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8th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 3 of 16

Word Study

Roots, affixes and connotation

What your child practices

Using prefixes, suffixes and Greek and Latin roots to work out unfamiliar words, reading context clues, and noticing how word choice changes feeling.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 8L4; 8L5 · roots, affixes and connotation

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Prefixes go at the start (re-, dis-, mis-). Suffixes go at the end (-ful, -able).
  2. Greek and Latin roots carry meaning: graph (write), auto (self), bio (life).
  3. Words with similar meanings can have different connotations: slim sounds kinder than skinny.

Example: The root “graph” means write and “auto” means self. What does “autograph” mean? Put the parts together: self + write. Something you write yourself is your signature. Answer: A person’s own signature

Word Study in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 3 of 16 in 8th grade English Language Arts, after Literary Devices and before Irony, Satire & Allusion.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    The Latin root “aqua” means “water.” What does “aquarium” most likely mean?

    • A kind of flower
    • A type of desert
    • A place to keep water animals
    • A tall building

  2. Question 2

    Which word has a more negative connotation than “curious”?

    • eager
    • interested
    • nosy
    • inquisitive

  3. Question 3

    Prefix or suffix? Sort each word part.

    Sort into: ⏮️ Prefix · ⏭️ Suffix

    • ❌mis- (wrongly)
    • 📦-ment (result of)
    • ↔️dis- (opposite of)
    • 🔁re- (again)
    • 💛-ness (state of)
    • 🚫un- (not)
    • ✅-able (can be)
    • 🧺-ful (full of)

  4. Question 4

    What does “synonym” mean?

    • A word with a similar meaning
    • A word that rhymes
    • A word with the opposite meaning
    • A word that sounds the same

  5. Question 5

    The prefix “re-” in “rebuild” means…

    • before
    • under
    • again
    • not

  6. Question 6

    The root “bio” means “life.” What is “biology”?

    • The study of stars
    • The study of rocks
    • The study of words
    • The study of living things

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