Many English words come from Greek and Latin root words. Root words hold the most basic meaning of a word. You just practiced finding words with the roots act and spec in the article “Could These Lights Be Aliens?” Now it’s time to figure out what some other root words mean.
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Find the Root
Instructions: As you read each passage below, note the underlined root word used throughout. Then try to guess its meaning.
1.
Last winter, my brother and I decided to try cross-country skiing. Our mom was worried because our outdoor thermometer said it was only 16 degrees. She said we might get hypothermia if we didn’t dress warmly enough. She made us wear plenty of layers, including thermal undershirts. She also made hot chocolate for us and put it in a thermos so it would stay warm. And when we got home, she turned the thermostat up to almost 80 degrees to warm us up!
Words that have the root word therm have to do with ______.
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B. Words using the root therm have to do with heat or temperature. For example, the prefix hypo- means “below normal,” so a person with hypothermia has a lower-than-normal body temperature
2
I’m sorry I didn’t do my homework! But I had a good reason: I couldn’t find a quiet place to do it. My sister is in a jazz band, and she was practicing the saxophone in the living room. My mom was playing a recording of a symphony in the kitchen while she cooked because she loves classical music. My dad was walking around the house, talking on the phone. My brother was shouting into a microphone as he played a video game. I finally went outside onto the porch, and a car went by with some guy shouting through a megaphone. So you see, it wasn’t my fault!
Words that have the root word phon have to do with ______.
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C. Words using the root phon have to do with sound. (Ever heard of a phonograph? People played music on those before there were CD players or even tape players.)
3
My ELA assignment was to interview an older relative, and I chose my great-grandmother. She’s 99 years old, so a year from now she will have lived a whole century! When the United States had its bicentennial in 1976, she was already an adult with kids. She spent 50 years (about 50 percent of her life) working as a math teacher, and she can still tell you how many centimeters are in 22 inches and stuff like that. I asked her if she’s afraid of anything, and she said centipedes give her the creeps because they have about 100 legs.
Words that have the root word cent have to do with ______.
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D. Words using the root word cent have to do with the number 100. For example, a dollar is worth 100 cents.
4.
My uncle Jay is part of a construction crew. They build houses, school buildings, and other structures. Right now, they’re rebuilding part of a museum that was damaged by a very destructive storm. The storm caused structural damage to the building, but it can be fixed. Once the broken parts of the building are reconstructed, my class is going to take a trip there.
Words that have the root word struct have to do with ______.
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A. Words using the root struct have to do with building things. To construct something is to build it.
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