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 'sub-'
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
subsubacute
The hospital patient was informed that his condition was that of subacute asthma.
subagent
The agent was unable to attend the meeting, so she sent her subagent.
subaqueous
The subaqueous experimental lab was investigating the long-term effects of humans living on the ocean floor.
subassembly
The main assembly did not work properly because the subassembly had not been completely connected.
subatomic
The researchers designed an instrument to detect radiation particles at the subatomic level.
subauricular
The surgeon successfully removed the subauricular tumor.
subbasement
There was so little living area in their home, the owners decided to hire a construction contractor to build a subbasement.
subcelestial
With the terrible economic situation in our country, many critiques have suggested that our monies be spent on
subcelestial matters instead of attempting to journey to the planet Mars.
subclass
In many foreign countries, women are considered to be subclass citizens.
subclavian
The medical doctor inserted a subclavian drainage tube into the patient's chest so that the excess fluid could be removed.
subclinical
It was difficult to detect the medical problem since all of her symptoms were in the subclinical range.
subcommittee
The Armed Forces Committee decided to establish a subcommittee to investigate the matters dealing with the current
hostage crisis.
subcompact
The car manufacturer conducted a consumer survey to see if car buyers were interested in purchasing a subcompact
automobile.
subconscious
The psychiatrist told the patient that his unusual behavior was being caused by a subconscious desire to please his
mother.
subcontinent
The land mass was not quite large enough to be classified as a continent; therefore, the researchers identified it as a
subcontinent.
subcontract
The principle contractor let subcontracts for: plumbing, roofing, and wiring.
subcostal
The chest tube was inserted in the subcostal region of the patient's chest in order to relieve the pressure on the lungs.
subcutaneous
The registered nurse gave the patient a subcutaneous injection of medicine.
subdeacon
The subdeacon conducted the church meeting because the deacon was working with a relief organization that day.
subdistrict
A large voter turnout was expected, so each district was divided into four subdistricts.
subdivide
The land developer subdivided the large parcel of land into 16 smaller tracts.
subdue
The law enforcement officer was able to subdue the man by placing him in handcuffs.
subentry
The traveling saleslady listed the restaurant bill as a subentry on the expense sheet.
subfloor
Before the expensive tile could be installed in the new home, a plywood subfloor needed to be constructed.
subfreezing
Extra precaution had to be taken to protect against the subfreezing weather.
subglacial
The mineral was initially formed as a subglacial deposit during the last ice age.
subgroup
The large class was divided into four subgroups in order to better address each assigned chapter.
subheading
The chemistry textbook chapter was so long that it was divided into nine subheadings.
subirrigate
To prevent large amounts of water evaporation, the farmer constructed a system of subirrigation pipes.
subject
The country's dictator imposed very strict laws upon her subjects.
subjugate
It was unclear whether the military forces would subjugate the enemy.
sublet
The construction job was so large, the contractor was forced to sublet several assignments to three subcontractors.
sublethal
Although the snakebite was harmful; fortunately, the dose of venom was sublethal.
subliminal
The psychologist scheduled the patient for a series of subliminal therapy treatments.
sublingual
The little boy was very afraid of injections, so the nurse gave the medicine sublingually.
submarine
A large portion of the Navy is made up of submarines.
submerge
The first step in the experiment is to submerge a sponge in the fluid.
submersible
The diver needed a submersible watch so she would know when the air tank was low on oxygen.
submicroscopic
An electron microscope is able to detect submicroscopic particles in a research lab.
submit
The criminal gang finally submitted to the overwhelming force of the SWAT (special weapons assault team) unit.
subnormal
Because of her genetic defect, she learned that her kidneys were functioning at a subnormal level.
suboceanic
A very unusual aquatic creature was recently discovered in a suboceanic region off the coast of Australia.
suborbital
The spacecraft was programmed for an orbital flight, but was restricted to only a suborbital schedule after it lost some of its
fuel during takeoff.
subordinate
The department supervisory was in charge of training 16 subordinates.
subscribe
The advertisement was so interesting that he decided to subscribe to the new magazine.
subservient
There are some countries that have women serving in a subservient position as compared to men.
subside
It took three days for the flood waters to subside.
subsidiary
Time Magazine is a subsidiary of AOL-Time Warner.
subsistence
Unfortunately many people in the world are living at a subsistence level.
subsoil
Extracting minerals from the Earth usually means digging into the subsoil.
substandard
The product was substandard since it had several defective parts.
substation
UPS will soon build a more convenient substation near our workplace.
substitute
The substitute teacher was quite familiar with the instructional materials used in that class.
substructure
The elevated walkway collapsed because of a defect in its substructure.
subsume
Trains, cars, boats, and planes can be subsumed under the larger category of types of transportation.
subsurface
Subsurface travel is normal for submarines.
subterfuge
Through skillful subterfuge, she was able to avoid being arrested for theft.
subterranean
Many bats live in subterranean areas during the day and come out to feed at night.
subtitle
Subtitles allow people with a different language to enjoy foreign films.
subtle
The political commercial carried a subtle message concerning immigration.
subtopic
The topic of the chapter was biochemistry, with its two subtopics being biology and chemistry.
suburb
Over the years Houston has been surrounded by a number of suburban communities.
subway
Because of the soil characteristics of the Houston area, there are no subways.