Vocabulary Building

1. Strategies for Building a Powerful Vocabulary 

•  Check your knowledge of the words used most frequently in English Advances in computer technology have made it possible for Researchers to analyze thousands of English-language texts containing millions of words . From this research they have learned that a small percentage of words_about 2,000_are used much more frequently than all the other words .
•  Focus on the words used in academic texts These words allow academic writers to explain or generalize their ideas or research , and to compare them with the work of others . Learning these 570 academic words can improve your comperhension of academic materials.
  
  
• Use the dictionary effectively a long with the definition , a dictionary provides a great deal of other information about a word . It tells you the part of speech of word (noun,verb,adjective,etc.) how to pronounce it , and how to divide into syllables. An example sentence is often included as well.

•  Keep a vocabulary notebook
  
  Example:
  
  
1. Something that you think is true
2. Assumption_noun (as – sump – tion )Although you have no proof.
   How could you make an assumption
   About their family without meeting them

• Use study cards
  
  Study cards can help review words and make them part of your permanent vocabulary. when you have made a set of cards,carry them with you and test yourself often. Add new words that you encounter and want to learn. You should not remove a word from your set until you are completely sure of the meaning and can recall it instantly. To make study cards ,you will need small, blank cards.

Example :

On one side of the card write a word , the part of speech , the word in syllables , and the phrase or sentence in which you found the word.

Vary (verb)

va –ry

Ideas of beauty vary from one culture to another..

2. COLLOCATION

A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used together in English. Think of collocations as words that usually go together. There are different kinds of collocations in English. Strong collocations are word pairings that are expected to come together. Good collocation examples of this type of word pairing are combinations with 'make' and 'do'. You make a cup of tea, but you do your homework.

Collocations are very common in business settings when certain nouns are routinely combined with certain verbs or adjectives. For example, draw up a contract, set a price, conduct negotiations, etc.

EXAMPLE : 

Here are a number of common collocations in English:

make the bed -> I need to make the bed every day.

do the homework -> My son does his homework after dinner.

take a risk -> Some people don't take enough risks in life.

give someone advice -> The teacher gave us some advice on taking tests.

3. WORD PARTS

The three word parts that combine to form a word are : 

Root (base word)

Prefix (comes before the root words)

Suffix (comes at the end of the root words)

A. Root

A root is a base upon which other words are built. The root of every word carries the word’s core meaning. The root of a word can be a whole word, such as self. Word parts can be attached to the root to form new words, such as selfish and selfless.

Roots	Meaning	Word
alter	other	alternate, alter ego
ami, amic-	love	amiable, amicable
amphi	both ends or all sides	amphibian
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
arthro	joint	arthritis
aud	sound	auditorium, audible, audiologist, audiotape
bell	war	belligerent, bellicose
biblio	book	bibliography, bibliophile
bio-	life	biography, autobiography, biology, antibiotic
brev	short	brief, abbreviate
cap	take, seize	capture, captivate, capacity
carn	meat	carnivorous, chili con carne
ced	yield, go	recede, secede, proceed, intercede, concession
chrom-	color	chromatic, monochrome, polychrome
chron-	time	chronicle, chronology, chronometer, synchronize
cogn	know	recognize, cognitive, incognito
cord/chord	cord	harpsichord
corp	body	corpus, corpse, corporal
crac, crat	rule, ruler	autocrat, democracy, bureaucrat, democracy
cred	believe	credible, credulous, credibility, credit, credo
cruc	cross	crucifix, crucial
crusta	shell	crustacean
crypt	hidden	cryptogram, cryptology, cryptic
culp	guilt	culpable, culprit
dei	god	deity, deify
demo-	people	demography, democracy, epidemic
dent	tooth	dentist, dentifrice, dentin
derm-	skin	dermatology, epidermis, hypodermic
dic	speak, say	dictate, predict, diction, indict
dox	belief, opinion	orthodoxy, paradox, heterodoxy
duc, duct	lead	induce, deduce, seduction, conduct, abduct
duo	two	duo
dynam-	power	dynamo, hydrodynamics
ego	self	egotist, egomania
equ	equal	equal, equity, equanimity, equate, equidistant
fac	make, do	manufacture, factory, benefactor
fil	threadlike	filament
frater	brother	fraternal, fraternize
gam-	marriage	monogamy, polygamy, bigamy
geo-	earth	geopolitical, geology, geography, geothermal
glyph	vertical groove	Hieroglyphics—Egyptian “sky writing”
grad, gress	step	gradual, progression, transgression
graph-	writing, printing	graphology, biography, telegraph, geography
gym	naked	gymnasium
gyn-	woman	gynecologist, androgynous
hemo, hema, hem	blood	hemophilia, hematology, hemoglobin
holo	whole, entire	holograph
hydro, hydr	water	dehydrate, hydraulics, hydroelectric, hydroplane
iso	equal, identical	isolate
ject	throw	inject, reject, subject, projection
jud	judge	judicial, judge, adjudicate
leg, lect	read, choose	legible, lectern, lecturer, election
liter	letter	literature, illiterate, literal
loc	place	local, location
log	word	monologue, epilogue
luc	light	lucid, elucidate
magn	large	magnify, magnate, magnificent
man	hand	manufacture, manual, manuscript
mar	sea	marine, mariner
mater	mother	maternal, maternity, matriarchy, matricide
mere	part, segment	mere
meta, met	behind, between	metacognition—behind the thinking
metri, meter-	measure	geometric, thermometer, odometer
min	small	minority, minuscule, minute
mit, miss	send	permit, submission, mission, emit,
mob, mot, mov	move	mobile, automobile, motion, promote, movie
mon	warn	premonition, admonition
mor, mort	death	mortal, mortician, immortality
morph	form, structure	metamorphosis, amorphous, morphology
mut	change	mutant, mutability, mutate
neuro	nerve	neurology, neurosis, neurobiology
nomen /nomin	name	nominal, nominate, nomenclature
nov	new	novel, renovate, innovation, novella
nym, onym	word, name	synonym, acronym, anonymous, pseudonym
odonto	tooth	orthodontist—one who straightens teeth
ortho-	straight, correct	orthodox, orthodontist, orthopedic
pac	peace	pacify, Pacific Ocean, pacifist

B. Prefix

A prefix is one or more syllables added before a root. When a prefix is added to a root, the new word combines the meaning of the prefix and the root.

Example :

Prefix	Meaning	Examples
a-, an-	not, without	amoral, anesthetic, apolitical, asocial
ab-	away from	abduction, abstain, abnormal
ad-	to, toward	adjoin, adjacent (lying near to)
ambi-	both	ambidextrous, ambivalent
ana-	up, back, again	analogy, anatomy, anagram
anti-	against	antipathy, antiwar, antisocial
apo-	from, away from	apology, apologize
auto-	self	autobiography, automobile, autocracy, automaton
bene-	good	benediction benevolent benefactor
cata-, cat-	down, against	catastrophe--a turning down
centro, centri-	around, center	concentric, centrifugal
circum-	around	circumlocution circumference, circumvent
com-	with, together	communal, community
con-	with, together	connect, confide conspire
contra-	against	contradict, contravene
de-	down, away	descend, deject (cast down)
dia-, di-	through, across	diameter, division
dis-	apart, not	disengage, discord, discomfort
dys-	ill, difficult, bad	dysfunctional, dysentery
e-	out of, from	elect (choose out of), eject (throw out)
ecto-	on the outside	ectoderm--outer skin
en-, em-	in	empathy--feeling in
endo-	within, inside	endoscope--instrument for observing inside
epi-	upon	epitaph epidermis, epicenter
eso-	inward, within	esoteric--more inward, esophagus
eu-	well, good	euthanasia--good death
ex-	out of, from	exhume, exhale, exodus
hetero-	other, different	heterosexual, heterodoxy, heterodox heterogeneous
homo-	same	homosexual, homogeneous, homogenized
hyper-	over	hypertension, hypersensitive, hyperactivity
hypo-	under	hypotension, hypodermic
il-	not	illegitimate, illicit, illegal, illegible
im-	not	imperfect, impolite, impossible
im-	into	imbibe (drink in, take in)
in-	not	indiscreet, invisible
in-	into	incorporate (take into the body)
inter-	between	intervene (come between), interstate
intra-	within	intrastate, intramural
ir-	not	irregular, irrational, irredeemable

C. Suffix

A suffix is a syllable or group of syllables added after a root. Often, adding a suffix to a word changes the word’s meaning as well as its parts of speech.

Example : 

Suffix	Definition	Example
-agog, -agogue	leader	demagogue, pedagogue
-cide	kill(ing)	patricide, infanticide, herbicide. suicide
-ectomy	cutting	appendectomy, splenectomy
-ia, -y	act, state	amnesia, mania, democracy, anarchy
-ic, -tic, -ical, -ac	having to do with	anthropomorphic, dramatic, biblical, cardiac
-ics	things having to do with	optics, physics
-isk, -iscus	small	asterisk--a little star
-ism	the belief in	pacifism, terrorism, socialism, communism
-ist	one who believes in	pacifist, terrorist, socialist, communist
-ite	one connected with	meteorite, polite, cosmopolite
-logy	study field of	biology, geology, etymology, cardiology
-oid	resembling, like-shaped	asteroid, spheroid
-or, -er	one who takes part in	doctor, actor, teacher, driver
-phobia	exaggerated fear	photophobia, claustrophobia, agoraphobia
-sis	act, state, condition of	analysis

Exercise

For each sentence below, study the one word that's in bold print. See if you can identify the root word (or base) along with any prefixes and/or suffixes that are attached to it.

After you have filled in all the blanks, compare your answers with those on page two.

1. We watched a preview of the new Pixar movie.
   Root: ____________
   Prefix: ____________  (10)
   
   
2. The dancing cat was seen by more than two-million YouTube viewers.
   Root: ____________
   Suffix: ____________   (10)
   
   
3. The teacher handed out paper hearts to the students who had done extra work.
   Root: ____________
   Suffix: ____________  (10)
   
   
4. The magician made the rabbit disappear.
   Root: ____________
   Prefix: ____________  (10)
   
   
5. At the end of his performance, the magician made a graceful bow to the audience.
   Root: ____________
   Suffix: ____________ (10)
   
   
6. Shyla asked the magician for his autograph.
   Root: ____________
   Prefix: ____________ (10)
   
   
7. Because of the lightness of the breeze, the sailboat moved quite slowly.
   Root: ____________
   Suffix: ____________ (10)
   
   
8. Despite the heaviness of his backpack, Jack raced up the hill.
   Root: ____________
   Suffix: ____________ (10)
   
   
9. Some dogs are shy or unfriendly, and they might bark or snap if you try to pet them.
   Root: ____________
   Prefix: ____________
   Suffix: ____________ (10)
   
   

1   10.  Esther quickly reopened the door and called for her cat.
Root: ____________
Prefix: ____________
Suffix: ___________ (10)