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 Latin1 languages. These pieces are called "root words2". 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 |
|---|---|---|
| port3 (Latin) | 'to carry' | portable (can be carried), transport (to carry across), import (to carry in) |
| spect4 (Latin) | 'to look' | inspect (to look into), retrospect (to look back), spectator (a person who looks at an event) |
| dict5 (Latin) | 'to say' or 'to speak' | dictate (to say words aloud), predict (to say what will happen before), contradict (to say the opposite) |
| graph6 (Greek) | 'to write' | photograph (writing with light), autograph (self-writing; your signature), biography (writing about a life) |
| phon (Greek) | 'sound' | telephone (sound from a distance), microphone (small sound amplifier), symphony (a harmony of sounds) |
Usage Note: Combining Roots with Affixes
The real power comes when you combine your knowledge of roots with your knowledge of prefixes and suffixes. Let's break down a big word: "contradiction"
- contra- (prefix): means 'against'
- dict (root): means 'to say' or 'speak'
- -ion (suffix): makes it a noun
So, a 'contradiction' is the *act of saying something against* another statement. Knowing the pieces helps you guess the meaning of the whole word!
In Conversation
Srey and Bora use their knowledge of morphology to understand a new word.
Bora: Srey, look at this word in my book: 'transportation'. It's so long!
Srey: Let's use our skills to understand it. I see the root word `port`, which means 'to carry'.
Bora: And I see the prefix `trans-`, which means 'across'.
Srey: Right! And the suffix `-ation` makes it a noun. So, 'transportation' is the act of carrying things across a distance. Like a bus or a train!
Bora: Wow! And 'import' must be 'to carry in' and 'export' is 'to carry out'.
Srey: Exactly! Learning one root like `port` helps you understand many words. It's like having a key to unlock vocabulary.
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. The Latin root 'spect' means ______.
- a) to carry
- b) to say
- c) to look
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) to look
2. If 'tele' means 'from a distance', what does 'telephone' literally mean?
- a) Sound from a distance
- b) Writing from a distance
- c) Looking from a distance
Click to see the answer
Answer: a) Sound from a distance
3. A 'biography' is the story of a person's life. What does the Greek root 'bio' most likely mean?
- a) book
- b) life
- c) writing
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) life
edit Your Mission
- My Root Words: Choose two roots from the lesson (e.g., `port` and `graph`). Write down one other word you know (or can find) that contains each root.
- Be a Detective: The root `aud` means 'to hear'. Look at these words: `audience`, `audible`, `auditorium`. Write down what you think each one means.
- Speak: Your mission is to use one word from this lesson in a conversation. (e.g., "I need to write my autograph." or "What do you predict will happen?")
book Lesson Glossary
- Latin (noun/adjective) - Khmer: ឡាតាំង - The language of ancient Rome, from which many English words come. ↩
- Root Word (noun phrase) - Khmer: ពាក្យដើម - The most basic part of a word that contains its core meaning. ↩
- port (root) - Khmer: (ផត) - A Latin root meaning 'to carry'. ↩
- spect (root) - Khmer: (ស្ពិក) - A Latin root meaning 'to look'. ↩
- dict (root) - Khmer: (ឌីក) - A Latin root meaning 'to say' or 'to speak'. ↩
- graph (root) - Khmer: (ហ្ក្រាហ្វ) - A Greek root meaning 'to write'. ↩