ADVANCING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit Four: Chapter 24
• -cian, -ian
• oct-, octo-
• dec-
• -ous
• duc, duct
• phil, -phile
• -en
• sur-
• homo-
• vol
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
1 -cian, -ian
• A politician must be a specialist both in getting elected and in
governing.
• To become a librarian, Lian had to complete the course work in
library science and also be an intern in a library during the
summer.
The word part -cian or -ian means
A. a similarity.
B. a person with expertise.
C. made of.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
1 -cian, -ian
• A politician must be a specialist both in getting elected and in
governing.
• To become a librarian, Lian had to complete the course work in
library science and also be an intern in a library during the
summer.
The word part -cian or -ian means
A. a similarity.
B. a person with expertise.
C. made of.
A person who is a specialist is a person with expertise. Lian’s course
work and internship made him a person with expertise in library
science.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
2 dec• Another name for the Ten Commandments is the Decalogue.
• Around 800 A.D., the Hindus invented the modern decimal
system, a number system based on 10.
The word part dec- means
A. eight.
B. having a certain knowledge.
C. ten.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
2 dec• Another name for the Ten Commandments is the Decalogue.
• Around 800 A.D., the Hindus invented the modern decimal
system, a number system based on 10.
The word part dec- means
A. eight.
B. having a certain knowledge.
C. ten.
In the first item, the word ten tells you the meaning of the word
part dec. In the second sentence, if the decimal number system
is based on 10, dec must mean “ten.”
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
3 duc-, duct
• The ducal palace was the residence of the duke—the leader of
his subjects.
• When my father listens to classical music on the radio, he often
swings his arms as if he’s conducting the orchestra.
Air conditioning ducts
The word part duc- or duct
means
A. to lead.
B. to be marked by.
C. to be above.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
3 duc-, duct
• The ducal palace was the residence of the duke—the leader of
his subjects.
• When my father listens to classical music on the radio, he often
swings his arms as if he’s conducting the orchestra.
Air conditioning ducts lead
cool air to parts of the house
The word part duc- or duct
means
A. to lead.
B. to be marked by.
C. to be above.
The word leader suggests that the
word part duc- means “to lead.” The
father swings his arms as if he’s
leading the orchestra.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
4 -en
• Chen can’t wear a woolen sweater over bare skin. The scratchy
wool drives him crazy.
• When the archaeologists opened the tomb of the ancient Egyptian
king, they found dozens of golden bowls, necklaces, and bracelets.
The word part -en means
A. same as.
B. attracted to.
C. made of.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
4 -en
• Chen can’t wear a woolen sweater over bare skin. The scratchy
wool drives him crazy.
• When the archaeologists opened the tomb of the ancient Egyptian
king, they found dozens of golden bowls, necklaces, and bracelets.
The word part -en means
A. same as.
B. attracted to.
C. made of.
Woolen sweaters are made of wool. Golden bowls are made of gold.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
5 homo• The people working at the store are a fairly homogeneous group.
They’re all in their early 20s, they’ve all had a year or two of
college, and they’re all single.
• Nowadays many homosexuals are more open about their
lifestyles. They don’t mind if people know they prefer same-sex
relationships.
The word part homo- means
A. different.
B. alike.
C. loving.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
5 homo• The people working at the store are a fairly homogeneous group.
They’re all in their early 20s, they’ve all had a year or two of
college, and they’re all single.
• Nowadays many homosexuals are more open about their
lifestyles. They don’t mind if people know they prefer same-sex
relationships.
The word part homo- means
A. different.
B. alike.
C. loving.
The description of the people working at the store indicates that the
workers are all pretty much alike. In the second item, the word same
suggests that the word part homo means “alike.”
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
6 oct-, octo• An octagon is a geometrical figure with eight sides and eight
angles.
• An octopus has eight arms; that may seem like a lot, but a squid
has ten.
The word part oct- or octomeans
A. eight.
B. ten.
C. above.
An octave on a piano
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
6 oct-, octo• An octagon is a geometrical figure with eight sides and eight
angles.
• An octopus has eight arms; that may seem like a lot, but a squid
has ten.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
An octave has eight notes.
The word part oct- or octomeans
A. eight.
B. ten.
C. above.
In both items, the word eight tells you
the meaning of the word part oct- or
octo-.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
7 -ous
• Marla dreams of having great fame, but she has no idea what she
wants to be famous for.
• Tomas is very serious lately. He seems to be full of deep
thoughts.
The word part -ous means
A. characterized by.
B. loving.
C. beyond.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
7 -ous
• Marla dreams of having great fame, but she has no idea what she
wants to be famous for.
• Tomas is very serious lately. He seems to be full of deep
thoughts.
The word part -ous means
A. characterized by.
B. loving.
C. beyond.
If Marla has dreams of great fame, she wants to be characterized by
fame. Someone who is serious is characterized by deep and earnest
thought.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
8 phil, -phile
• Philadelphia is often called the “city of brotherly love.”
• Martin is a complete Anglophile. He adores English accents,
clothes, music, manners, and cars, saying they’re superior to
anything on this side of the ocean.
The word part phil or -phile
means
A. above.
B. love.
C. before.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
8 phil, -phile
• Philadelphia is often called the “city of brotherly love.”
• Martin is a complete Anglophile. He adores English accents,
clothes, music, manners, and cars, saying they’re superior to
anything on this side of the ocean.
The word part phil or -phile
means
A. above.
B. love.
C. before.
In the first item, the word love tells you the meaning of the word
part phil. In the second item, an Anglophile is a person who adores
or loves everything English.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
9 sur• Siri polished the surface of the table until it shone like glass.
• Once our chickens started laying eggs, we had such a surplus
that we were giving away dozens of extra eggs to our neighbors.
The word part sur- means
A. choose.
B. support.
C. over.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
9 sur• Siri polished the surface of the table until it shone like glass.
• Once our chickens started laying eggs, we had such a surplus
that we were giving away dozens of extra eggs to our neighbors.
The word part sur- means
A. choose.
B. support.
C. over.
The surface of the table is the top—the part that is over the rest of
the table. A surplus is an amount over what is needed.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
10 vol
• Many retirees offer their talents as volunteers in their
communities, nationwide, and even throughout the world.
• According to the defense attorney, the defendant’s confession
was made under force, but the police and the prosecutor said that
it had been voluntary.
The word part vol means
A. by choice.
B. without payment.
C. with skill.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
10 vol
• Many retirees offer their talents as volunteers in their
communities, nationwide, and even throughout the world.
• According to the defense attorney, the defendant’s confession
was made under force, but the police and the prosecutor said that
it had been voluntary.
The word part vol means
A. by choice.
B. without payment.
C. with skill.
Volunteers offer their talents by choice. In the second item, if the
defendant wasn’t forced to confess, he made his confession by choice.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
1. Doing something on one’s own ( . . . ition) ___ means
doing it by choice, of one’s own free will.
2. Ralph sprayed a protective coating over the (wood . . .) ___
fence so that it wouldn’t be eaten by termites.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
1. Doing something on one’s own __________
volition means
doing it by choice, of one’s own free will.
The words by choice tell you the word part vol is needed.
2. Ralph sprayed a protective coating over the __________
wooden
fence so that it wouldn’t be eaten by termites.
Termites would eat a fence made of wood.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
3. If Ana’s pain isn’t better by tomorrow, she really should
see a (physic . . . ) ___.
4. The ( . . . athlon) ___ is an athletic competition made up of
ten events.
5. In 2009, a California woman became instantly famous
when she gave birth to ( . . . uplets) ___—six boys and
two girls.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
3. If Ana’s pain isn’t better by tomorrow, she really should
see a __________.
physician
Ana needs a person with a certain kind of knowledge to cure her pain.
4. The __________
decathlon is an athletic competition made up of
ten events.
If the competition is made up of ten events, it must be a decathlon.
5. In 2009, a California woman became instantly famous
when she gave birth to __________—six
boys and
octuplets
two girls.
If the woman gave birth to eight children, she had octuplets.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
6. A(n) ( . . . phone) ___ is a word that’s pronounced the same
as another word. Examples are the words hear and here.
7. An (aque . . . ) ___ is a channel for bringing water from one
place to another. The water is usually drawn along by
gravity.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
6. A __________
homophone is a word that’s pronounced the same
as another word. Examples are the words hear and here.
The word same tells you the word part homo- is needed.
7. An __________
aqueduct is a channel for bringing water from one
place to another. The water is usually drawn along by
gravity.
The words drawn along suggest that the word part duct (“to lead”)
is needed.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
8. The wealthy woman was a true ( . . . anthropist) ___; out of
love for her fellow humans, she made generous donations
to many causes.
9. If the theater department wants this semester’s play to
(. . . pass) ___ last semester’s in attendance, it will have to run
an extra night, since both nights were sold out last semester.
10. The disappearance of twenty dollars from my wallet is
(mysteri . . .) __. I’m sure the wallet was in my pocket all day.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. -cian, -ian
B. dec-
C. duc, duct
D. -en
E. homo-
F. oct-, octo-
G. -ous
H. phil, -phile
I. sur-
J. vol
8. The wealthy woman was a true _____________;
philanthropist out of
love for her fellow humans, she made generous donations
to many causes.
The word love suggests that the word part phil is needed.
9. If the theater department wants this semester’s play to
__________
surpass last semester’s in attendance, it will have to run
an extra night, since both nights were sold out last semester.
Only if the play runs an extra night can the attendance go over the
attendance last semester.
10. The disappearance of twenty dollars from my wallet is
__________.
mysterious I’m sure the wallet was in my pocket all day.
The disappearance under such circumstances is full of mystery.