Decoding Unfamiliarity

Worksheet Description

This worksheet provides a list of Greek and Latin roots along with their meanings, such as “tri” for three, “bi” for two, “mono” for one, “hyper” for over, and “sub” for under.

Students are instructed to use these roots to answer questions about the meaning of various words that incorporate these roots. For example, they must determine the activity level of a “hyperactive” person or the number of rulers in a “triumvirate.” The questions are designed to apply the root meanings to understand the definitions of compound words that include these roots.

The purpose of this worksheet is to teach students how to break down complex words into their fundamental components to understand their meanings. It encourages students to analyze words and deduce their meanings based on the roots provided.

This exercise helps students expand their vocabulary by equipping them with the knowledge to decode unfamiliar words that share these common roots. Additionally, it aims to strengthen their language skills by showing how many English words are built from these ancient Greek and Latin building blocks.