Vocabulary
Root words: find the part that carries meaning
When you meet a long word, you do not always need to learn every letter as a new item. A familiar part inside it can give you a useful clue.
Use a familiar root, prefix, or suffix to make a careful first guess about an unfamiliar English word.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
root word /ˈruːt wɜːd/
The short answer
A root word is the part of a word that carries its main meaning. Prefixes and suffixes can change that meaning or change the word's job in a sentence.
The prefix un- changes happy to unhappy.
Why it works: Happy gives the main idea. Un- adds the idea of not having that feeling.
3 more examples
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Please rewrite the final paragraph before you send the email.
Write is the familiar root. The prefix re- suggests doing the action again.
Not this:Please
writethe final paragraph before you send the email. What changes: Without re-, the sentence asks for the action once. Rewrite asks for it again. -
Her helpful directions made the station easy to find.
Help is the root. The suffix -ful describes something that gives help or is full of help.
Not this:Her
helplessdirections made the station easy to find. What changes: Helpless means unable to help. It does not fit directions that make a place easy to find. -
The team discussed the improvement after the meeting.
Improve is the root. The suffix -ment makes a noun for the change or result.
Not this:The team discussed
the improveafter the meeting. What changes: Improve is usually a verb. Improvement is the noun needed after the.
Read the full guide
Start with a word you already know. In kindness, kind is the familiar part. The ending -ness turns the quality of being kind into a noun. This method gives you a clue, but you should still check a dictionary when the exact meaning matters.
Find the familiar part first
A root gives a word its central idea. Start with a word you know. In unhappy, happy gives the main idea. The beginning un- changes it.
The child felt unhappy after losing the game.
Happy describes a good feeling. Unhappy describes the absence of that feeling.
Notice prefixes before the root
A prefix is placed before a root. Re- often means again. Un- often means not or the opposite. Dis- can show the opposite of an action or state. The exact meaning depends on the whole word.
I need to reread the instructions before I begin.
They disagreed about the best route home.
What does re- add to reread?
It adds the idea of reading again.
Notice suffixes after the root
A suffix is placed after a root. It can change the word class. The suffix -er often makes a noun for a person or thing that does an action. The suffix -ness often makes a noun for a quality.
The runner crossed the line first.
Her kindness made the new student feel welcome.
Run is an action. Runner is a person who runs. Kind is an adjective. Kindness is the quality of being kind.
Learn words as a family
Words from the same family share a root or base. Learning the family helps you choose the form a sentence needs. You may know help, helpful, helpless, and helpfully.
The guide explained the map helpfully.
Which word form describes how someone spoke in spoke helpfully?
Helpfully fits because it describes how someone spoke.
Make a careful guess
Break a new word into parts, then read the whole sentence. In disagreement, you may see agree and dis-. The sentence tells you whether the word means a difference of opinion or something else.
Their disagreement lasted until they looked at the timetable together.
A word part can point you in a useful direction. Context and a dictionary confirm the exact meaning.
You see an unfamiliar word with re- at the beginning. What should you do next?
Look for the root and read the whole sentence. Re- may suggest again, but the context checks the guess.
Before you go
Remember this
Find the part you know, then check any prefix or suffix around it. Use that pattern and the sentence to make a careful guess. A word family can help you learn related nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs together.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Root words: find the part that carries meaning"
What is a root word?
A root word is the part that carries a word's main meaning. In helpful, help is the familiar root. Other parts can be added before or after it.
Please rewrite the final paragraph before you send the email.
What is the difference between a root, a prefix, and a suffix?
A root carries the central meaning. A prefix comes before it, as in rewrite. A suffix comes after it, as in kindness. Prefixes and suffixes can change meaning or word class.
Please write the final paragraph before you send the email.
Does re- always mean again?
Re- often suggests doing something again, as in reread or rewrite. Read the whole word and sentence because word parts do not give every word exactly the same meaning.
Her helpful directions made the station easy to find.
How can word families help me learn vocabulary?
A word family connects related forms such as help, helpful, helpless, and helpfully. Learning them together can help you choose a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.
Her helpless directions made the station easy to find.
Can I guess every new word from its parts?
No. Word parts give a useful first clue, but they do not always give the exact meaning. Use the sentence and a reliable dictionary to check your guess.
The team discussed the improvement after the meeting.
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