Interactive Vocabulary - Amy E. Olsen 2017

Chapter 9. Word Parts II
Part II. The Unusual

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. 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

productive  impact  evident extend  intersperse

spectator  infirm  detain  dictionary  invincible

1. the action of making something ...

2. to distribute between things ...

3. a person who looks at a sporting event ...

4. a book on how to use words ...

5. easily seen ...

6. not capable of being hurt ...

7. to hold back ...

8. not healthy ...

9. to stretch out ...

10. to have an effect on ...

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

see  between  hold  look   capable of

tells  not   into  to stretch performing an action

1. The Olympics is an international event. This means it is held ... different countries.

2. Because the summers are so dry, irrigation is important to pump water ... the fields to keep the crops healthy.

3. The plan was irregular because we usually meet at one o'clock and ... at two.

4. It is impossible for me to attend the meeting at 6 a.m.; I am not ... getting up that early.

5. When giving a verdict, the jury ... the decision it has made.

6. To set up the tent, we had ... it over the poles.

7. I only put the pertinent information in my report because I had to ... the content to two pages per company policy.

8. I need to put on my spectacles to ... at the newspaper.

9. Thanks to television, I have been able to ... faraway places that I may never get to visit in person.

10. The decorative hanging is ... of making the room more cheerful.

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 the dictionary for the definition or to see whether the word exists.

Word parts

in ten  able  ive  tain

diet inter  spec  im  vid

A Happy Face

When I took a hike into a part of the canyon where I had never been, I would never have pre(1)...ed that I would see such an unusual sight. I can be quite creat(2)..., so I thought it might be my imagination when I saw a smiling face on a cliff wall. On closer in(3)...tion, I was sure I could see an eye, a nose, and a grinning mouth. After looking at the rock for several minutes, I was certain I was not (4)...venting the face.

I returned home, and told my friends about the face con(5)...ed in the canyon. They laughed at me. They felt it was (6)...probable that a face could be on a rock. I noted that in might be possible to (7)...pret the shape of the rock differently, but I still felt they would agree with me if they could see it. I then decided to return with my camera to pro(8)...e them with a picture of the face.

I had two friends whose skills were suit(9)... enough for such a long hike, and they joined me to see the rock for themselves. When we got there, they agreed with my con(10)...tion that the rock was smiling. They were also willing to declare that I had not been stretching my imagination too far.

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. capable of being debated   f. not capable of being seen

b. the act of withholding one's vote  g. look into one's feelings

c. a coming in     h. to say the opposite

d. the action of being hard to find  i. to stretch or lean a certain way

e. not capable of being trusted   j. came between

1. The invisible man was easily able to overhear gossip about himself.

2. After some introspection, Alexa knew which job would be the best for her.

3. My sister has a tendency to exaggerate; I never know when to believe her.

4. It is questionable whether I will make it to the meeting on time because I am coming from across town, and the traffic is bad at noon.

5. The babysitter's actions were irresponsible—how could she leave a baby alone in a bathtub?

6. The final count was twenty for, six against, and one abstention, so the motion passed.

7. There was an influx of students to the college when the school began to offer more literature courses; students had wanted to read more.

8. When I tried to find my friend to get the money he owed me, he was very elusive.

9. Mother intervened when the argument between my brother and me got so serious we were about to hit each other.

10. Why must my boyfriend always contradict me? He could agree with me occasionally.

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. -ten-: intention, contention, extend    a. hold

2. -ive: innovative, collaborative, elusive   b. between, among

3. im-, in-, ir-: impartial, inaccurate, irregular   c. to stretch

4. -tain-, -ten-, -tin-: retain, tenacious, pertinent  d. not

5. inter-: interactive, international, intercede   e. performing an action

Set Two

6. -spec-, -spect-: speculate, inspect, aspect  f. capable of

7. -die-, -diet-: dedication, dictionary, predict,  g. in, into, on

8. -able, -ible: probable, sustainable, possible  h. see

9. im-, in-, ir-: impress, influx, irrigate    i. to say, to tell, to use words

10. -vid-, -vis-: evident, visible, envision   j. look

Interactive Exercise

Use the dictionary to find a word you don't know that uses the 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.

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

im-/in-/ir- inter-  -ten-  -vid-/-vis- -able/-ible

Read for Fun

Many people forget that reading for fun makes a better reader overall. If you think you don't like to read, search for reading material about subjects that interest you. Textbooks are not always the most exciting reading material, so don't give up on reading if you don't enjoy what you cur­rently have to read.

Evaluate your interests to see what kind of material you might like to read:

✵ Do you like to keep up on current events? Become a newspaper or weekly newsmagazine reader.

✵ Do you have a hobby? Subscribe to a magazine on the topic.

✵ Do you like to look into people's lives? Pick up a collection of short stories or a novel. You can find everything from romance to mystery in fiction writing.

✵ Is there a time period you are interested in? Nonfiction and fiction books deal with events from the days of the dinosaurs to the unknown future.

✵ Are you interested in travel or different countries? Try books by authors from foreign lands.

✵ Do you like to read in short spurts or for long periods? Newspaper articles, essays, poetry, and short stories may appeal more to those who like to read a little at a time. Novels, plays, and nonfiction books may appeal more to those who like intricate tales.

Visit the library to try out different types of reading material. It's free! Also explore the Internet for various reading sources.

Finding the type of reading material that is right for your personality and interests will make reading fun, will lead to better reading skills, and will even make the reading you are required to do more productive.

Interesting Etymologies

Incentive (Chapter 8) comes from Latin incentivus, "setting the tune." The word stem is incinere, "to strike up or to play." The word is formed from in-, "in, into" and cinere, "to sing," plus -ivus or -ive, "performing an action." Music obviously played a part in encouraging people. Today an incentive is "something that motivates action or greater effort," and for many people music still fills that role.

Dismal (Chapter 18) comes from the Latin dies mali. Dies is the plural of "day" and mali the plural of "evil." The word meant "unlucky days." There were two days in each month that were thought to be unfavorable, and it was considered best not to start anything important on those days. For exam­ple, in January the two days were the 1st and 25th. The days were even marked on calendars during the Middle Ages. It is easy to see how unlucky days could develop into today's meaning of dismal: "miserable, depressing."