Building Word Power is designed to build a substantial English vocabulary through the mastery of a select number of phono-roots. Phono-roots are those combination of letters derived from Latin and Greek roots that form the base or root of many English words. It is not unusual for one phono-root to serve as the basis for over twenty English words. Mastering the phono-roots is the key to building an extensive and powerful English vocabulary.
Here is an example of a phono-root: acu: sharp - from acumen, acumeninis (Latin noun): sharpened point, sing, sharpness (acute, acumen, acupunture)
Explaining the Activities
Each lesson contains a new set of phono-roots and English derivatives. Each lesson also contains six activities designed to use these phono-roots and English words, and exercise a variety of critical thinking skills. Below is a brief explanation of the six activities.
USE-A-WORD:
This section begins with the phono-root - the combination of letters that form the root of many words and the key to understanding their meaning. The phono-root is followed by its basic meaning. The Latin or Greek root from which the phono-root is derived is then given along with its meaning.
Three English words are provided that are derived from the same classical root and contain the same phono-root. The student should write the definitions of the these words using a dictionary and then use each word in a sentence. The student should note the part of speech for each word in the parentheses ( ).
SELECT-A-WORD:
Five sentences are provided. Each sentence has a missing word. The student should select a word from the vocabulary list of English words for that lesson. Tense and number may be changed to supply the correct form.
COMPARE-A-WORD:
A list of six words with their synonyms or antonyms are provided. The student should match the correct synonym or antonym with the appropriate word.
RELATE-A-WORD:
Two analogies are provided. The student should choose the appropriate word to complete the analogy. Sometimes the analogy deals with synonyms and antonyms; sometimes they deal with parts of speech.
BUILD-A-WORD:
The student is introduced to the common prefixes and suffixes that are used in English. The student should choose the appropriate prefix or suffix to build the correct word.
DISSECT-A-WORD:
Several English words are provided. The student should dissect the word by separating its prefix and/or suffix from the phono-root. Then the student should write out a literal or "wooden" definition of the word based on the meanings of the prefix and/or suffix, and the phono-root.
