VOCABULARY LESSON 22
SUFFIXES – PHILIA and PHOBIA
WORD LIST
acrophobia
bibliophile
agoraphobia
claustrophobia
ailurophobia
hydrophobia
Anglophile
xenophobia
audiophile
zoophobia
The Greek suffixes – philia and phobia are opposites. The suffix, philia (sometimes
spelled phile or phil) indicates a love of something. In contrast, phobia is an intense
hatred or unreasonable fear. The words in this lesson express both of these strong but
opposite feelings.
1. acrophobia – fear of high places
 Brett’s acrophobia prevented him from riding in airplanes.
2. agoraphobia – fear of open or public places
 Brittany suffers from agoraphobia and refuses to go to the mall with her
friends.
3. ailurophobia –fear of cats
 Ken will not go near the lions and tigers at the zoo because he is
ailurophobic.
4. Anglophile – one who loves England
 Although she was an American citizen, the Anglophile still spoke with an
English accent.
5. audiophile – one who loves sound
 The audiophile searched Best Buy for hours looking for the best sounding
speakers.
6. bibliophile – one who loves books
 The bibliophile had a collection of classic novels.
7. claustrophobia – fear of small places
 While driving through the tunnel, I found myself claustrophobic.
8. hydrophobia – fear of water
 Wild water rafting was out of the question for the hydrophobic.
9. xenophobia – fear of foreign people or places
 After the terrorist attack many people became xenophobic.
10. zoophobia – fear of animals
 Karen’s zoophobia prevented her from getting a job at Petsmart.
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE
Write the letter of the word that best completes each sentence.
___1. Allyson won’t go to water parks in the summer because she suffers
from_____.
a. ailurophobia
b. hydrophobia
c. audiophobia
d. zoophobia
___2. Mrs. Gil, a(n) _____,introduces Log students to new books each year.
a. bibliophile
b. audiophile
c. xenophobic
d. acrophobic
___3. Sara collected pictures of Queen Elizabeth; she was clearly (n)_____.
a. Anglophile
b. agoraphobic
c. hydrophobic
d. audiophile
___4. My cousin, the_____, was afraid that my cat would scratch her.
a. bibliophile
b. xenophobic
c. audiophile
d. ailurophobic
___5. My husband is a(n)_____and he refuses to fix the roof.
a. ailurophobic
b. zoophobic
c. acrophobic
d. bibliophile
___6. If you suffer from_____you probably would not travel overseas.
a. claustrophobia
b. xenophobia
c. agoraphobia
d. zoophobia
___7. _____love to research different amplifiers to put into his movie room.
a. hydrophobics
b. Anglophiles c. audiophiles
d. agoraphobics
___8. Elevators make me nervous, for I am_____.
a. zoophobic
b. hydrophobic
c.xenophobic
d. claustrophobic
___9. Janet was not sure she was going to attend the track meet because she
was_____.
a. xenophobic
b. hydrophobic
c. zoophobic
d. agoraphobic
___10. Stephanie’s_____prevents her from owning a pet.
a. zoophobia
b. acrophobia
c. agoraphobia
d. claustrophobia
WRITE THE CORRECT WORD
____________1. Love of the English
____________2. Love of books
____________3. Fear of open places
____________4. A person who loves sound
____________5. Fear of closed spaces
____________6. Fear of water
____________7. Fear of animals
____________8. Fear of cats
____________9. Fear of high places
____________10. Fear of foreign people or places
FIND THE EXAMPLE
Choose the answer that best describes the action or situation.
_____1. An acrophobic would probably feel comfortable
a. on a high bridge
b. in the basement
c. living quietly
_____2. A bibliophile would probably enjoy
a. a bookstore
b. flowers
c. boating
_____3. Something likely to be on an audiophile’s Christmas list
a. a video game
b. headphones
c. a scarf
_____4. Something a hydrophobic would avoid
a. a roller coaster
b. sailing
c. a vacation
_____5. If you were an ailurophobic you would probably not go to
a. school
b. the dentist
c. a pet shelter
_____6. If you are zoophobic you would probably not choose this profession
a. plumber
b. animal trainer
c. teacher
____7. I experienced claustrophobia when I
a. went to Disney World
b. water the plants
fitting room
_____8. An Anglophile would be happiest
a. In the United States
b. in Jamaica
c. tried on clothes in a
c. in England