Vocabulary: Word Formation & Morphology (B2) - Lesson 4: Understanding Common Greek & Latin Roots

Lesson 4: Understanding Common Greek & Latin Roots The Secret Code of English Words Have you ever seen a long, difficult English word and felt intimidated? Many of these big words are actually built from smaller, ancient pieces from the Greek and Latin languages. These pieces are called " root words ". Learning a few common roots is like learning a secret code. It allows you to unlock the meaning of hundreds of English words, even if you have never seen them before! What are Root Words? A root word is the most basic part of a word that contains its core meaning. Prefixes and suffixes are added to this root to change the word. Many English roots come from ancient languages. Common Greek & Latin Roots Root Meaning Example Words & Simple Definitions port (Latin) 'to carry' port able (can be carried ), trans port (to carry across), im port (to carry in) spect (Latin) 'to look' in spect (to look into), retro spect (to look back), spect ator (a person who looks at an event) di…