IMPROVING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit One: Chapter 6
Common word parts—also known as prefixes, suffixes, and roots—
are used in forming many words in English.
• ann, enn
• -ly
• audi, audio-
• non-
• cycl, cyclo-
• path, -pathy
• -hood
• pend
• hyper-
• quart, quadr-
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
1 ann, enn
• This year’s annual family reunion will be held at a campground.
• Our town is having a big bicentennial parade exactly two
hundred years after the day the town was founded.
The word part ann or enn
means
A. four.
B. year.
C. hang.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
1 ann, enn
• This year’s annual family reunion will be held at a campground.
• Our town is having a big bicentennial parade exactly two
hundred years after the day the town was founded.
The word part ann or enn
means
A. four.
B. year.
C. hang.
The annual reunion is held every year. The words this year’s are a
clue. The word bicentennial means “two hundred years.” The word
includes three word parts: bi (two), cent (hundred), and enn (year).
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
2 audi, audio• The bride’s softly spoken wedding vows were not audible to
those at the back of the church.
• The sound system in the new auditorium is so good that music
can be heard clearly even in the upper balconies.
The word part audi or audio
means
A. condition.
B. feeling.
C. hearing.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
2 audi, audio• The bride’s softly spoken wedding vows were not audible to
those at the back of the church.
• The sound system in the new auditorium is so good that music
can be heard clearly even in the upper balconies.
The word part audi or audio
means
A. condition.
B. feeling.
C. hearing.
If the bride spoke softly, her vows would not be heard at the back
of the church. An auditorium is a place where one hears music.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
3 cycl, cyclo• When Bob asked his parents if he could buy a new “twowheeler,” they didn’t realize he meant a motorcycle.
• A cyclone travels in a circular motion.
The word part cycl or cyclemeans
A. circle.
B. four.
C. condition.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
3 cycl, cyclo• When Bob asked his parents if he could buy a new “twowheeler,” they didn’t realize he meant a motorcycle.
• A cyclone travels in a circular motion.
The word part cycl or cyclemeans
A. circle.
B. four.
C. condition.
A motorcycle has wheels (circles). In
the second item, the word circular
suggests that cyclo- means “circle.”
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
4 -hood
• When children reach adulthood, how much help should their
parents give them?
• For my great-grandmother, womanhood began early—she was
married at 15.
The word part -hood means
A. state of.
B. sound.
C. not.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
4 -hood
• When children reach adulthood, how much help should their
parents give them?
• For my great-grandmother, womanhood began early—she was
married at 15.
The word part -hood means
A. state of.
B. sound.
C. not.
Adulthood is the state of being an adult. For the great-grandmother,
the state of being a woman began when she married.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
5 hyper• Trina is hypersensitive to conflict. When people disagree with
her, she thinks they are rejecting her personally.
• On the Internet, pages are written in hypertext—a special
language that includes links to related text, images, and sound.
The word part hyper- means
A. opposite of.
B. more than normal.
C. fourth.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
5 hyper• Trina is hypersensitive to conflict. When people disagree with
her, she thinks they are rejecting her personally.
• On the Internet, pages are written in hypertext—a special
language that includes links to related text, images, and sound.
The word part hyper- means
A. opposite of.
B. more than normal.
C. fourth.
If Trina thinks people who disagree with her are rejecting her
personally, she must be more than normally sensitive to conflict.
A language that includes links related to text, images, and sound
is more than a normal text.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
6 -ly
• One cannot easily drown in Utah’s Great Salt Lake because the
lake’s high percentage of salt helps people float.
• During the American Revolution, many brides proudly wore red,
instead of white, as a symbol of rebellion.
The word part -ly means
A. fourth.
B. in a certain way.
C. opposite of.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
6 -ly
• One cannot easily drown in Utah’s Great Salt Lake because the
lake’s high percentage of salt helps people float.
• During the American Revolution, many brides proudly wore red,
instead of white, as a symbol of rebellion.
The word part -ly means
A. fourth.
B. in a certain way.
C. opposite of.
If people float in the lake, one could not drown in an easy way. To show
their support for the revolution, the brides wore red in a proud way.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
7 non• The paints used in elementary schools are nontoxic so that a
child who might swallow some won’t be poisoned.
• The story about the aliens was supposed to be nonfiction, but it
sounded made-up to me.
The word part non- means
A. condition.
B. not.
C. overly.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
7 non• The paints used in elementary schools are nontoxic so that a
child who might swallow some won’t be poisoned.
• The story about the aliens was supposed to be nonfiction, but it
sounded made-up to me.
The word part non- means
A. condition.
B. not.
C. overly.
If the children won’t be poisoned, the
paints must not be toxic. The story
about aliens was supposed not to be
fiction.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
8 path, -pathy
• When Ricardo’s marriage fell apart, Ben’s reaction was very
empathic because he had also been rejected by a loved one.
• Felicia and her mother claim to have powers of telepathy. They
say that they know each other’s feelings and thoughts without
being told.
The word part path or -pathy
means
A. feeling.
B. hearing.
C. the opposite.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
8 path, -pathy
• When Ricardo’s marriage fell apart, Ben’s reaction was very
empathic because he had also been rejected by a loved one.
• Felicia and her mother claim to have powers of telepathy. They
say that they know each other’s feelings and thoughts without
being told.
The word part path or -pathy
means
A. feeling.
B. hearing.
C. the opposite.
Because Ben understood what Ricardo was going through, his reaction
to Ricardo’s failed marriage would show much feeling. In the second
item, the word feelings tells you that -pathy means “feeling.”
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
9 pend
• The children’s swing is an old tire that’s suspended from a
strong oak branch.
• I can’t sit and watch the swinging pendulum of a grandfather
clock without starting to feel sleepy.
The word part pend means
A. suffering.
B. to listen.
C. to hang.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
9 pend
• The children’s swing is an old tire that’s suspended from a
strong oak branch.
• I can’t sit and watch the swinging pendulum of a grandfather
clock without starting to feel sleepy.
The word part pend means
A. suffering.
B. to listen.
C. to hang.
The tire would be hung from the branch to make a swing. In a
grandfather clock, the pendulum hangs down below the face of
the clock.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
10 quart, quadr• Let’s cut the apple into quarters so all four of us can share it.
• The ad said I would quadruple my money in two months. But
instead of making four times as much money, I lost what I had
invested.
The word part quart or quadrmeans
A. overly.
B. two.
C. four.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
10 quart, quadr• Let’s cut the apple into quarters so all four of us can share it.
• The ad said I would quadruple my money in two months. But
instead of making four times as much money, I lost what I had
invested.
The word part quart or quadrmeans
A. overly.
B. two.
C. four.
In the first item, the word four tells you that
to divide something into quarters is to divide
it into four parts. In the second item, the
words four times tell you that quadruple
means “multiply by four.”
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
1. Chen loves playing the piano, especially when he has
a(n) ( . . . ence) ___ listening to him.
2. It’s hard for me to be (sym . . . etic) ___ when my
sister complains, because she causes so many of
her problems herself.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
1. Chen loves playing the piano, especially when he has
an __________
audience listening to him.
If he plays the piano, people would hear the sound. Listening is a clue.
2. It’s hard for me to be ____________
sympathetic when my
sister complains, because she causes so many of
her problems herself.
If the sister causes so many of her own problems, it would be hard
to have any feeling for her difficulties.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
3. Because of therapy, Grace is a well-adjusted adult, but
her (child . . . ) ___ years were troubled and unhappy.
4. When I lost one of my diamond earrings, I had the other one
made into a(n) ( . . . ant) ___ to hang around my neck.
5. The children’s odd ( . . . et) ___ consisted of a toy-drum
player, a building-block clapper, a piano player, and a bell
ringer.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
3. Because of therapy, Grace is a well-adjusted adult, but
her ____________
childhood years were troubled and unhappy.
In contrast with her situation as an adult, Grace was unhappy when
she was in the state of being a child.
4. When I lost one of my diamond earrings, I had the other one
made into a ___________
to hang around my neck.
pendant
The words to hang tell you the meaning of pendant.
5. The children’s odd ___________
quartet consisted of a toy-drum
player, a building-block clapper, a piano player, and a bell
ringer.
The quartet consisted of four musicians.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
6. We were told to bring only necessary equipment on
our camping trip, so I was surprised to see how much
( . . . essential) ___ gear others brought.
7. Mrs. Baker said she and her husband had been
(happi . . . ) ___ married for forty-seven years. But
Mr. Baker, correcting her, said 1977 wasn’t so great.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
6. We were told to bring only necessary equipment on
our camping trip, so I was surprised to see how much
____________
nonessential gear others brought.
Necessary equipment is contrasted equipment that is not essential.
7. Mrs. Baker said she and her husband had been
_____________
married for forty-seven years. But
happily
Mr. Baker, correcting her, said 1977 wasn’t so great.
Mrs. Baker and her husband have been married in a happy manner
for forty-seven years.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
8. One of the most difficult vehicles to ride is also one of the
simplest: a (uni . . . e) ___, a vehicle with only one wheel.
9. The supervisor said that workers would be evaluated
( . . . ually) ___ for possible promotions. So if they don’t
get a promotion one year, they might get one the next.
10. My grandmother has ( . . . tension) ___, which is
abnormally high blood pressure.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. ann
B. audi, audio
C. cycl, cyclo-
D. -hood
E. hyper-
F. -ly
G. non-
H. path, -pathy
I. pend
J. quart, quadr-
8. One of the most difficult vehicles to ride is also one of the
simplest: a ____________,
a vehicle with only one wheel.
unicycle
The word wheel tells you that cycl means “circle.”
9. The supervisor said that workers would be evaluated
____________
for possible promotions. So if they don’t
annually
get a promotion one year, they might get one the next.
The word year tells you that annually means “yearly.”
10. My grandmother has ______________,
which is
hypertension
abnormally high blood pressure.
The words abnormally high tell you that hyper- means “more
than normal.”