Active Vocabulary General and Academic Words - Amy E. Olsen 2013

Chapter 14. Word Parts III
Part 2 Academic Words

Look for words with these prefixes, roots, and/or suffixes as you work through this book. You may have already seen some of them, and you will see others in later chapters. Learning basic word parts can help you figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words.

prefix: a word part added to the beginning of a word that changes the meaning of the root

root: a word’s basic part with its essential meaning

suffix: a word part added to the end of a word; indicates the part of speech

Self-Tests

1 Read each definition and choose the appropriate word from the list below. Use each word once. The meaning of the word part is underlined to help you make the connection. Refer to the Word Parts list if you need help.

Vocabulary list

prohibit

intervene

astrology

donor

antiwar

circumvent

advocate

inertia

conference

panorama

1. someone who gives something ...

2. put a hold on doing ...

3. to avoid by moving around ...

4. to come between ...

5. an all-around view ...

6. a person who calls for the support of a cause ...

7. the condition of not moving ...

8. a meeting that brings people together ...

9. the study of the stars as influences on people’s lives ...

10. against combat ...

2 Finish the sentences with the meaning of each word part. Use each meaning once. The word part is underlined to help you make the connection.

Vocabulary list

to give

against

to come

bring

the study of

condition

call

all

around

hold

1. It could provoke a fight if you ... someone a liar.

2. My mother uses a hug as a panacea, a cure for ... problems, and it often works.

3. Matthew is going ... a large endowment to the local art museum because he has always wanted to be a painter.

4. To understand the reading, I had to infer what the author meant, or ... out his meaning.

5. If you circumnavigate the globe, you sail ... it.

6. I will pursue ... psychology because I enjoy learning about the mind.

7. An anti-aging cream would work ... getting older.

8. My nail-biting habit has such a ... on me that I am going to seek professional help to stop it.

9. Carol’s nostalgia for home was a ... we were able to treat by cooking a few of her favorite Southern dishes.

10. Everyone wants ... to the event at the stadium, but only people who bought tickets a month ago can get in.

3 Finish the story using the word parts below. Use each word part once. Your knowledge of word parts, as well as the context clues, will help you create the correct words. If you do not understand the meaning of a word you have made, check your dictionary for the definition or to see whether the word exists.

Word parts list

circum

anti

don

fer 

ven

ia

ology

pan

hib

vok

Helping a Friend

I of(1)...ed to take care of my friend’s cat for a week while she went to a con­ference. She is a doctor, and every year she goes to a dermat(2)... confer­ence to learn more about skin care. Due to some (3)...stances that she didn't make clear, her regular sitter wasn't available. She told me her cat was really amiable and that I would love spending time with him. I adore cats, and I was thinking about getting one myself, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to test my pet skills. I said to drop him by on Friday whenever it was con(4)...ient for her.

I was surprised when I saw BW. My friend had described him as a fragile, but he ex(5)...ited every sign of being a hardy animal. She handed me a list of when he should eat, what he should eat, and how much he should eat. She told me she didn't con(6)...e his scratching any furniture, so I was supposed to spray him with water if he tried to do so. My excitement of having a pet for a week was rapidly turning to (7)...pathy as she continued with her long list of instructions. It was, however, too late to re(8)...e my offer.

After two days, my friend called me terribly upset. I had to talk to her for ten minutes to quiet her hyster(9)... . Finally, I understood that she had had a dream that my house was filled with (10) demonium and that poor BW was upset. I told her everything was calm and that he had just been sitting on my lap while I read. I assured her that we were getting along exceedingly well. She insisted that she couldn't relax until I sent photos showing that BW was all right. I e-mailed her a few photos and swore it was the last time I'd cat-sit for her.

4 Pick the best definition for each underlined word using your knowledge of word parts. Circle the word part in each of the underlined words.

a. condition of being afraid f. money or property given by a bride to her husband

b. coming     g. a temple to all gods

c. the study of birds  h. holding back

d. distance around   i. a calling; a career

e. to bring on rapidly  j. against being with others

1. My mom says I am antisocial, but I really enjoy having time alone on the weekends.

2. The circumference of the circle was hard to figure out because I forgot the formula.

 3. While in Greece we visited the remains of a pantheon with statues of Athena, Zeus, and other gods.

 4. The advent of the holiday season caused me to sit down and make some plans.

 5. Diana’s dowry was considerable: a castle in England and $100,000.

 6. I am certain nursing is the right vocation for me.

 7. The offers for starring roles began to proliferate after Arturo won an Oscar.

 8. The lack of children’s books in the library is inhibiting the students’ learning. By fourth grade most of the students have read every book in the junior section.

 9. I didn’t know Mai had a phobia of flowers until she refused to enter the florist shop.

10. After a fascinating day of observing condors, vultures, and falcons at the zoo, I may have a future in ornithology.

5 A good way to remember word parts is to pick one word that uses a word part and understand how that word part functions in the word. Then you can apply that meaning to other words that have the same word part. Use the following words to help you match the word part to its meaning.

Set One

1. circum-: circumnavigate, circumvent, circumstances a. against

2. -ia: insomnia, nostalgia, euphoria     b. to give

3. anti-: antipathy, antisocial, antidote    c. condition

4. -don-, -dot-, -dow-: donate, antidote, endow   d. around, on all sides

5. -fer-: transfer, proliferate, confer    e. to bring, to carry

Set Two

6. -ven-, -vent-: convene, intervene, advent   f. hold

7. -voc-, -vok-: provocative, advocate, invoke   g. all, everywhere

8. -ology: zoology, biology, psychology    h. to call

9. -hab-, -hib-: habitat, inhibition, prohibit    i. to come, to move toward

10. pan-: pandemonium, panoramic, pantheon   j. the study of

Interactive Exercise

Use the dictionary to find a word you don't know that uses each word part listed below. Write the meaning of the word part, the word, and the definition. If your dictionary has the etymology (history) of the word, see how the word part relates to the meaning, and write the etymology after the definition.

Internet Activity: For Further Study

When you get the urge to expand your vocabulary knowledge online, try visiting the sites below.

✵ For a list of challenging words, several of which you are learning in this text, and how many times a word has appeared in the New York Times in the last year with an example of the word in context, visit nytimes.com/learning/students/wordofday.

✵ For dictionary entries, a word of the day feature, and word-related games, give the Merriam- Webster online dictionary a look at m-w.com.

✵ To see a video of the Spam skit mentioned in Chapter 13, visit youtube.com. While you are there, type in a few vocabulary words (i.e., mammal or claustrophobia) to see other videos related to the words.

Enjoy exploring the Internet’s many resources, but remember to watch your time online.

Match each photograph to one of the word parts below, and write the meaning of the word part.

anti-

pan-

-don-/dot-/-dow-

-hab-/-hib- -ia

Marking Words When Reading

When you read for fun, it can be counterproduotive to stop and look up every word you don't know-you will become frustrated with reading instead of enjoying it. As this book advocates, looking for context clues is the best way to find the meaning of an unknown word, but some­times this method doesn't work. There are various ways of keeping track of unfamiliar words; try these methods to see which fits your style.

✵ Keep a piece of paper and a pen next to you, and write down the word and page number.

✵ Keep a piece of paper next to you, and rip it into small pieces or use sticky notes. Put a piece between the pages where the word you don't know is located. For added help, write the word on the paper.

✵ If the book belongs to you, circle the words you don't know and flip through the book later to find them.

✵ If the book belongs to you, dog-ear the page (turn the corner down) where the word you don't know is located. This method is useful when you don't have paper or a pen handy.

✵ Repeat the word and page number to yourself a few times. Try to connect the page num­ber to a date to help you remember it.

When you are done reading for the day, get your dictionary and look up the words you marked. The last two methods work best if you don't read many pages before you look up the words or if there are only a few words you don't know. Using these methods will help you learn new words without damaging the fun of reading. Note: If you come across a word you don't know several times and not knowing its meaning hinders your understanding of what is going on, then it's a good idea to stop and look up the word.