Grammar for Everyone - Barbara Dykes 2007
28 Word building
Introduction
Part II The parts of speech
It is both interesting and important to give children of any age an idea about where words have come from, and we can do this at any time without reference to the grammatical construction of a word.
When discussing words in relation to spelling and/or comprehension, however, students need to be sure of:
• the functions of all parts of speech
• the use of a dictionary for finding out word constructions
Students will become increasingly familiar with the meaning of specific base words, prefixes and suffixes, as they work with them in discussion and research. Learning lists of these is of little or no value.
Words are built from the following:
The base (root) word, which gives the core meaning.
For example:
true (factual)
The prefix, which is added (fix) in front (pre) of the base word to add to its meaning or modify it in some way, such as making it negative.
For example:
Base word: true
Prefix: un - not true
The suffix, which is added (fix) after (suf, meaning below) the base word, and usually indicates the part of speech.
For example:
Base word: true (adj)
Suffix: est - truest (adj)
ism - truism (noun)
Base word: ject (throw)
Prefix: in - inject (throw in)
Suffix: ion (noun) - injection (that which is thrown in)
The suffix has important grammatical significance, as it can denote the part of speech, so enabling comprehension.
While most developed languages have systems of word building, it is the Latin and Greek languages that have given us most of our ability to continue adding to English as we require new words for technical and scientific processes. We also continue to make our language more subtle and more sophisticated by adding to words that English has adopted from other languages.
A good dictionary will show the origin of words, together with the meanings of its various parts. Exercises in finding out how we have come by some of our words can be fascinating for students as early as mid-primary. For example, the word ’companion’ meaning ’comrade’, is composed of:
Base word: panis (Latin) - bread
Prefix: com - together/with
Suffix: ion - noun form
Hence: com-pan-ion - one you have bread with
As less grammar has been taught in recent decades, and spelling is often not taught beyond mid-primary, many students are unaware of the connections between the two which relate chiefly to word building.
We use the system of word building to convey extra information of various kinds, by adding word parts to the beginning and end of base words, i.e. those that carry the core meaning.
For example:
The vet will inject the cow - no suffix, simple verb
The vet injected the cow - suffix 'ed', indicating past tense
The cow had an injection - suffix ’ion’, indicating a noun
This medication is injectable - suffix ’able’, indicates adjective (able to be)
(See Swallow, G, Word Building, 4th edn 2007, Nutshell Products, Kalbar, Qld.)
28.1 Activities: word building
1. As examples are written on the board, discuss them with the students while heading the components as shown:
Revolver - the pistol which fires with a revolving action
Hence: revolve, evolve, revolution etc.
2. Students use the following word or word roots, changing the suffixes to denote different parts of speech.
a. dict (speak)
b. spect (look)
c. volve (turn)
3. Students are given base words from which they list, in a set time, all the words they can think of that have been built on it, for example:
spect: expect, respect, spectacles etc.
These should be checked with discussion and one or more added to the chart.
4. Students are given whole words, which they break down and add to the chart above.
5. Students are given core words to research using a dictionary, for example:
ostracise, ballot, shampoo, frankincense, dollar
Checklist: word building
Students should now be able to:
• explain clearly the term ’word building’
• name the three main word parts described in word building
• explain the function of a prefix, a suffix and a root (or base word)
• recognise and give the meaning of some common prefixes such as re, sub, com/con
• recognise and state the meaning of common suffixes such as ed, ment
• divide common words into prefixes, roots and suffixes
• use a dictionary to discover the structure of words containing these elements