Now that you know a little about how words are used, it's time to learn a little about how words are made. Many of our words come to us from Greek or Latin, the languages of ancient Greece and Rome. But they don't come to us complete - they come in parts. Those parts are called roots and affixes. And there are two different kinds of affixes: prefixes and suffixes.

In this instruction you're going to learn about all of these word parts. Because if you can understand one part of a word, you can often figure out what the whole word means. 

Here's how it usually works:

The part at the beginning of a word is the prefix. 
The part in the middle is the root. 
And the part at the end is the suffix.

Prefixes
http://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx1.htm

In the original Greek or Latin, prefixes were words that stood alone. But in English, they are usually adverbs or prepositions that can't be used alone. Here is a list of some common prefixes and how they combine with roots to make words:

Roots

When it comes to figuring out unfamiliar words, it's often the root that gives you the best clue. Take the word epidermis, for example "epi," as the list above shows, is a prefix meaning "on." "Derm" is a root which means "skin." So the word epidermis means "on the skin" or "the outer layer of skin." Here's a brief list of some other word roots:

Suffixes
https://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/sufx/gre_suffx.htm

Suffixes come at the end of words and are usually joined to roots by connecting vowels. Here are some common suffixes: 

Putting it All Together

Put these parts together and you end up with words. But it's not quite that simple. Not all words have three word parts. Some words have just a root and prefix. Others have a root and suffix. Others are made up of two roots. Sometimes a root stands alone. And, of course, a lot of our words don't even come from Greek or Latin. Many have Anglo-Saxon origins. But just for fun, let's take one big, weird, wonderful word and see what it's made of.

That word is "anthropomorphism." We can break it apart like this: anthrop-o-morph-ism. As you saw on the list, the root "anthrop" means "man." Then there's the connecting vowel, "o." And now another root: "morph," which means "change into." And finally, "ism," a suffix which means "the manner or condition of." So what anthropomorphism means is "the manner or condition of giving something nonhuman a human form or characteristic." Like when a robot car turns into an action figure. Or when you insist that your dog can talk or smile.

For useful  information on word parts and the ways they go together, check out the web sites listed below. And don't forget the word's best friend--your dictionary.

Now let's do Practice Exercise 1-2 (top).