Tag Archives: word roots

Here is a worksheet on the Latin word root tract. It means draw and pull. You will recognize this as a particularly productive root in English: attract, contract, detract, extract, and retract all grow from this root, and all are included in this document (and I haven’t mentioned distract–to pull attention away from–which is not on this worksheet).

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Here is a worksheet on on the Greek word roots soph and sophy. They mean wise and wisdom. As you probably see, these are productive roots in English that yield words such as sophisticated, theosophy, sophistry (a good word, I would argue, for high school graduates to know in our intellectually benighted age) and, of course, philosophy.

In fact, philosophy is one of those exemplars of ancient Greek culture, containing both sophy and philo, which means love, attracted to, affinity for, and a natural liking. Philosophy, then, means “love of wisdom.”

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Here is a worksheet on the Greek word roots scop,-scope, and scopy. They mean to view, examine, and to observe. And I doubt you’ll be surprised to hear that you’ll find these roots at the base of such high-frequency English words as (and yes, these are on the worksheet itself) horoscope, kaleidoscope, and periscope. Microscope isn’t here, but if you want to add it you can; this, like almost everything else on Mark’s Text Terminal, is a Microsoft Word document that you can alter to your classroom’s needs.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Here is a worksheet on the Latin word roots spect, spec, and spic. This productive root in English means “to look” and “to see.” You’ll find it in such high-frequency words as aspect, prospect, respect, and inspect–all of which you’ll find on this worksheet; you’ll also find specious, a less-used adjective but a useful one nonetheless. It means “having deceptive attraction or allure” and   “having a false look of truth or genuineness.”

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Here is a worksheet on the Greek word root rupt. It means “to break, burst.” This productive root yields in the English language a number of high-frequency words like disrupt, corrupt, bankrupt, and rupture. I suppose there is really nothing more to say than that.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Moving right along on this lovely Monday morning in Brooklyn, here is a worksheet on the Latin word root spectro. It means simply, just as it sounds, “spectrum.” You’ll find this root at the base of many scientific words like spectrograph, spectrometer, and spectroscope; but more commonly used English words like suspect and speculate also grow from this root.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Here is a worksheet on the Latin word root sol. It means, of course, sun. This productive root in English (and all the Romance languages as well) bearing solar, but also solarium, circumsolar, and lunisolar.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Moving right along this morning, here is a worksheet on the Greek word root pyr-o . It means, as you already know, fire; but it also means heat and fever. This root yields the high-frequency English word pyromaniac, which does not appear on this document. Lower frequency words in use by educated people, however abound here: you’ll find empyrean, as well as pyre, and the solid scientific adjective pyrophoric.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Here is a worksheet on the Latin word root semi. It means “half” and “partly.” This root finds its way into common discourse in English–it can be used as a prefix to just about any adjective or noun to attenuate the full force of a word. So, in addition to the number of words this root grows in casual discourse (i.e. being attached to nouns and adjectives in everyday conversation), this root yields such high-frequency English words as semiannual, semicolon, semiconductor, and semifinal.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.