© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Guide to College Reading, 6/e Kathleen T. McWhorter Chapter 3 Learning New Words PowerPoint by JoAnn Yaworski

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers This Chapter Will Show You How to:  Figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words  Use prefixes, roots, and suffixes

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Finding Meaning in Compound Words - (Slide 1) A new word formed by two words that are put together is called a compound word. Waterproofwater + proof Horseshoehorse + shoe Endpointend + point Checklistcheck + list Outcomeout + come

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Finding Meaning in Compound Words - (Slide 2) Some words appear frequently in compound words. The word under, for example, is common:  Undertow  Underage  Underachiever  Undergo  Undercover

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Prefixes, Roots, & Suffixes  The word trichromatic can be divided into three parts: its prefix, root, & suffix. Prefix - tri - (“three”) Root - chrome (“color”) Suffix - atic (“characteristic of”)

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Words Can Have More Than One Prefix, Root, or Suffix  Words can be made up of two or more roots (geo/logy).  Some words have two prefixes (in/sub/ordination).  Some words have two suffixes (beauti/ful/ly).  A word is built upon at least one root.

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Words Do Not Always Have a Prefix & a Suffix  Some words have neither a prefix nor a suffix (read).  Others have a suffix but no prefix (read/ing).  Others have a prefix but no suffix (pre/read).

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers The Spelling of Roots May Change As They Are Combined With Suffixes  Different prefixes, roots, or suffixes may have the same meaning. Ex: the prefix bi-, di-, and duo- all mean “two.”  Sometimes a group of letters looks like a prefix or root, but it does not carry the meaning of that prefix or root. Ex: the prefix mis-, means “wrong;bad.” The letters mis in the word missle do not mean bad/wrong.

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Prefixes  Alter the meaning of the root. Ex: add the prefix re- to the word “read”  reread (to read again). Ex: add the pre- to the word “reading”  prereading (before reading). Ex.: add the suffix post- to the word “reading”  postreading (after reading).

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Roots Roots carry the basic or core meaning of a word.  Root dic/dict = means “tell or say,” then you know. Dictate = to speak for someone to write down. Diction = wording or manner of speaking. Dictionary = book that “tells” what words mean.

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Suffixes Suffixes are word endings that often change the part of speech of a word:  Adding the suffix y to the noun cloud forms the adjective cloudy.  Cloudy means “resembling clouds; overcast with clouds; dimmed or dulled as if by clouds.”

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Several Different Words Can Be Formed From a Single Root Word by Adding Different Suffixes  Examples: Root: class Root + suffix = class/ify, class/ification, class/ic Root: right Root + suffix = right/ly, right/ful, right/ist, right/eous

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Expand Your Vocabulary  Learn variations in meaning that occur when suffixes are added to words you already know.  Look for the root of a word that you do not know.  Use context to figure out what the word means with the suffix added.

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Changes in Spelling of Root Words Heading  A final e may be dropped.  A final consonant may be doubled.  Or a final y may be changed to I. Example: compil(e) + -ation = something that has been compiled, or put together into an orderly form.

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers How to Use Word Parts  First, look for the root.  Look for a prefix.  Locate the suffix.  Substitute your meaning for the word and see whether the sentence makes sense.

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers Visit the Longman Companion Website Take a Road Trip to the Library of Congress! Visit the Vocabulary module in your Reading Road Trip CD-ROM for multimedia tutorials, exercises, and tests.