Word Parts: Root Words and Affixes

The Power of Roots and
Affixes

​Unlocking Vocabulary

Welcome to a lesson on how to grow your vocabulary!
We'll be exploring the fascinating world of root words and affixes and how they can help you understand and use new words.

​Words are Everywhere!

There are over 170,000 words in the English dictionary.

Many English words come from other languages like Latin, French, German, and Greek.

• 60% of English words come from Greek and Latin

• 90% of academic vocabulary comes from these languages.

Multiple Choice

Most English words come from _______, _______, _______ and ________.

• Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Japanese

• Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai

• Latin, French, German, and Greek

• Arabic, Hebrew, Swahili, and Hindi

Word Parts

What are Root Words and Affixes?

Root: The core of a word, to which affixes are attached.

Affix: A word part that is attached to a root.

Prefix: A word part attached before the root.

Suffix: A word part attached after the root.

​Root: The core of a word, to which affixes are attached.

The root word carries the primary meaning of the word.

Example: The root "scrib/scribe" means "to write."
scribble
script
subscribe
prescription

​Affix: A word part that is attached to a root

Affixes change the meaning of the root word.

Example: In the word "unbreakable," "un-" and "-able" are affixes.

prescribe - verb
prescription - noun
prescribable - adjective

​Prefix: A word part attached before the root

Example: In the word "rebuild," "re-" is a prefix that means "again," which is added to the root word "build" meaning to build again.

Common prefixes include
anti- which means "against" as in "antibiotic"
pre- which means before
de- which means "opposite" as in "devalue".

​Suffix: A word part attached after the root

Example: In the word "teacher," "-er" is a suffix that means "one who," which is added to the root word "teach".
-er changes the verb teach into a noun
Common suffixes include
-ful which means "full of" as in "beautiful"
-less which means "without" as in "helpless".
Both suffixes turn the root words into adjectives.

Drag and Drop

un​

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​ break​

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able​

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Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

prefix

root

suffix

affix

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in​

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cred​

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ible​

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prefix

root

suffix

affix

​Suffixes change the function of words

Suffixes are word endings that change a word’s function in a sentence.
The function of a word refers to its role in a sentence, such as a
noun (person, place, or thing),
verb (action),
adjective (describes),
adverb (modifies verbs or adjectives).

Watch this brief explanation on how suffixes change the function of words in a sentence.

Drag and Drop

An inflectional suffix changes the​

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function of a word while a derivational suffix changes the ​

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of the word.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

grammatical

part of speech

origin

Root Words
Identify common roots words by making inferences.

Multiple Choice

hydrate, hydrant, dehydrate, hydroplane

Infer the meaning of the Greek root word -hydr-.

• fire

• air

• earth

• water

Multiple Choice

astronomy, astronaut, asteroid, asterisk, astrophysics

Make an inference on the meaning of the Greek roots ast/aster/astro.

• star

• heat

• geography

• sky

Multiple Choice

thermometer, thermal, thermostat, thermos

Make an inference on the meaning of the Greek root therm.

• cold

• wet

• heat

• frigid

Multiple Choice

morph, metamorphosis, amorphous, Morpheus

Make an inference on the meaning of the Greek root morph.

• parts

• power

• rock

• shape

Multiple Choice

judgment, prejudice, injustice, misjudge, judicial

Make an inference on the meaning of the Latin root jud/jus.

• strength

• bright

• judge

• change

Prefixes
Sort the given prefixes into categories based on whether they have a positive, negative, or neutral meaning.

Categorize

Options (11)

anti-: against

dis-: not, opposite of

in-, im-, ir-: not

un-: not, opposite of

super- : above

bene- : good

mid- : middle

inter- : between, among

semi- : half, partly, not fully

auto- : self

fore- : in front

Organize these prefixes into the following categories.

Positive

Neutral

Negative

Suffixes
Complete the sentences by selecting the correct suffixes

Dropdown

Change "impress" into the correct adjective!

The student's work was so impress___!​

Select answer

Dropdown

Change "kind" into the correct word part!

She showed great kind___ in helping others.

Select answer

Dropdown

Change "help" into the correct word part!

His fear of heights was quite help___ during the hike.

Select answer

Dropdown

Change "danger" into the correct word part!

They discovered the danger___ risks of hiking without proper gear yesterday.

Select answer

Building New Words
Create a words from given word parts and then define your new word. You can create familiar words, or make up your own, like word Legos!

Open Ended

Lego Words: Build Your Vocabulary!

Choose a prefix, grab a root word, and add a suffix to create your new word. For example, “un-” + “happy” + “-ness” = unhappiness.

Next, write a fun definition for your creation and share it with the class!

Aim to create two to three words and definitions