Grade 9 · English Language Arts · Unit 1 of 10
Word Detective
Roots, prefixes and meaning in context
What your child practises
Using prefixes, suffixes and Latin and Greek bases to work out new words, choosing a meaning from the sentence around a word, and subject words like product, mass and scale.
Ontario Curriculum expectation: B2.1, B2.2 · word parts (bases, prefixes and suffixes) and vocabulary in context and in other subjects
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
What does the base port mean in transport and export?
- write
- see
- carry
- say
Show answer
carry
Hint: To transport is to carry across; to export is to carry out.
Question 2
Choose the best meaning of scarce. “Fresh water was scarce in the dry valley.”
- everywhere
- hard to find
- unsafe
- cold
Show answer
hard to find
Hint: A dry valley would have very little fresh water.
Question 3
Choose the best meaning of reluctant. “He was reluctant to jump, and kept stepping back from the edge.”
- unwilling
- skilful
- eager
- tired
Show answer
unwilling
Hint: Stepping back shows he did not want to do it.
Question 4
What does unbreakable mean? (un- + break + -able)
- able to be broken again
- full of breaks
- not able to be broken
- someone who breaks
Show answer
not able to be broken
Hint: Un- means not, and -able means able to be.
Question 5
What is the base word in unhelpfulness?
- help
- helpful
- ness
- unhelp
Show answer
help
Hint: Remove the prefix un- and the suffixes -ful and -ness.
Question 6
Choose the best meaning of ambiguous. “His directions were ambiguous, so we could not tell which road to take.”
- very detailed
- unclear or open to more than one meaning
- friendly
- loud
Show answer
unclear or open to more than one meaning
Hint: If you cannot tell which road, the directions were not clear.