Many English words are built from Greek and Latin roots. Each root has a meaning. Tele means far, graph means write, port means carry, aud means hear and vis means see.
When you know the root, you can work out new words. A telescope helps you see far. Transport means to carry across. An audience is a group that hears a performance.
Look for the root inside the word, then use the context of the sentence to check your idea.
Worked example
The root “aud” means hear. What might “inaudible” mean?
- In- means not, aud means hear, -ible means able to be.
- Put it together: not able to be heard.
Answer:too quiet to be heard
Key words
- root
- the core part of a word that carries meaning
- Greek and Latin
- old languages that gave English many words
- word family
- words that share a root
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: L.4.4b