MODUL I

Increasing understanding of words

In the end of the class, the students are hoped to :

 Understand ways to predict unfamiliar words

 Increase ability to understand unfamiliar words

ACTIVITY 1 : PREDICT THE MEANING OF EACH WORD BY LEARNING ITS WORDPART

Misguided Telegram

Conductor Phonology

Keepsake Antibiotics

Peacemaker Subsequent

Circumspection Superscript

Postmortem Subscribe

Intangibility Revocation

Misnomer Chronology

To understand the text means unpacking Information needed as effective as possible. The very first step
to strengthen our reading ability is developing our understanding of basic component of sentences,
words. The more sentences we understand the better our reading ability.

When attempting to predict the meaning of an unfamiliar word, it is often useful to look at what comes
before and after that word. The surrounding words can give readers helpful context about the meaning
and structure of the unfamiliar word, as well as how it is used.

Some ways to find the meaning of each unfamiliar word are as follows:

1. Learn the smallest part of a word,

2. Use the meanings clues in every sentence,
3. Observe the difference between the meaning of word and the meaning indicated by the context
of a word,
4. Use dictionaries to find the right meaning

Common ways to understand the meaning of words are as follow:

 Understanding root word and derivation

 Compound word

 Context Clues
 A. Root Words, Roots and Affixes

Many English words are formed by taking basic words and adding combinations of prefixes and
suffixes from other language. A basic word to which affixes (prefixes and suffixes) are added is called
a root word because it forms the basis of an unfamiliar word. The root word is also a word in its own
right. For example, the word lovely consists of the word love and the suffix -ly.

Common Latin Roots

Latin Root Definition Examples

ambi both ambiguous, ambidextrous

aqua water aquarium, aquamarine

aud to hear audience, audition

bene good benefactor, benevolent

cent one hundred century, percent

circum around circumference, circumstance

contra/counter against contradict, encounter

dict to say dictation, dictator

duc/duct to lead conduct, induce

fac to do; to make factory, manufacture

form shape conform, reform

fort strength fortitude, fortress

fract to break fracture, fraction

ject throw projection, rejection

jud judge judicial, prejudice

mal bad malevolent, malefactor

mater mother material, maternity

mit to send transmit, admit

mort death mortal, mortician

multi many multimedia, multiple

pater father paternal, paternity

 port to carry portable, transportation

rupt to break bankrupt, disruption

scrib/scribe to write inscription, prescribe

sect/sec to cut bisect, section

sent to feel; to send consent, resent

spect to look inspection, spectator

struct to build destruction, restructure

vid/vis to see video, televise

voc voice; to call vocalize, advocate

Affixes

One method of understanding the meanings of new words is to analyze the different parts of the word
and the meanings of those parts. Many new words are formed by adding an affix to the beginning or
end of a Latin or Greek root or root word. When affixes are added to the beginning of roots or root
words, they are called prefixes. For example, the most common prefix is un-, which meant not or
opposite of. If you add un- to the word happy, the new word becomes unhappy, which means not happy.
When affixes are added to the end of roots or root words, they are called suffixes. The most common
suffixes are -s and -es, which mean more than one (or the plural) of the word. Adding es to wish,
changes the meaning of the word to more than one wish.

Common Prefixes

Prefix Definition Examples

anti- against anticlimax

de- opposite devalue

dis- not; opposite of discover

en-, em- cause to enact, empower

fore- before; front of foreshadow, forearm

in-, im- in income, impulse

in-, im-, il-, ir- not indirect, immoral, illiterate, irreverent

inter- between; among interrupt

mid- middle midfield

mis- wrongly misspell

non- not nonviolent

over- over; too much overeat

pre- before preview

re- again rewrite

semi- half; partly; not fully semifinal

sub- under subway

super- above; beyond superhuman

trans- across transmit

un- not; opposite of unusual

under- under; too little underestimate

Derivation or Suffix

Common Suffixes

Suffix Definition Examples

-able, -ible is; can be affordable, sensible

-al, -ial having characteristics of universal, facial

-ed past tense verbs; the dog walked,

adjectives the walked dog

-en made of golden

-er, -or one who; teacher, professor

person connected with

-er more taller

-est the most tallest

-ful full of helpful

-ic having characteristics of poetic

-ing verb forms; sleeping

present participles

-ion, -tion, -ation, act; process submission, motion,

-tion relation, edition
-ity, -ty state of activity, society

-ive, -ative, adjective form of noun active, comparative,

-itive sensitive

-less without hopeless

-ly how something is lovely

-ment state of being; act of contentment

-ness state of; condition of openness

-ous, -eous, -ious having qualities of riotous, courageous,

gracious

-s, -es more than one trains, trenches

-y characterized by gloomy

B. Compound Words

Compound word, which is similar in Bahasa to “kata gabung”, is a combination of words that make up a
new word with different meanings. One example of a familiar compound word "ice cream". This word
consists of two basic words; "Ice" and "cream". As a compound word, the “ice cream” has its own
meaning; regardless of the element of the word of establishment.

When two words are used together to yield a new meaning, a compound is formed. Compound words
can be written in three ways: as open compounds (spelled as two words, e.g., ice cream), closed
compounds (joined to form a single word, e.g., doorknob), or hyphenated compounds (two words joined
by a hyphen, e.g., long-term). Sometimes, more than two words can form a compound (e.g., mother-in-
law).

Open Compound Words

An open compound word is created in cases when the modifying adjective is used with its noun to
create a new noun. This isn’t quite the same as a noun with a modifying adjective. We just use a space
between the adjective and the noun, so sometimes it can be hard to identify as a compound; however, if
the two words are commonly used together, it’s considered to be a compound word.

living room

full moon

real estate

dinner table

coffee mug
When adverbs ending in -ly combine with another word, the resulting compound is always spelled as
two separate words.

largely irrelevant

newly formed

Closed Compound Words

Closed compound words look like one word. At one point, these words weren’t used together, but
they’re now accepted as a “real word” in the English language. Closed compound words are usually
made up of only two words. Here are some closed compound examples.

notebook

Superman

waistcoat

bookstore

fireman

The English language is always evolving, and when words become used more frequently, they are often
eventually written as one word. When the Internet first began, for example, we talked about going on-
line. Now that this is a daily experience for most of us, the spelling online has become commonly
accepted.

Hyphenated Compound Words

There are a great many grammar rules regarding hyphens in compound words. One important rule of
thumb to remember is that in most cases, a compound adjective is hyphenated if placed before the
noun it modifies, but not if placed after the noun.

a long-term solution

an up-to-date user guide

But…

This is not a good solution for the long term.

This user guide is not up to date.

This is just one of many rules concerning hyphens in compound words and it is often necessary to
consult the dictionary to determine whether these terms should be hyphenated or not.

C. Context Clues

There are five types of context clues that can help us figure out the meaning of new words. Follow
along on the Context Clue Sheet to learn about these clues.
 1. Some authors include the definition of the word in the sentence to help us understand
the meaning of a word. Example: The lingerie department," she directed the confused
customer, "is where you will find the bras and panties.
2. Some authors explain the meaning of a word by including a synonym, which is a word
with a meaning that is like the unfamiliar word. Example: The annual bazaar is
scheduled for the last day of school. It is always a fun festival.
3. Some authors might use an antonym, which is a word that means the opposite of the
unfamiliar word. Example: "You look pretty content about it, not like you're all bent out
of shape at all," he noted
4. Some authors include examples of an unknown word’s meaning in the sentence.
Example: "No, no, that's just a crane fly, not a gigantic mosquito," he explained.
5. Some authors provide comparison. Example: He looked absolutely flummoxed, like a
toddler staring down at his feet on the floor who just isn't sure about this whole
"walking" thing.

Sources :

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/open-and-closed-compound-words/

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/root-words-roots-and-affixes

https://www.thoughtco.com/context-clue-vocabulary-1689919

https://intensiveintervention.org/sites/default/files/Context-Clues-508.pdf