Alba English

Materials for Class

Guess Word Meanings

Guess from Suffixes

suffix POS Meanings example
-able, -ible For Adjectives (turns verb into adjective) drinkable
-an, -ian For nouns person/place Italian, Musician
-ancy For Nouns state infancy
-ant, -ent, -ary, -eer, -er,-ess, -ist, -or noun person one who (does something)
-arium For Nouns place aquarium
-ate, -ify For Verbs none simplify
-ation For Nouns action confirmation
-cide For Nouns murder genocide
-dom for nouns none freedom
-ee for nouns person recieving employee, trainee
-en For Verbs none broaden
-en, -ent, -ic, -ish, -ive, For Adjectives (turns verb into adjective) dismissive
-ence For Nouns none independence
-er for nouns person doing employer, trainer
-ion, -tion, -ity For Nouns none information,
-ise, -ize For Verbs none socialize
-ism For Nouns belief Buddhism
-less For Adjectives without useless
-logy, -ology For Nouns study of sociology
-ly For Adverb makes noun/verb into adverb gentlemanly
-ment For Nouns none commitment
-ness for nouns none hardness
-ory For Nouns place laboratory
-ose, -ous, -ious For Adjectives makes an adjective ambitious
-ship For Nouns none friendship
-ward(s) For Adverbs direction upward
-wise For Adverbs method counterclockwise

Guess from Roots

Root Meanings Example
agr field agriculture
ann year annual
aqua water aquarium
astro, aster star astronomy, asteroid
audi hear audience, auditorium
bibli book bibliography
bio life biological
capit head capital,
celer fast accelerate
chron time chronological
clud close, shut excludem conclude
cosm world cosmos, microcosm
crat/cracy rule autocrat, democracy
cred believe incredible
cur run cursive
demo people democracy
dict speak predict
duc lead conductor, conduct, induce
fac make manufacture, factory
flect bend reflect
frater brother fraternity
fund pour refund
gen race, birth genesis
geo earth geography
graph write photograph
gress step progress
hydr water dehydrate
ject throw reject
jud judge judiciary
lect choose, gather select
loc speak circumlocution
log word monologue
luc light translucent
manu hand manufacture
mari sea marine
mater mother maternity
medi middle mediate
mini less, little minimum
mit send manumission
mort death mortal
naut sail cosmonaut
neo new neoclassic
neuro nerve neurosis
nom law, order astronomy
nomin, nomen name nominate
pater father paternal
path suffering, disease pathological
ped, pod, pus foot quadruped
pend hang, weigh suspend
phil love philanthropist
phob fear claustrophobia
phon sound microphone
phot, phos light photon
plex, plic fold application
poli city, state metropolis
poly many monopoly
pon, pos place, put postpone
port carry export
post- after postgraduate
pre- before prerequisite
Prefix Meaning Example
pro- forward, before promote
psych mind psychology
re- back, again return
reg, rect rule, right regulation
rupt break interrupt
scop look microscope
scrib, script write description
sens, sent feel sensation
soph wise philosophy
spec, spic look spectator, spectacles
tact, tang touch tactful, tangible
tens/tend/tent stretch tension, extend
therm heat thermometer
typ image, impression typical
vac empty vacuum
ven come eventually,
vid, vis see video, visual
vita, viv life vitality, vital organ
voc, voke call evocative, vocal
vor eat herbivore, carnivorous

Guess from prefixes

Root Meanings Example
a- not, without amoral
ab- away from abduct
ante- before, in front antecedent
anti- against, opposite antisocial
auto- self automatic
bene- well, good benefit
bi- two bicycle
circum- around circumference
co- with cooperation Community
col- with colleague
con- with convention
counter- against, opposite counterclockwise
de- not, away, down decelerate
dif- apart, away, not differ
dis- apart, away, not disagree
ex- out, away exclude
extra- outside, beyond extraordinary
hetero- other, different heterosexual
homo- same homonym
hyper- above hyperactive
hypo- under hypodermic
il-, in-, im-, ir- not illegal, impossible, irresponsible
inter- between international
intra- within intranet
mal- bad, ill, wrong malice
mega- large, one million megabyte
micro- small microscopic
mis- bad, badly misunderstand
mono- one, alone monopoly
non- not nonentity
over too much overpay
peri- around perimeter
poly- many polygon
re- again reapply, reopen
retro- backwards retroactive
se- apart separate
semi- half semicircle
sub- below submarine, subway, substandard
super-, sur- over supervision
syn- sym- together symbiosis
tele- distant telescope
trans- from A to B transfer, translate
ultra- beyond ultraman
un- not unable
under- not enough underpay, underestimate
uni- one unicycle
vice- taking the place vice president
     

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