VOCABULARY BUILDING ALLIED HEALTHCARE

 Make Associations – visualize the word  Create Concept Cards – create study cards  Keep a Word Log – use Cornell Notes  Practice! Review! Review! HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER NEW WORDS?

 Use context clues.  Use knowledge of word parts.  Use the glossary of your textbook. Last resort:  Use a dictionary UNLOCKING THE MEANING OF NEW WORDS WHEN READING

 To figure out the meaning of a new word – avoid running to the dictionary  First, try to figure out the meaning from the context clues –  What do the surrounding words – the context – tell you about the unknown word? CONTEXT CLUES

 There are several types of context clues that can help you figure out the meaning of an unknown word.  ARE YOU READY? HOW IS THE WORD USED IN THE SENTENCE OR PARAGRAPH?

 Example: The elderly hospitalized patient felt he was in an alien environment, a place both foreign and strange. Explanation: The definition is set off by a comma. Alien means strange or foreign. THE DEFINITION CLUE

 Example: The patient was hostile when the doctor approached the bed. The patient sat up in bed with his arms folded and looked in the other direction as soon as the doctor started to speak.  Explanation: As described in these sentences, hostile means unfriendly. DETAILS OR DESCRIPTION

 Example: The patient developed a voracious appetite after surgery. In one day he ate enough to equivalent to three days of meals.  Explanation: Because the patient ate an extraordinary amount, voracious means extremely hungry or greedy. DETAILS

 Example: The smell of the food from the hospital cafeteria was as compelling as a magnet’s pull on a paper clip.  Explanation: Since a magnet will pull a paper clip to it, the comparison suggests that the smell of the food had a strong attraction for a hungry person. Compelling means forceful. COMPARISON- SHOWS HOW THINGS ARE ALIKE

 Example: In America he is an eminent endocrinologist, even though in Canada he is virtually unknown.  Explanation: Even though are signal words indicating the opposite. Thus eminent means the opposite of unknown; it means well-known or famous. CONTRAST – SHOWS HOW THINGS ARE DIFFERENT.

 Roots  Prefixes  Suffixes WORD PARTS

 Sixty percent of English words have been adapted from Latin and Greek. The Latin and Greek languages use a system of word parts, or word elements, that can be used alone or in combination in order to form words. As the combinations of the word parts change, so does the meaning of the words.  Many medical terms are made up of these word parts – so by knowing the meaning of the word part will enhance your understanding of a medical term. Just think about how many more words you’ll understand by learning roots and affixes. RECOGNIZING WORD ELEMENTS IN HEALTHCARE

ROOT: is the stem or basic part of the word which carries the main meaning of the word. The root -derm- means: skin The root -ven- means: vein PREFIX: is a word part or group of letters added on to the beginning of a root which can change the meaning of that root or word. The prefix intra-, intro- means within intravenous = relates to something within the vein intramuscular = relates to something within the muscle The prefix hypo- means under, below hypoderm = relates to something below the skin IMPORTANT TERMS:

SUFFIX - is a word part or group of letters added to the end of a root which can alter the word’s form or part of speech – such as change from a noun to a verb. Nearly all medical terms have a suffix.  The suffix –algia,-dynia means pain neuralgia = relates to nerve pain  The suffix –ectomy means excision (cut out) appendectomy = relates to removal of the appendix MORE TERMS

AFFIX: refers to the word parts that are added to a root; another name for prefix and/or suffix  Intra + ven + ous + ly = “a drug, solution, or other substance administered into a vein”  Hypo + derm + ic = relating to the “introduction of drugs or medicine under the skin” DERIVATIVE: a word that is formed using the various word parts  gastro (stomach) = gastroenterology, gastroenterologist  -logy (study) = psychology, cardiology, neurology AND MORE TERMS TO KNOW

EXAMPLES OF WORD PARTS AND THEIR DERIVATIVES : GYNE (female) Gynecology gynecologist gynecological

ANOTHER EXAMPLE

 Guide Words  Pronunciation  Spelling  Word Meaning  Parts of Speech  Word History THE DICTIONARY

 Moccasin comes from the Algonquin Indian word for “shoe.”  Shampoo comes from the Hindi word meaning “to press.”  We study etymology to make it easier to remember the word. WORD ORIGINS - ETYMOLOGY

 Specialized vocabulary is often found in the glossary of your textbook.  Example from biology: continental drift, cranium, cosmopolitan species. TEXTBOOK GLOSSARY

 A thesaurus is a book with a list of synonyms for a word.  Example: verb “cause” – originate, give rise to, bring about, produce, create, evoke THESAURUS Check your word- processing program on your computer to see if they have a built-in thesaurus.

Learn Latin and Greek Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes Use Context Clues Make Flash Cards or Word Logs Read: newspapers, magazines, books, novels, short stories Watch television news shows, dramas Be aware of what people say and the effect of the words they use. Use the Internet Use the Dictionary – search for etymologies See the word, say the word, use the word Practice, practice, practice!!!!! ENRICHING YOUR VOCABULARY