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How can your current knowledge of words help you attack new ones?

Knowing the meanings of common roots and affixes can help you define words you’ve never seen or heard before―but only if you learn how to pull words apart and put them back together again. You may use this process automatically, or you might need to think about the steps involved. Reviewing your word attack methods is a good idea, just in case you’re leaving a few steps out.

Suppose you’re not sure what the bold-faced word in this sentence means.

A graphic of a globe of Earth at night being held in the palms of somebody's hands.

Early scientists had theories about the solar system that were geocentric.

Use the steps on the slides below to figure out what geocentric means, using your knowledge of word parts.

Step 1: Separate the word into its parts.

Question

What parts could you separate geocentric into?

Step 2: Identify the root or main part of the word. (Remember that prefixes come before the root, and suffixes come after.)

Question

Which part of geocentric is its root?

Step 3: Think of other words that contain any of the word’s parts.

Question

What other words contain the letters geo? What words contain centr?

Step 4: Decide what the word’s parts might mean, based on their use in other words.

Question

What might geo mean? What about centr? What kinds of words end in -ic?

Step 5: Combine the possible meanings of the word’s parts to make a guess at the word’s meaning.

Question

What are some possible meanings of geocentric?

Step 6: Look back at the sentence where the word appeared, and use context clues to make a final decision about the word’s meaning.

Question

Look back at the sentence containing geocentric. Which meaning would fit best in the sentence? Try reading the sentence with that meaning in place of geocentric.

Are you ready to apply some of these steps on your own? The questions below will help you find out. Be sure to read the feedback for each question carefully.

The root logo- means reason. What does logistical mean?

  1. having to do with religion
  2. being superstitious about magic
  3. acting on a bad feeling about something

Organization and planning require the use of reason.

Organization and planning require the use of reason.

Organization and planning require the use of reason.

Organization and planning require the use of reason.

A meteorologist is someone who studies weather. What is the most likely meaning of the root meteoro-?

  1. under the ocean
  2. against the flow
  3. on the ground

Weather patterns generally happen high up in the sky.

Weather patterns generally happen high up in the sky.

Weather patterns generally happen high up in the sky.

Weather patterns generally happen high up in the sky.

The root graph- means to write, record, or draw. What, then, is graphite?

  1. a single, uninterrupted sound
  2. a long conversation between friends
  3. a prehistoric reptile

Graphite is another word for pencil lead.

Graphite is another word for pencil lead.

Graphite is another word for pencil lead.

Graphite is another word for pencil lead.

The word criticism includes the root crit-. So does the word critique. What is the most likely definition of critique?

  1. an insult
  2. a welcome
  3. an opinion

When someone provides a critique, they describe something’s strengths and flaws.

When someone provides a critique, they describe something’s strengths and flaws.

When someone provides a critique, they describe something’s strengths and flaws.

When someone provides a critique, they describe something’s strengths and flaws.

Summary

Questions answered correctly:

Questions answered incorrectly: