Latin & Greek Stems and Prefixes

Directions: Read each set of words and guess the meaning of the bolded prefix.

Instrucciones: Lee cada grupo de palabras e intenta adivinar el significado del prefijo en negrita.

Instruções: Leia cada grupo de palavras e tente adivinhar o significado do prefixo em negrito.

지시 사항 : 각 단어 그룹을 읽고 굵게 표시된 접두사의 의미를 추측해 보세요.

Інструкції: Прочитайте кожну групу слів і спробуйте вгадати значення виділеного жирним префікса.

1. postpone, postwar, postgraduate, postscript
   
   post- after
   
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2. semicircle, semifinal, semiconscious, semiannual
   
   semi- half, part
   
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3. extraordinary, extracurricular, extraterrestrial, extra-large
   
   extra- outside, more than
   
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4. retroactive, retrograde, retrospective, retrofit
   
   retro- backward
   
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5. endoskeleton, endothermic, endocrine, endoparasite
   
   endo- inside, within
   
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6. exoskeleton, exothermic, exoplanet, exotic
   
   exo- outside
   
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7. perimeter, periscope, periphery, period
   
   peri- around
   
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Directions: Read each pair of sentences and guess the meaning of the bolded root.

Instrucciones: Lee cada par de oraciones e intenta adivinar el significado de la raíz en negrita.

Instruções: Leia cada par de frases e tente adivinhar o significado do radical em negrito.

지시 사항 : 각 문장 쌍을 읽고 굵게 표시된 어근의 의미를 추측해 보세요.

Інструкції: Прочитайте кожну пару речень і спробуйте вгадати значення виділеного жирним кореня.

1. Scientists discovered a new asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.
   The astronomer's favorite subject was stellar evolution — how stars are born and die.
   aster/astro/stellar: star
   
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2. He wrote an autobiography describing his own life story.
   The car's autopilot feature can drive itself on the highway.
   auto: self
   
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3. The geography of Korea includes mountains, rivers, and long coastlines.
   Your phone uses geolocation to show exactly where on Earth you are.
   geo: earth
   
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4. The dam uses the river's rushing water to produce hydroelectric power.
   Runners should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated in hot weather.
   hydro/hydr: water
   
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5. Turn up the thermostat if the room feels too cold.
   Hot springs are warmed by thermal energy from deep underground.
   therm: heat
   
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6. The taxi meter measures the distance and shows how much you owe.
   A square is perfectly symmetrical: both halves measure exactly the same.
   meter/metr: measure
   
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7. The doctor used an otoscope, a small tool with a light, to look inside my ear.
   The bird watcher looked through a spotting scope to see the eagle on the far side of the lake.
   scope: look, see
   
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8. In biology, taxonomy is the set of rules scientists use to sort living things into groups.
   An astronomer studies the laws that control how stars and planets move.
   nomy/nom: law, rule
   
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Directions: Use this chart to check your answers and see more example words for each prefix and stem.

Instrucciones: Usa esta tabla para comprobar tus respuestas y ver más palabras de ejemplo para cada prefijo y raíz.

Instruções: Use esta tabela para conferir suas respostas e ver mais palavras de exemplo para cada prefixo e radical.

지시 사항 : 이 차트를 사용하여 답을 확인하고 각 접두사와 어근의 더 많은 예시 단어를 확인하세요.

Інструкції: Використовуйте цю таблицю, щоб перевірити свої відповіді та переглянути більше прикладів слів для кожного префікса й кореня.

Prefixes

Prefix		Meaning	Example Words
post-		after	postpone, postwar, postgraduate
semi-		half, part	semicircle, semifinal, semiconscious
extra-		outside, more than	extraordinary, extracurricular, extraterrestrial
retro-		backward	retroactive, retrograde, retrospective
endo-		inside, within	endoskeleton, endothermic, endocrine
exo-		outside	exoskeleton, exothermic, exoplanet
peri-		around	perimeter, periscope, periphery

Stems

Stem		Meaning	Example Words
aster, astro, stellar		star	asteroid, astronomy, interstellar
auto		self	autobiography, autopilot, automatic
geo		earth	geography, geology, geothermal
hydro, hydr		water	hydrant, hydroelectric, dehydrate
therm		heat	thermometer, thermostat, thermal
meter, metr		measure	thermometer, speedometer, symmetry
scope		look, see	telescope, microscope, periscope
nomy, nom		law, rule	astronomy, economy, taxonomy

Directions: Click a meaning tile, then click the empty box it belongs in. Each item checks itself automatically once both boxes are filled. Click a filled box to remove it.

Instrucciones: Haz clic en una ficha de significado y luego en la casilla vacía a la que pertenece. Cada elemento se revisa automáticamente una vez que ambas casillas están completas. Haz clic en una casilla completada para eliminarla.

Instruções: Clique em uma ficha de significado e depois na caixa vazia a que ela pertence. Cada item é verificado automaticamente assim que as duas caixas forem preenchidas. Clique em uma caixa preenchida para removê-la.

지시 사항 : 의미 타일을 클릭한 다음, 해당 타일이 속한 빈 상자를 클릭하세요. 두 상자가 모두 채워지면 자동으로 확인됩니다. 채워진 상자를 클릭하면 제거할 수 있습니다.

Інструкції: Натисніть на плитку значення, а потім на порожнє поле, до якого вона належить. Кожен елемент перевіряється автоматично, щойно обидва поля заповнено. Натисніть на заповнене поле, щоб видалити його.

Score:

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Directions: Choose the best meaning for each bold word.

Instrucciones: Elige el mejor significado para cada palabra en negrita.

Instruções: Escolha o melhor significado para cada palavra em negrito.

지시 사항 : 굵게 표시된 각 단어에 가장 알맞은 의미를 선택하세요.

Інструкції: Виберіть найкраще значення для кожного виділеного жирним слова.

1. Which picture shows a constellation?
   
   
   -- A --

   -- B --

   -- C --

   -- D --
   
   
2. Which of the images below looks most like a microscope?
   
   
   -- A --

   -- B --

   -- C --
   
   
3. Which of the images below looks most like a telescope?
   
   
   -- A --

   -- B --

   -- C --
   
   
4. Which of the images below looks most like a periscope?
   
   
   -- A --

   -- B --

   -- C --
   
   
5. A semiaquatic animal, like a frog or a beaver, ______.
   lives partly in water and partly on land
   can breathe underwater all its life
   lives only in the deep ocean
   never goes near water
   
   
6. To retrogress means to ______.
   go back to an earlier, better way of doing things
   move forward and improve
   move backward or decline
   speed up suddenly
   
   
7. A hydrologist is a scientist who studies ______.
   rocks, soil, and minerals deep under the Earth's surface
   how water moves through rivers, rain, and underground
   the history of ships and ocean travel
   how plants use sunlight to grow
   
   
8. The exosphere is ______.
   the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere
   the layer of clouds closest to the ground
   the layer of rock under the ocean floor
   the hot center of the Earth
   
   
9. An automaton is a machine that ______.
   operates by itself without a person controlling it
   needs a person to control every movement
   was invented last year
   only works underwater
   
   
10. Hydroponic farming grows plants ______.
    in rich, dark soil from a forest
    in water, without any soil
    in very dry desert sand
    only in cold climates
    
    
11. Glider pilots search the sky for thermals. A thermal is ______.
    a strong, cold wind from the north
    a radio signal from the airport
    a rising column of warm air
    a heavy cloud full of rain
    
    
12. Before the 1500s, most astronomers believed in a geocentric model of the universe, in which ______.
    the Earth was the only planet in the universe with living things on it
    the Earth sat at the center and everything circled it
    the sun sat at the center and the planets circled it
    the stars never moved at all
    
    
13. The word geometry originally described the practice of ______.
    drawing circles and triangles
    studying rocks and minerals
    counting the stars
    measuring land
    
    
14. A musician uses a metronome to ______.
    keep a steady, measured beat
    tune the strings of a guitar
    make the music louder
    record a song
    
    
15. An endoscope is a medical tool that lets doctors ______.
    measure a patient's temperature
    look closely at a patient's skin
    listen to a patient's heartbeat
    look inside a patient's body
    
    
16. An autonomous region of a country ______.
    is controlled completely by the capital city
    makes many of its own laws and decisions
    belongs to two countries at once
    has no people living in it
    
    
17. An astrophysicist would most likely study ______.
    how stars burn and give off energy
    how the human body moves
    how weather changes
    how volcanoes form
    
    
18. Your peripheral vision lets you ______.
    notice things around the edges of what you're looking at
    see clearly in both bright and dark conditions
    see things that are very far away
    read small print up close
    
    
19. When the Moon is at its perigee, it is ______.
    at the point when it is closest to the Earth
    moving away from the Earth forever
    at its brightest because it is full
    completely hidden behind the Sun
    
    
20. A posthumous award is one given ______.
    while the person is running for office
    on the person's first day of work
    just before the person retires
    after the person has died
    
    
21. Extrasensory perception refers to the ability to ______.
    sense things using only the normal five senses
    sense things more strongly than other people
    sense things beyond the normal five senses
    rely completely on sight alone
    
    
22. A spacecraft fires its retrorockets ______.
    to slow down by pushing against its own motion
    to speed up as quickly as possible
    to save fuel by using older rockets
    to make more oxygen for the crew
    
    
23. In chemistry, an endothermic reaction ______.
    takes in heat from its surroundings
    gives off heat to its surroundings
    
    
24. In chemistry, an exothermic reaction ______.
    takes in heat from its surroundings
    gives off heat to its surroundings
    
    

Score:

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1. Look around your home or classroom. How many tools can you find whose names end in -meter or -scope?
   What does each one measure, or what does it help you see?
2. What is this punctuation called:    *   ? How do you think it got its name?
3. The word disaster comes from dis + aster — literally a "bad star."
   Why might people long ago have made this connection? Do people still make this connection today?
4. Astrology = star + study. Astronomy = star + law (-nomy means "law" or "rules").
   Which one is a real science, and which one tells your future? Are the names a good match for what each one does?
5. The word automobile literally means "self-moving."
   Why do you think people in the late 1800s needed a word like this? What moved vehicles before cars did?
6. Economy comes from Greek oikos ("house") + nomy ("law, rules"). It first meant "the rules for running a household."
   What is the modern meaning of economy? What is the connection to the old meaning? How is a country's economy like running a house?
7. Hydrogen literally means "water-maker." When hydrogen burns, it combines with oxygen from the air.
   What do you think it makes? Why would scientists give it this name?
8. Semiweekly means "twice a week." But biweekly can mean "twice a week" or "every two weeks."
   If a city holds a semiannual festival, how often does it happen?
   If there's a "biweekly meeting," how often would you go?
   Which word is clearer, and why?
9. In each picture below, a character is wearing an exoskeleton. Can you name the sci-fi movie that each image comes from?

Directions: Play the audio clip and try to repeat what you hear. Click "Show" to see the text.

Instrucciones: Reproduce el clip de audio e intenta repetir lo que escuchas. Haga clic en "Show" para ver el texto.

Instruções: Reproduza o clipe de áudio e tente repetir o que você ouve. Clique em "Show" para ver o texto.

지시 사항 : 오디오 클립을 재생하고 들리는 내용을 반복해 보십시오. 텍스트를 보려면 "Show" 를 클릭하십시오.

Інструкції: Увімкніть аудіокліп і спробуйте повторити те, що чуєте. Натисніть "Show", щоб побачити текст.

The nurse checked the child's temperature with a thermometer.

Through the telescope, we could see the rings of Saturn.

Iceland heats many of its homes with geothermal energy from volcanoes.

Hikers can quickly become dehydrated in the hot desert sun.

After the concert, fans waited for hours to get the singer's autograph.

A semiautomatic machine still needs a person to start each cycle.

The movie follows a crew on an interstellar journey to find a new home.

In retrospect, moving to a new city was the best decision she ever made.

You can calculate the perimeter of a circle by multiplying the diameter by pi.

The movie E.T. is about a friendly extraterrestrial who just wants to go home.

A crab's hard exoskeleton protects its soft body.

She added a short postscript (a P.S.) at the bottom of her letter.

In biology class, we looked at bacteria through a microscope.

Unlike a crab, a human has an endoskeleton, with soft skin and muscles covering the bones.

Teenagers often want more autonomy, the freedom to make their own decisions.