; transport to carry something across a space. trithree, once in every three, thirdtriangle a figure with 3 sides and 3 angles; triathlon an athletic contest with 3 events; tricycle a 3-wheeI vehicle with pedals. ultrabeyond, extreme, more thanultrahigh extremely high; ultramodern more modern than anything else; ultrasonic sound waves beyond human hearing. unnot,opposite of, lackingunabridged not shortened; unfair opposite of fair; unfriendly lacking friendliness. unione, singleunicycle a vehicle with one wheel; unilateral decided by only one person or nation; unique the only one of its kind; unison as one voice. urbcitysuburb residential area on the edge of a city; urban relating to a city; urbanology the study of city life. vacemptyevacuate to empty a dangerous place; vacant empty, not occupied; vacation a time without work. ven/tcomecircumvent to go around or bypass restrictions; convention a gathering or assembly of people with a common interest; intervene - to come between. ver/Itruthveracious truthful, honest; veracity the truth; verify to make sure that something is true. verbwordverbalize to put into words; adverb a word relating to a verb; proverb a short saying that expresses a well-known truth. vers, vertturnreverse to turn around; introvert being turned towards the inside; version a variation of an original; controversy a conversation in which positions are turned against each other. viceacting in place of, next in rankvice-president the person next in rank to the president vidseeevident clearly seen vince, vicconquerconvince to win someone over; invincible not able to be conquered; victory the conquest of an enemy. vis, vidseevision the ability to see; envision to picture in the mind; evident clearly visible. viv/i vitlive, liferevival the act of bringing back to life; vital pertaining to live; vivacious high-spirited and full of life. voc/ivoice, calladvocate to speak in favor of; equivocate

to use misleading language that could be interpreted two different ways; vocalize to produce with your voice. vol/i/uwish, willbenevolent showing good will and kindness; volition the act of making a choice or decision, voluntary resulting from your own free will. vor, voureatcarnivorous meat-eating; voracious desiring or eating food in great quantities; devour to eat quickly. xen/oforeignxenophobic afraid of foreigners; xenogenesis the creation of offspring that is completely different from either parent; xenophile attracted to foreigners. xer/o/Idryxerophyte a plant that grows in dry climate; xerography a dry photocopying process; xeric requiring small amounts of moisture. zo/oanimal lifezoology study of animals; zooid resembling an animal; zooplankton minute floating aquatic animals. zyg/opairzygote a cell formed by the union of two gametes and the organism developing from that; zygomorphic pertaining to organisms that can be divided into symmetrical halves along one axis only.