En anglais

Word families and root words

English · Vocabulary · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What does "teacher" most likely mean?
- a place full of books
- a kind of bird
- someone who teaches
Which word joins the word family of "help"?
- helmets
- helpful
- healthy
Which word is in the same word family as "sing"?
- singer
- finger
- ginger
Which word comes from the root "cycle"?
- recycle
- uncles
- candles
Which word is NOT part of the "act" word family?
- actor
- action
- apple
Two of these words are cousins in the "help" family. Which one does NOT belong?
- helper
- helmet
- helping
You know the root "build." What might "builder" mean?
- a person who steers a sailing boat
- a person who builds things
- a person who hears a sudden noise
Which word grows from the root "teach"?
- teetering
- teacher
- torches
Pip sees the word "helpful" in his book. He knows the root "help." What can he guess "helpful" means?
- ready to wear a hard hat outdoors
- ready to take a day away from work
- ready to help
Which pair of words is in the same word family?
- singer and finger
- kindly and kindness
- helper and helmet

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

someone who teaches · "Teacher" holds the root "teach," so a teacher is someone who teaches.
helpful · Helpful shares help and its meaning. Helmets and healthy share some letters but not that root.
singer · Singer shares the root sing and its meaning. Finger and ginger do not share that root.
recycle · Recycle contains cycle and uses its repeating-round sense. Uncles and candles do not share this root.
apple · "Apple" doesn't share the root "act." Actor and action both come from "act."
helmet · "Helmet" only shares the letters h-e-l with "help." It does not hold the root, so it does not belong.
a person who builds things · "Builder" grows from "build," and the -er ending names a person, so a builder builds things.
teacher · Teacher shares teach and its meaning. Teetering and torches do not share that root.
ready to help · The root "help" inside "helpful" is Pip's clue: helpful means full of help, ready to help.
kindly and kindness · Kindly and kindness share the root kind and its meaning. Singer and finger do not share a root, and neither do helper and helmet.