Greek and Latin Roots for Word Meaning · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Greek and Latin Roots for Word Meaning

English · Vocabulary · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. The piece 'sub-' means under. What does 'subway' most likely name?

    • A train that runs under the ground
    • A road that crosses over a river
    • A path that circles a park

  2. The root 'aqua' means water. What does 'aquatic' most likely mean?

    • Able to fly for a long time
    • Made of hard stone
    • Living or growing in water

  3. The piece 'micro-' means small. What is a 'microchip'?

    • A very large machine
    • A snack made of corn
    • A tiny piece that helps run a computer

  4. The root 'dict' means 'to say' or 'to tell'. Which word contains this root?

    • dictionary
    • reaction
    • biology

  5. Break down the word 'unbelievable'. Which parts make it up?

    • un- (not) + believe + -able (able to be)
    • un- (again) + belief + -ful (full of)
    • The whole word is one single root with no parts

  6. The lesson teaches that 'port' means carry and '-able' means able to be. Finish the meaning: 'portable' means able to be ___.

    • seen from far away
    • heard across a room
    • carried from place to place

  7. Read the sentence: 'During group work, the students interact by sharing ideas and helping each other.' The piece 'inter-' means between. What does 'interact' most likely mean?

    • To work alone in silence
    • To do things with and between each other
    • To watch quietly from far away

  8. The word 'subzero' starts with 'sub-', which means under. So 'subzero' weather is colder than zero degrees.

    Circle one:   True   False

  9. Use the chart: 'tele-' means far, and 'port' means carry. In a story, a machine can 'teleport' a box. What does the machine do?

    • It hides the box under the floor
    • It makes the box very small
    • It carries the box across a far distance in a flash

  10. Use the chart: 'bio' means life, and 'graph' means write. What is a 'biography'?

    • A list of difficult words
    • The written story of a person's life
    • A map of faraway places
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Answer key

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Greek and Latin Roots for Word Meaning W1-mt_x_Lg4RASVU-s1

  1. A train that runs under the ground · Sub- means under and a way is a route, so a subway is a way under the ground: an underground train.
  2. Living or growing in water · Aqua means water, so aquatic describes something that lives or grows in water, like a fish or a pond weed.
  3. A tiny piece that helps run a computer · Micro- means small, so a microchip is a very small chip, the tiny part that helps a computer work.
  4. dictionary · Dictionary comes from dict (to say or tell): it tells you what words mean.
  5. un- (not) + believe + -able (able to be) · Unbelievable splits into un- (not), believe (root), and -able (able to be), meaning not able to be believed.
  6. carried from place to place · Port means carry and -able means able to be, so portable means able to be carried from place to place.
  7. To do things with and between each other · Inter- means between and act means to do, so interact means to do things with and between each other.
  8. True · Sub- means under, so subzero means under zero: temperatures colder than zero degrees.
  9. It carries the box across a far distance in a flash · Tele- means far and port means carry, so to teleport is to carry something across a far distance.
  10. The written story of a person's life · Bio means life and graph means write, so a biography is the written story of a person's life.
Worksheet · LightMySky