Word Power 1
Word Power 1
Word Power 1
In putting up a building, the first thing you should do is build a strong foundation
to ensure that the building will be strong. Words, like buildings, are also made up of
parts. These parts are so structured or connected to each other to convey a definite
meaning.
This module will help you understand the structure of words better through the
following lessons:
Lesson 1 – Root Words
Lesson 2 – Prefixes
Lesson 3 – Suffixes
Lesson 4 – Compound Words
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Let’s See What You Already Know
Before you start studying this module, take this simple test first to find out what
you already know about the topic.
Be sure to read and follow the directions carefully. Examples are provided to
guide you in answering.
A. In the box below are some common prefixes. Study them and their meanings
carefully. Read the sentences that follow and fill in the blanks with the
correct prefixes.
de — away; down
re — back; again
pro — before in time or place; in favor of
trans — across
2
1. A person who acts on stage is an act________.
2. Sick students are sent to the infirm________.
3. One whose special field is anthropology is an anthropolog________.
C. The words in each box have the same root word. Choose the best word
which fits the following sentence.
Example:
Answer: singing
Well, how was it? Do you think you fared well? Compare your answers with those
in the Answer Key on page 30 to find out.
If all your answers are correct, very good! This shows that you already know
much about the topic. You may still study the module to review what you already
know. Who knows, you might learn a few more new things as well.
If you got a low score, don’t feel bad. This means that this module is for you. It
will help you understand some important concepts that you can apply in your daily
life. If you study this module carefully, you will learn the answers to all the items in
the test and a lot more! Are you ready?
You may go now to the next page to begin Lesson 1.
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LESSON 1
Root Words
New words are formed when you put together roots and affixes. The more you
know about these, the wider your vocabulary will be. And the wider your vocabulary is,
the better your ability to comprehend ideas.
It is time to work on the first lesson in developing your word-building ability.
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Let’s Learn
Read the sentences below. Look closely at the underlined root words. Read aloud
the root word in each sentence. Note the letters before and after each root word.
What are the affixes found in the sentences? If you say that they are im, bi, pre,
age, re and al, then you are correct.
We can form new words using given root words by adding affixes. These are
word-forming elements of one or more syllables which can be added to words to form
other related words. They may be classified as prefixes (those added at the beginning
of words) or suffixes (those added at the end of words).
What are the prefixes? They are im, bi, and re. What are the suffixes?
If you say age and al, then you are correct.
The following road signs have been put up along the new highway. Identify what
each sign is saying. Then write all the words with affixes in the space provided below.
Underline the root words.
Drive Carefully
Drive
Slowly
No Parking
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Slippery Road No Littering No Blowing of Horn
Go over your answers before looking at the answers in the Answer Key on page
30. How well did you do?
You probably found it easy to identify the root words in the road signs. But
identification is only the first step. Knowing or understanding what these words mean
is actually more important.
Let’s Learn
Many of the words in English are of foreign origin. This means that their roots
may have been borrowed from Greek, Latin, French or any of the other languages
around the world. Studying the meanings of some of these words can widen your
vocabulary.
Below are some of the most common Latin words and their meanings. Study
them.
ambulare — to walk about
dolor — pain
dormire — to sleep
hostilis (from hostis) — enemy
manu — by hand
navigare (from navis) — ship
sedere — to sit
timere — to fear
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Let’s Try This
Now, read each phrase below. The underlined words are related in form and
meaning to the Latin words given beforehand. Identify the Latin word from which the
underlined English word originated. You may refer to page six if you need to.
1. the navigator’s job onboard a ship
2. an ambulant patient
3. a hostile person
4. a dormant volcano
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5. a manual water pump
6. a sedentary job
7. a dolorous incident
8. a timorous person
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You may now proceed with the rest of the activity. Did you understand the
meanings of the words in the preceding activity? Answer each question below with Yes
or No.
9. Is it the navigator’s job to clean the ship?
10. Can an ambulant patient walk around?
11. Is a hostile person easy to get along with?
12. When a volcano is inactive, can we say it is dormant?
13. Does a manual pump work by means of electricity?
14. Does the sedentary job of Mang Ambo make him walk from one building to
another?
15. Is a dolorous incident a joyous one?
16. Would you say that a timorous person is afraid?
Let’s Learn
You became familiar with the Latin root word manus. Did you know that many
English words have been formed using this root word? Look at some of the words
listed below and memorize their meanings.
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Let’s See What You Have Learned
Let’s see if you can use the words in the box on page 9 properly. Complete each
sentence below using the correct word.
1. I’m glad I finally learned how to ____________________ the buttons in
that machine!
2. The accompanying teachers’ _____________________ really helped me
this past year.
3. The policemen used ____________________s on the criminal so he could
not get away.
4. The king issued a ____________________ to his subjects. They should all
bow before him.
5. The goal of the new president is to ____________________ all Filipinos
from poverty.
Compare your answers with those found in the Answer Key on page 31. How
many correct answers did you get? If you got all the answers right, that’s very good. If
you did not, reread the lesson before moving on to the next one.
Let’s Remember
♦ Root words are the basic elements in words which remain after all affixes
have been removed and which may form the basis of a number of related
words.
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LESSON 2
Prefixes
Refer to the following diagram to find out how much you know about prefixes.
Do you know how to play bowling? Let the ball represent the prefix re and
some of the pins represent the root words play, write and teach.
re play
write
teach
Roll the ball (re) to Pin 1 (play), what new word is formed?_______________
Roll the ball (re) to Pin 2 (write), what new word is formed?______________
Roll the ball (re) to Pin 3 (teach), what new word is formed?______________
If you answered replay, rewrite and reteach respectively, you’ve done well.
Let’s Learn
One way of forming new words is by adding letters before root words. These new
elements are called prefixes.
The prefix re means “again.” So, the new words replay, rewrite and reteach
mean “play again,” “write again” and “teach again,” respectively.
Adding a prefix to a root word changes its meaning.
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Do you know what antonyms are? These are words that are opposite in meaning
to other words. Did you know that some prefixes can be used to form the antonyms of
some words? Study the prefixes in the box.
im in un dis non
The prefixes above mean “no” or “not.” When attached or connected to certain
words, they give an opposite meaning.
Let’s see if you get the idea.
Choose a prefix from those given above and attach it to each word below to form
the antonym of each given word.
Example: im + patient impatient
(prefix) (new word)
1. ___ + violent _____ _______________
2. ___ + honest _____ _______________
3. ___ + attentive _____ _______________
4. ___ + concerned _____ _______________
1. violent nonviolent
2. honest dishonest
3. attentive inattentive
4. concerned unconcerned
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The bus is Norman, look Why don’t we just
I have no time to
coming any what I found. divide the money
waste, I’m not
minute now. I Let’s look for its in it between the
waiting another
might as well owner. two of us? Nobody
minute.
wait. will know.
impatient 1.
2.
You lazy
Angelo, please pay dog! Get out
attention or you won’t of my way.
understand the lesson.
Don’t hurt him!
He’s sick. Let
me carry him.
3. 4.
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Turn to page 32 to check your answers.
How well did you do? Refer to the ratings below.
3 – 4 = very good
1 – 2 = good
Let’s Learn
The prefix ir means the same as the prefixes mentioned earlier. It also means
“no” or “not.”
Examples: responsible ir + responsible irresponsible
relevant ir + relevant irrelevant
But not all words that begin with the letters mentioned earlier have prefixes. At
times, the letters may just be part of the root words themselves.
Examples: immediate
distant
Determine which of the following words have negative prefixes. Put a check (4)
before each word that has a prefix and a cross (8) before each word which does not.
Examples: 1. 4 impossible [not possible]
2. 8 improve [to do better]
1 2 3 4 5
incomplete improve unafraid distrust irrational
introduce immortal under disloyal ironing
inexpensive impolite united distance Irving
invitation impure unharmed dishonest irresponsible
invisible impractical university dishwater irregular
Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on page 32.
Did you do well?
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Let’s See What You Have Learned
This time, you will learn about other prefixes. Read the pairs of prefixes below
and their meanings. Then read Sentence a to give you a clue or hint on what prefix to
use in Sentence b. Write the correct prefix on the blank or write the new word on your
paper.
1. sub = below ab = from; away from
a. The product was rated below standard.
b. It was a _____standard product.
a. After Dr. Rivers examined Josie, he advised her not to continue using
the medicine.
b. Josie was advised to _____continue using the medicine.
3. un = not ir = not
a. The lanzones trees in their orchard have not been productive for the last
two years.
b. The lanzones trees are _____productive.
How well did you do? Compare your answers with those in the Answer Key on
page 32. You can now move on to the next lesson.
Let’s Remember
16
LESSON 3
Suffixes
You just learned what prefixes are. This time you will learn about suffixes.
The word help is a familiar word. See how other words can be formed by adding
a letter or letters at the end of the word. Such letter or letters are called suffixes.
Refer to the diagram below. Notice that there are several suffixes around the root
word help which when added to it can form new words. Make a list of such new
words.
-ed -er
HELP
-s
-ing
-ful
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Let’s Learn
A suffix is a letter or group of letters added at the end of a word to make another
word.
The suffixes in the box are called agent suffixes. Look at them very well because
they can be a bit confusing.
ar or er an ist
Agent suffixes refer to human beings. They refer to “people who perform or do
something.”
Examples: beg + ar = beggar [one who begs or asks for something like
food or money]
write + er = writer [one who writes]
veterinary + an = veterinarian (one who treats animal diseases)
Read each sentence below carefully. Choose the appropriate suffix in the box to
complete each sentence. Note that you need to make some changes in spelling when
you add some suffixes. The first number has already been done for you.
1. A person who acts or performs on stage is an actor.
2. An orchestra leader is called a conduct_______________.
3. A person who manages a library is called a library_______________.
4. One who traps or hunts animals is a hunt_______________.
5. Leonardo da Vinci is a great art______________.
6. Pitoy Moreno is a well known fashion design______________.
7. That new instruct______________ is very punctual.
8. Gil Kabayao is a famous violin______________.
Check your answers using the Answer Key on page 32 before working on the next
activity.
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Let’s Try This
Read each set of suffixes and their meanings. Then read the sentences that follow.
Add the correct suffixes to complete the sentences. Note that you may need to make
some changes in spelling when you add some suffixes. You may need to change some
letters. For example: mercy-merciful, or you may need to drop a letter or letters as in
possible-possibly.
A.
able that may or must be
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C.
ly in a particular way
A. Each set of words below has the same root word. Fill in the blanks to
complete the given sentences for each set of words.
(1)
The __________ (2)
lady who owns JP Mini Mart is a dear __________
(3)
of my mother. Their ___________ started when they were still in high
school.
(4)
It is __________ (5)
to have an insurance policy. It provides __________
(6)
for your __________.
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sympathy sympathize sympathetic
(7)
The child whose ice cream fell looked around for __________. A
(8)
__________ woman who was passing by bought him another cone of ice
cream.
(9)
Do you know the __________ (10)
of the song “Anak”? His __________
has been translated into many different languages.
B. Complete the word puzzle below by adding the correct suffixes to the root
words in parentheses. Use the given clues.
4 Across
1 T 1. a person who plays a role on stage
(act)
5 2. another word for “fair” (even)
2 E L 3. Good Friday is a part of the
________ season. (Lent)
Down
4. another word for “stopwatch” (time)
3 L N 5. another word for “one who listens”
(listen)
Refer to the Answer Key on page 33 to check your work. How many correct
answers did you get? If you got a perfect score, you may then move on to the next
lesson. If you did not, go over the items you missed before proceeding to Lesson 4.
Let’s Remember
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LESSON 4
Compound Words
After learning about root words, prefixes and suffixes, you will now learn about
compound words.
Look at the pictures below. Put the names of the first two pictures together.
Example:
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5. _____________ + _____________ = _____________
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Let’s Learn
The words you formed in the preceding activity are called compound words.
These are words that are made up of two or more root words.
Read the sentences below. Form compound words by putting together two of the
underlined words. The first one has already been done for you.
1. The airplane makes several flights over the seas.
Answer: overseas
4. Holes in the shirt through which buttons pass were made to keep shirts in
place.
6. The new houses owned by the government were admired by the visitors.
7. The children were given work at home for discussion the next day.
Check your answers using the Answer Key on page 34. How well did you do? I’m
sure you did well. Now, proceed to the next part of the lesson.
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Let’s Learn
Look at the picture below. Read the story about it on the next page. Notice that
the story makes use of compound nouns. Copy all of them in the space provided.
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The Town House
My grandmother lives in a town house. It is located along the
highway. Her house is large and fully furnished. The bedrooms are big,
each with its own bathroom. The living room contains a comfortable sala
set, display cabinet, a 27-inch television set and a tape recorder. The
dining room is spacious. A big painting hangs on one of its walls. The
kitchen floor is tiled. The cupboards are clean. The drinking glasses are
well arranged. The frying pans and other cooking utensils are neatly
piled up in the kitchen cabinets.
Nona, the daughter-in-law of my grandmother, lives in that home,
too. She and her children keep the house alive with laughter.
The most basic form of a word from which other words can be
(1)
formed is called a __________. The letters which can be added before
(2)
and after a root word is called an __________. When an affix is placed
(3)
before a root word, it is called a _________. If it is placed after a root
(4)
word, it is called a __________. Sometimes two or more root words
are combined to form a new word. This new word is called a
(5)
___________.
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Let’s Remember
♦ Compound words are words that are made up of two or more root words.
They can be written:
1. as one word;
2. using a hyphen; or
3. as two or more separate words.
Well, this is the end of the module. Congratulations for finishing it. Did you like
it? Did you learn something useful from it? A summary of its main points is given
below to help you remember them better.
Let’s Sum Up
♦ Root words are the basic elements in words which remain after all affixes
have been removed and which may form the basis of a number of related
words.
♦ Prefixes are letters or group of letters that are added at the beginning of
words to form new words.
♦ Suffixes are letters or group of letters that can be added at the end of words
to form new words.
♦ Compound words are words that are made up of two or more root words.
They can be written:
1. as one word;
2. using a hyphen (hyphenated); or
3. as two or more separate words.
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What Have You Learned?
A. Look at the prefixes in the box below. Read the sentences that follow and fill
in the blanks with the correct prefixes.
im
in
un
dis
ir
full of something
ful
specified
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C. Choose a word from the given set which best completes each sentence.
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Answer Key
B. 1. or
2. ary
3. ist
C. 1. accompany
2. company
3. playful
4. player
B. Lesson 1
Let’s Try This (page 4)
The following are some possible answers:
Play — plays players
played replay
player replays
playing replayed
playful replaying
playlet
Let’s Try This (pages 5–6)
Words with affixes. Root word underlined.
1. Drive Slowly — slowly
2. Drive Carefully — carefully
3. No Parking — parking
4. Slippery Road — slippery
5. No Littering — littering
6. No Blowing of Horn — blowing
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Let’s Try This (pages 7–9)
1. navigare
2. ambulare
3. hostilis
4. dormire
5. manu
6. sedere
7. dolor
8. timere
9. No, the navigator’s duty is to steer the ship.
10. Yes, an ambulant patient can walk around.
11. No, a hostile person is very unfriendly.
12. Yes, because dormant means “sleeping.”
13. No, a manual pump is worked by hand.
14. No, because a sedentary job does not require a person to travel from
one place to another.
15. No, a dolorous event is a sorrowful one.
16. Yes, a timorous person is afraid of almost everything.
Let’s See What You Have Learned (page 10)
1. manipulate
2. manual
3. manacle
4. mandate
5. emancipate
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C. Lesson 2
Let’s Try This (pages 12–13)
1. dishonest
2. nonviolent
3. inattentive
4. unconcerned
Let’s Try This (page 14)
1 2 3 4 5
4incomplete 4immortal 4unafraid 4distrust 4irrational
4inexpensive 4impolite 4unharmed 4disloyal 4irresponsible
4invisible 4impure 6united 4dishonest 4irregular
6introduce 4impractical 6under 6distance 6Irving
6invitation 6improve 6university 6dishwasher 6ironing
D. Lesson 3
Let’s Try This (page 18)
1. or
5. ist
2. or
6. er
3. ian
7. or
4. er
8. ist
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Let’s Study and Analyze (pages 19–20)
A. 1. noticeable
2. manageable
3. reversible (delete the e in reverse)
4. sensible (delete the e in sense)
B. 1. argument(delete the e in argue)
2. miraculous (delete le in miracle, and add ulous)
3. mysterious (delete y in mystery and add ious)
4. judgement/judgment (delete the e in judge and add ment)
C. 1. probably (delete le in probable and add ly)
2. thankful (add ful)
3. hopeless (add less)
4. gently (delete the le and add ly)
Let’s See What You Have Learned (pages 20–21)
A. 1. friendly 6. beneficiaries
2. friend 7. sympathy
3. friendship 8. sympathetic
4. beneficial 9. composer
5. benefits 10. composition
B.
4
1 A C T O R
I
M 5
2 E V E N L Y
R I
S
T
E
3 L E N T E N
E
R
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E. Lesson 4
Let’s Try This (pages 22–23)
1. rain + bow = rainbow
2. ball + pen = ball pen
3. eye + glasses = eyeglasses
4. arm + chair = armchair
5. ear + ring = earring
6. fire + truck = fire truck
7. finger + nail = fingernail
8. door + bell = doorbell
9. mail + box = mailbox
10. horse + shoe = horseshoe
Let’s Try This (page 24)
1. overseas 5. sewing room
2. Skyways 6. government-owned
3. underwear 7. homework
4. Buttonholes
Let’s Try This (pages 25–26)
1. Town House 10. tape recorder
2. grandmother 11. dining room
3. highway 12. kitchen floor
4. bedrooms 13. cupboards
5. bathroom 14. drinking glasses
6. living room 15. frying pans
7. sala set 16. cooking utensils
8. display cabinet 17. kitchen cabinets
9. television set 18. daughter-in-law
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Let’s See What You Have Learned (page 26)
1. root word
2. affix
3. prefix
4. suffix
5. compound word
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References
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