Vocabulary - Shades of Meaning, Prefixes & Suffixes

What is "shades of meaning"?

​Shades of meaning distinguishes the small, subtle differences between words. It is a group of synonyms, or similar words, that have varying degrees of strength.

For example, the adjectives “happy” and “ecstatic” both show an emotion, but one packs a bigger punch than the other. (Google)

Multiple Choice

What does "shades of meaning" mean?

• When words are similar but have weaker and stronger meanings

• When words are about colors

• When words do not mean the same thing

Multiple Choice

Which choice below shows the words in the correct order of intensity (weakest to strongest)?

• chilly, cold, freezing

• freezing, cold, chilly

• cold, freezing, chilly

Multiple Choice

Which choice below shows the words in the correct order of intensity (weakest to strongest)?

• thrilled, happy, ecstatic

• ecstatic, thrilled, happy

• happy, thrilled, ecstatic

Multiple Choice

Which choice below shows the words in the correct order of intensity (weakest to strongest)?

• eat, gobble, nibble

• gobble, nibble, eat

• nibble, eat, gobble

Multiple Choice

Which choice below shows the words in the correct order of intensity (weakest to strongest)?

• large, big, enormous

• big, large, enormous

• enormous, large, big

Multiple Choice

Which word below best completes this sentence?

During the moment of silence, John ______ to his friend when he asked him a question.

• spoke

• whispered

• responded

Multiple Choice

Read the sentence. Then replace the underlined word with the word with the strongest (most intense) meaning.

Max was worried that his poster might not win a prize.

• concerned

• bothered

• troubled

• alarmed

Multiple Choice

Read the sentence. Then replace the underlined word with the word with the strongest (most intense) meaning.

His little brother's hands were dirty!

• filthy

• muddy

• soiled

• stained

Multiple Choice

Which word below best completes this sentence?

I haven't eaten all day. My stomach is growling and I am _________.

• hungry

• full

• starving

• dying

Multiple Choice

Cage _______ in his dirty shirt into the laundry basket.

• tossed
•  hurled
• pitched
• flung

​What are prefixes?

​Prefixes are word parts added to the beginning of a word to adjust or CHANGE the meaning of that word.

Examples:
non - means "not or without"
nonfat means "without fat"
nonactive means "not active"

Multiple Choice

A prefix is a word part attached to:

• the beginning of a root word
• the middle of a root word
• the end of a root word
• the end of the alphabet

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of the word reappear?

• a magician
• without appearing
• to appear again
• to not come to school

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of the word nonsense?

• does not make sense
• something that makes sense
• a smart person
• a person who has a good sense of smell

Multiple Choice

Choose the word that contains a prefix.

• small
• ball
• misfit
• clean

Multiple Choice

What do you do if you reread a book? 

•  don't read it
•  read it again 
•  read it for the first time 

Multiple Choice

Fill in the blank with the correct prefix: They were arguing because of a ____________. (communication)

• Miscommunication
• Uncommunication
• Recommunication
• Precommunication

Multiple Choice

This means two:

• bi
• de
• trans
• across

Multiple Choice

The prefix over- means

• too much/above

• under

• far, distant

• reduce down.break apart

Multiple Choice

The prefix mis- means

• eight

• reduce down/break apart

• three

• bad, badly, or wrong

Multiple Choice

The prefix under- means

• too little/below

• too much/above

• before

• after

Multiple Choice

The prefix tri- means

• three

• two

• four

• eight

Multiple Choice

The prefix quad- means

• three

• four

• five

• six

Multiple Choice

Bob preheats his oven before he bakes a cake. What does preheat mean?

• to heat before

• to not heat

• to heat wrongly

Multiple Choice

Joan was spent the weekend napping on her couch. She was inactive. What does inactive mean?

• not active

• active again

• into activeness

What are suffixes?

​Suffixes are word parts added to the end of a root word to adjust or change its meaning.

Example:
-ist means "a person"
A florist is a person who works
with flowers.

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of the suffix -able?

• characterized by

• able or can do

• not or not able

• none of the above

Multiple Choice

Playing a trick on someone is not always laugh____.

• -est

• -able

• -er

• -y

Multiple Choice

What does the word hopeful mean?

• full of hope

• without hope

Multiple Choice

What does the word powerless mean?

• full of power

• without power

Multiple Choice

What does the suffix "-ness" mean?

• can be done

• state of

• full of

• present participle

Multiple Choice

Roller coasters can cause __________________ in many people

• dizzyment

• dizziness

• dizziful

• dizzy Lizdy

Multiple Choice

Which suffix is used in adverbs?

• -ment

• -tion

• -ly

• -ed

Multiple Choice

What does the word nicely mean?

• was done in a nice way

• was done in the nicest way

• will be nice in the future

Multiple Choice

The kangaroo hopped away!  The -ed in the word hopped tells us that the action occurred in the..

• future
• present
• past
• forest

Multiple Choice

What does the suffix -ing mean?

• something that is happening

• something that happened already

• the act or process of something

• more than one

Multiple Choice

What is the definition of -est

• Much

• Many

• The most

• More

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of the word biggest?

• more big
• without big
• full of big
• most big