QUARTER ONE VOCABULARY: ROOT WORDS

MRS. ALCALA..WHY?!?!?!?! Greek and Latin roots aren't always the most fun to memorize, but doing so pays off in a very big way. When you know the roots behind the vocabulary that we use in every day language, you have a step up on vocabulary comprehension that other people may not have. Not only will this help you in school across the board (Science uses Greek and Latin terminology All. The. Time.), but knowing Greek and Latin roots will help you on those major standardized tests like the PSAT, ACT, and the SAT. If you plan on going into the medical field or any science field—you will have to learn root words—same goes for any future lawyers out there too! Why spend time learning the origins of a word? I’ll tell you! Trust me on this one!

REASON 1: KNOW ONE ROOT, KNOW MANY WORDS KNOWING ONE GREEK AND LATIN ROOT MEANS THAT YOU KNOW MANY WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT ROOT. SCORE ONE FOR EFFICIENCY.

EXAMPLE 1 Root: Anti Definition: AGAINST If you understand that any time you see the root, Anti-, you're going to be dealing with “against" in some form, you'd know that words like antibiotic, antithesis, antidote, and others all have something to do with AGAINST even if you've never seen or heard those words before. Knowing a one root can multiply your vocabulary in an instant.

REASON 2:KNOW A PREFIX, KNOW PART OF THE DEFINITION KNOWING THE PREFIX, OR THE WORD BEGINNING, CAN HELP YOU UNDERSTAND PART OF THE WORD, WHICH IS REALLY HELPFUL ON A MULTIPLE CHOICE VOCABULARY TEST.

EXAMPLE Root: a-, an- Definition: without, not Atypical means not typical or unusual. Amoral means without morals. Anaerobic means without air or oxygen. If you understand a prefix, you’ll have a better time guessing the definition of a word you may not have seen before.

REASON 3:KNOW YOUR ROOTS BECAUSE YOU WILL BE TESTED EVERY MAJOR STANDARDIZED TEST REQUIRES YOU TO UNDERSTAND MORE DIFFICULT VOCABULARY THAN YOU'VE SEEN OR USED BEFORE. NO, YOU WON’T HAVE TO WRITE THE DEFINITION OF A WORD DOWN OR SELECT A SYNONYM FROM A LIST ANYMORE, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO KNOW COMPLEX VOCABULARY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION CORRECTLY.

EXAMPLE Take, for instance, the word incongruous. Let's say it appears in the Redesigned PSAT Writing and Language Test. You have no idea what it means and it's in the question. Your correct answer relies on your vocab comprehension. If you remember that the Latin root “congruere” means “to come together” and the prefix “in-“ negates what’s behind it, then you may get that incongruous means not together or inharmonious. If you didn't know the root, you wouldn't even have a guess. Redesigned PSAT Writing and Language Test

YOUR FIRST 10 WORDS OF THE QUARTER—AUGUST 1, Ante (before) antebellum, antecedent, anterior, anticipate, antipasto 2.Anti (against) anti-aircraft, antibiotic, anticlimactic, antidote, antithesis 3.Bi (two) bicentennial, biceps, bicycle, bimonthly, binocular, bipartisan 4.Circum (around) circumvent, circumference, circumscribe, circumstance 5.Com/con (together) combine, common, compassion/ concert, contract, reconcile, 6. Sym/Syn (together) symbol, symmetry, sympathy/ synchronize, synopsis, syntax 7.De (down) debate, deduct, despicable, detoxify 8.Dis (away) dislocate, disaster, discard, discount 9.Equi (equal) equinox, equivalent, equator 10.Extra (beyond) extraordinary, extravagant, extraterrestrial

NOW LET’S PRACTICE—BELLWORK—AUGUST 1 NEXT TO YOUR VOCAB SQUARE YOU GLUED IN, ANSWER THESE BY FILLING IN THE BLANKS/MATCHING USING THE WORDS ON RIGHT 1.The author recited a brief ____________of the play 2.To show___________for those in need. 3.The ______________ penicillin, was first used during WW2 1. Anti 2.Dis 3.Extra Compassion Synopsis Antibiotic A. Beyond B. Against C. Away

SO—THE TEST WILL TAKE ONE OF THE WORDS FROM EACH ROOT, BUT YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHICH WORD UNTIL YOU TAKE THE TEST ON THE BLOCK YOU GOT THIS! AND BY DOING THIS EVERY WEEK, YOU ARE INCREASING THOSE VOCABULARY SKILLS WHICH EQUALS HIGHER ACT AND SAT SCORES