These exercises contain items that are (depending on the version of MS Word you are using) either highlighted in yellow are
enclosed in red brackets. When you move your mouse cursor over a yellow area or a red-bracketed area, a 'hidden text
message' will appear on the screen. Please, keep your cursor to the far right while you are reading the text material. When
you are ready to 'uncover' the hidden text, move your cursor to the yellow or red areas.
Let's practice this 'uncovering' procedure:
How much is one plus one?
a.
b.
c.
d.
zero
two
five
none of the above
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Word Parts
The Prefix 'dict-'
A prefix comes at the beginning of a word. When you come across an unfamiliar word, there are two techniques that can
help you determine the new word's meaning:
- look at the word and see if you can get a basic understanding of its meaning by using your knowledge of word parts
- look for context clues by examining the sentence that contains the unfamiliar word, along with the sentence before and the
sentence after
dictabdicate
When the approaching armies grew nearer, the queen was forced to abdicate her position of power.
benediction
At the end of the religious ceremony, the pastor gave a benediction.
contradict
During the debate one party took five minutes of her allotted time to contradict a previous statement.
dictaphone
The business executive recorded the text of his letter to the president into the dictaphone for her secretary to transcribe.
dictate
The ruler issued a dictate that prevented ant citizen from leaving the country.
dictator
Each citizen was well aware of the penalty for ignoring what the dictator wanted done.
dictatorship
Life was harsh for most of the country during the dictatorship.
diction
The speaker's diction was magnificent.
dictionary
Students in college often consult a dictionary when questions arise as to the proper use of a word in an essay they are
composing.
dictum
The trial judge issued a dictum that pleased the prosecutor, but angered the defendant.
ditto
After hearing the statement of a fellow board member, two members of the board said, "Ditto".
edict
The mayor's office issued the edict that all parking fines would increase by 10% starting next month.
interdict
When the committee became unruly, the presiding officer was forced to interdict with a warning that the meeting had to be
civil.
jurisdiction
The sitting judge ruled that the case was within her jurisdiction.
malediction
In the movie the sorcerer brought forth a malediction that was supposed to hurt the hero in the script.
predict
The man had the strange ability to predict future events.
valedictorian
The presentation by our valedictorian was placed in the college yearbook.
verdict
The foreperson of the jury read the verdict to the people in the courtroom.