Vocabulary
The Key to Meaning
Reading and Study Skills
By TSIM Kam Wan
Objectives:
 Expand
your vocabulary
 Aid in reading comprehension
 Improves both your ability to learn
and your ability to recall
information.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
General Approaches to
Vocabulary Expansion
Read Widely
Use Words You Already Know
Look for Five-Dollar Words to Replace
One-Dollar Words
 The movie was very good.”
 The movie was thrilling and
inspiring.”
Build Your Word Awareness
Consider Working with a Vocabulary
Improvement Program
Using Reference Sources
Dictionary, Thesaurus, Subject
Area Dictionaries
Pronouncing Unfamiliar Words
Drawing Semantic Map
Vocabulary Expansion Skills –
Building Word Awareness

Part 1 - Context Clues
 Part 2 - Word Formation
Clues: - Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes
Part 1
Building Word Awareness

Context Clues
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Definition
Synonyms
Restatement
Contrast
Explanation
Examples
Inference
Context Clues
What is Context?
“Phobias, such as fear of heights, water,
or confined spaces are difficult to
eliminate.”
How could you determine that phobia
meant “fear of specific objects or
situations” if you couldn’t use a
dictionary or ask someone the definition?
You would use the words surrounding the
unknown word to help determine the
unknown word’s meaning.
Context Clues 1: Definition
The unknown word is defined immediately
following its use by using a brief definition,
synonym,
or
restatement
using
punctuation--commas,
parentheses or
dashes. Notice with a straight definition the
use of a “be” verb to show that the two
ideas are the same.
 A chemical
bond is a strong force that holds
two or more atoms together.
 A dialect is a form of speech from a specific
region.
Context Clues 2 -Synonyms
A writer using a difficult word will
often choose a more familiar word or
words with the same meaning to make
the difficult word understandable.
Ballet students appear so lithe; they
are so limber and flexible.
 The cataract was spectacular; the
steep waterfall dropped abruptly
eighty feet.

Context Clues 3 - Restatement
Close to a synonym, a restatement
differs in that a difficult word is
usually restated in a simpler form—
usually set of by commas.
 The
poetry was sublime, lofty and
moving, and brought tears to my eyes.
 The village was depopulated, most of
the residents dead or moved, but the
livestock remained untouched.
Context Clues 4: Contrast
Sometimes writers use a contrast to
clarify a word’s meaning, and an
antonym, a word of opposite meaning
(notice the restatement?)
Often,
contrast clue words such as but,
however, or in contrast to are used.
These are contrast signal words.
 The
gentleman was portly, but his wife
was thin.
 The
mayoral candidate praised the town
council,but the mayor deprecated it.
Context Clues 5: Explanation
An explanation is close to a definition. As an aid
to the reader, the difficult word is explained,
usually in simpler words, to make the meaning
clearer. The explanation is generally longer than a
definition and is usually found in one of more
different sentences.
 The
chrome is beginning to corrode. It shows
signs of pitting and of being eaten away gradually.
 It was a martial parade: signs of the military were
everywhere. Everyone was in uniform; guns,
cannon and tanks were on display, and jets flew
overhead.
 The puppy was a complete bother and an
annoyance to all the neighbors. It was a continual
Context Clues 6: Example
Writers may include examples that the
reader may know to help explain a new and
unfamiliar concept or term. A major section
or the entire passage may be used.
Pay attention to signal words—such as, for
example, for instance, to illustrate,
specifically
 Legumes,
such as peas and beans, produce
pods.
 Forest floors are frequently covered with
fungi-molds, mushrooms, and mildews
Context Clues 7: Inference
Some writers help you figure out unfamiliar
words by having you use reasoning and
prior knowledge. Your experiences provide
common-sense clues to the meaning of a
word. This context clue is often a little
harder to spot.
 Since
Reginald was nervous, he brought his
rabbit foot talisman with him to the exam.
 His alibi was upheld when John’s friends
offered personal testimony, letters of
documentation, and three videotapes
showing that he was present at the party.
Limitations of Context Clues
1.
2.
3.
Context clues only give the immediate
definition for that particular context.
Context clues seldom lead to a precise,
complete definition.
Sometimes the passage will not contain
clues to the meaning of the unfamiliar
word.
Part 2 –
Building Word Awareness
Word Parts

Words Parts
Prefixes
Roots
Suffixes
How many English words do we have?
 An
excess of 200,000 words..
 Paper-back dictionaries are around
30,000 - 40,000 words
 Pocket dictionaries often include around
10,000 to 20,000 words.
 A recent children's dictionary had 5,000.
 A vocabulary of
around 60,000 words is
considered PHD graduate material, so for
most people, something around 50,000
words should be more than plenty.
Why do we need to learn Word Parts?
Many students build their
vocabularies word by word. If they
study 20 words, they can recall 20
new words.
However, by learning the meaning of
the parts that make up a word, you
will be able to figure out the
meanings of many more words.
Kinds of Words
In English there are two kinds of words:
1.
Words that can stand alone: the words in
this group can stand alone as a complete word.
For example:
Phone ,Sharp, Green, Ship, Run, Walk,, Live,
Die, Tell, Can, See, Read,Sleep, Ship, Chair
2. Words that can’t stand alone: The words in
this group can’t stand alone as a complete word.
It must be combined with prefixes, suffixes, or
other roots (stem or base).
For example
Stem
Meaning Examples
Vis
see
vision, visible
Ject
throw
project, reject
Dent
teeth
dentist, denta
Formation of Words
Many English words are made up of
three parts: a root (base or stem), a
prefix, and a suffix. It can be formed in
three ways:
1. prefix + root e.g: re + place = replace
2. root + suffix e.g: break + able =
breakable
3. prefix + root + suffix
e.g: un+break+able =unbreakable
Roots
 Roots
carry the basic or core
meaning of a word.
 Hundreds of root words are used to
build words in the English language.
Common Roots
Aud/audit Bene
(to hear) (good,
well)
Path
Port
(feeling) (carry)
Corp
(body)
Mort/mor
(die,death)
Sen/sent
(feel)
Spec/spic
(look, see)
Terr/terre Ven/vent Vis/vid
(land)
(come)
(see)
Voc
(call)
Prefixes
 Appear at
the beginnings of many
English words
 Alter the meaning of the root to
which they are attached
Root = placed (to put)
Prefix = mis (wrongly)
Misplaced = put in the wrong place
1. The prefix that have negative
meanings
DisIlImInIrMisNonUn-
obey = disobey
legal = illegal
polite = impolite
active = inactive
regular = irregular
lead
= mislead
stop
= nonstop
equal = unequal
2. The prefixes meaning too much, too
little , more than, under, lower, etc.

Out-
more than Faster than

number outnumber
 Over- too much confident overconfident
 Sub- under
way
subway
 Super- more than natural
supernatural
 Trans- across
ship
transship
 Under- too little
estimate underestimate
3. The prefixes meaning before, after,
again, together, former and against:

Anti- against,
 Cotogether
 Contra- against,
 Exformer
 Post- after
 Prebefore
 Reagain
war
education
conception
president
war
test
arrange
antiwar
co-education
contraception
ex-president
postwar
pretest
rearrange
4. The prefixes meaning
numbers









Multi, poly = many
mono=one
Bi=two
Tri=three
quart=four
penta=five
Hexa=six
sexta=seven
octa=eight
5. Other common prefixes with
various meanings
Prefix Meaning










Example
Ante- before, preceding antechamber, antedate
Anti- against
anti-goverment, antiwar
Circum- around
circumnavigate
Cotogether, joint
coauthor, coeducation
Contra- against
contradict
Exformer
ex-president, ex-member
Exout of expel,
export
Inin, into
indoors, inborn
Inter- between
international
Intra- within
intrastate, intradepartmental
5. Other common prefixes with
various meanings








Prefix Meaning
Poly- many
Post- after, later
Pre- before, earlier
Pro- favor of
Re- again
Sub- under, below
Super- over, above
Example
polysyllable, polyglot
postwar, postgraduate
prewar, prehistory
pro-war,
readmit, refund, rewrite
subway, subhuman
superhuman, superman,
supernatural
Trans- through, across
transatlantic,
transcontinental
Suffixes
 Suffixes
are word endings that often change
the part of speech of a word.
 Expand your vocabulary by learning the
variations in meaning that occur when
suffixes are added to words you already
know.
For Example:
 Class
 -ify
Classify
 -ification
Classification
 -ic
Classic
Common Suffixes
 One Who
(noun)
 -er, -or (teacher)
 -ee (referee)
 -ist (activist)
 State,
Condition,
Quality (adjectives)
 -able, -ible
(touchable)
 -ive (permissive)
 -ish (foolish)
 Pertaining
to or
Referring to (noun)
 -ship (friendship)
 -hood (brotherhood)
 (adverb)
 -ward (homeward)
 State,
Condition,
Quality (noun)
 -ance (assistance)
 -ation
(confrontation)
 -ment (amazement)
Prefixes and Suffixes with specific meaning
Prefix or
Suffix
Meaning
aabadaeroalveus
arthronatriumautobacteriobibio-
Without
away from
near
air
cavity
joint
entrance room
self
bacteria
two
life
Prefix or
Suffix
carnis-,carnchelechlorochroma-cide
concytis-cyte, cyto-
Meaning
meat
claw
green
color
killer of
with
pouch
cell
Prefixes and Suffixes with specific meanings
Prefix or
Meaning Prefix or Meaning
Suffix
Suffix
dermis-,
dermdiectoendoepieuexofetogastro-gen
geogymno-
skin
two
on the
outside
inner, inside
upon
true
outside of
fetus
stomach
producing
earth
naked
halohematohemiherbheterohistohomohydrohyperhypointerintraiso-
salt
blood
half
plant
other
tissue
same, like
water
over
under
between
within
equal
Prefixes and Suffixes with specific meanings
Prefix or
Suffix
-itis
karyoleucolocus
-logy
lysis
macromaxilla
mensis
mesosmetamicromono-
Meaning
Prefix or
Suffix
infection
multinucleus
mutwhite
mycoplace
necostudy of
neurto loosen, break nomenlarge
nigajaw
oculomonth
oligomiddle
-oma
between
omnismall
oo, ovum
one
osteo-
Meaning
many
to change
fungi
corpse
nerve
name
black
eye
few
tumor
all
egg
bone
Prefixes and suffixes with specific meanings
Prefix or
Suffix
paleoped, pod
peripestis
phaeophage-phore
photo-phyll
-phyte, phytopinoplanktopolypseudoprimordispro-
Meaning
old
foot
around
plague
brown
to eat
bearer
light
leaf
plant
to drink
drifting
many
false
original
first
Prefix or
Suffix
renesreptilisrhiza, rhizorodere
sacchrum
sapros-scopy
somasonusspermaspirare
-stasis
taxis
telothallus
Meaning
kidney
crawling
root
to gnaw
sugar
rotten
observation
body
sound
seed
breathe
position
arrangement
end
green shoot
How to Use Word Parts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Look for the root (a word inside a larger
word). Example: non/adapt/able
If you do not recognize the root, then you
will probably not be able to figure out the
word.
If you did recognize the root word, look for
the prefix. Example: non/adapt/able
Locate the suffix. Example:
non/adapt/able
Try out the meaning in the sentence in
which the word was used.
Nonadaptable = not able to change
The dodo became extinct because it was
nonadaptable.
Vocabulary Expansion Skills –
Building Word Awareness
Vocabulary
Noun
People/Thing
s
Verb
Adjective
(Suffixes)
Adverb
(Suffixes)
Noun
(Suffixes)
(Suffixes)
presenter
entertainer
depressor
impressor
strider
energizer
brooder
Actor
Reactor
relaxor
ranger
renter
absorber
lighter
humorist
speaker
audience/auditor
present
encounter
entertain
depress
impress
stride
appear
energize
roar
brood
act
react
relax
range
rent
absorb
lighten
humour
speak
Audit
consist
present, presentable
encountering,
entertaining
depressed
Impressed,
impressive
strident
presentably
encountably
entertainably
depressively
impressively
stridently
energetically
energetic, energizing
Roaring
brooding
active
Reactionary, reactive
Relaxed, relaxing
Rented
Absorbent. Absorptive,
lighten
humourous
speaking, speakable
audible
consistent
Broodingly
Actively
reactively
relaxingly
absorptively
lightly
humourously
speakably
Audibly
consistently
presentation
encounter
entertainment
depression
impression,
impressiveness
stride
appearance
energy
roar
brood
action
reaction, reactionary
relaxation
range, arrangement
rent, rental
absorption
light, lightening
humour, humorless
speaker
audibility
consistency
Vocabulary Expansion Skills –
Building Word Awareness
Vocabulary
Noun
People/
Things
(Suffixes)
Verb
satisfier
Satisfy
flasher
particulates
creator
Myth
Psychologist
enthusiast
individual
individualist
person
flash
particularize
create
intensifier
enthuse
Individualize,
individualuate
personify
personalize
intensify
Philosopher
logician
trustee
composer
philosophize
logicalize
trust
compose
Adjective
(Suffixes)
Adverb
(Suffixes)
Noun
(Suffixes)
satisfactory, satisfied,
satisfying
flashy, flash
particular
creative
mysterious
psychological
enthusiastic
individual
satisfyingly
satisfaction
particularly
creatively
mysteriously
psychologically
enthusiastically
Individually
flash
particularity, particular
creation, creativity
mystery,
psychology
enthusiasm
Individualism
personal
personally
personality
intensified, intensive
religious
philosophical
logical
true, truthful
composed
intensively
religiously
philosophically
logically
truly, truthfully
intensification
religion
philosophy
logic, logicality
truth, truthfulness
composition, composite
Vocabulary Expansion Skills
Use Words You Already Know
Vocabulary - Story-Making -Example 1
Philosophy (Noun) is to introduce students to the human
experience of questioning and seeking to understand the
meaning of our existence as persons. We will study the different
approaches to the basic questions of human existence and the
enduring issues of philosophy (Noun) offered by the classical,
Greek philosophers (Noun) Plato and Aristotle. We will learn
how these philosophers (Noun) deal with some central
philosophical (adjective) problems such as questions about the
nature of the human being. It will also address philosophically
(adverb) the relation of a human being to other human beings.
We aims to understand how the great men philosophize (verbinfinite) the nature and meaning of life.
Vocabulary Expansion Skills
Use Words You Already Know
Vocabulary - Story-Making-Example 2

Although Smile is a beginner in English, he is
enthusiastic (adjective) about it. He shows his strong
feeling of interest, enjoyment and determination in
learning it even though it is hard. It is because he's
enthused (verb-passive voice) by his new teacher and
his American girl friend. He starts reading books
and writing essay. He also joins the English corner
every Tuesday enthusiastically (adverb) without
stopping. I really think he is an English enthusiast.
(noun)
Websites for roots, prefixes & suffixes
 Links
to Special Educational Information
http://www.lexfiles.com/spec-links.html
 An Abundance
of Word Info about EnglishVocabulary Sources
http://www.logofiles.com/word-resources.html
 Tameri
Guide for Writers
http://www.tameri.com/edit/roots.html
 Latin
Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0907036.html