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MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH INSTRUCTION: Unit 1, Lesson 2

Focus of the lesson: inflections (see definition below)

Vocabulary you need to know:

  • Morpheme – the smallest unit of meaning. A word can contain more than one morpheme. For example, disable consists of two morphemes – the prefix dis- + able.
  • Affix – A morpheme (generally a prefix or suffix) added to a word to change its function or meaning (example: the prefix un- is an affix that changes a word from positive to negative – e.g., pleasant becomes unpleasant)
  • Prefix – a group of letters that can be placed before a word to change its meaning (example: im- added to possible = im-possible)
  • Root – the form of a word after all affixes are removed. It is the basic element of the word and the foundation on which the meaning of the word is built.
  • Suffix – a group of letters placed after a word to modify its meaning or change it into a different word group (for example, from an adjective, rapid, to an adverb, rapid-ly)
  • Inflection– a system in which words’ forms are altered by an affix. For example, the majority of nouns in English can be altered from singular to plural by the addition of an –s (car/cars, building/buildings). The verb proceed can become a noun—processional. The noun joy can become an adjective—joyous.

Read the article found at the following website for an overview of ways that knowledge of the elements defined above can help you to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Please don’t be offended by the title of the website!

Dummies::Tending to WordRoots

The following websites contain alphabetized lists of the most common. . .

  • Prefixes Greekand Latin Prefixes Table
  • Roots Greek and Latin Roots:Roots
  • Suffixes Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes: Suffixes

You may use the information at these sites to help you complete the activitieson the following pages.

ACTIVITY 1-2-1

MORPHEMES ACTIVITY

Directions: Use the following 45 morphemes to create at least 10 words related to language and vocabulary. No morpheme is used more than once, unless it is included more than once on the list.

Remember, you can use the lists of roots, prefixes, and suffixes at the links already mentioned to look up the definition of any morpheme.

MORPHEMES

alpha / cogn / gener / ize / pol
ant / com / hens / lab / pol
ar / con / ic / logy / pre
ate / de / ing / morph / re
ation / di / intro / multi / rect
ary / duce / ion / non / s
bet / eme / ity / onym / syl
bul / etymo / ive / para / text
cod / extra / ize / phrase / voca

WORDS YOU CREATED FROM THE MORPHEMES

1 / 6
2 / 7
3 / 8
4 / 9
5 / 10

16 words can actually be created from the morphemes listed above!

ACTIVITY 1-2-2

WORD FAMILY ACTIVITY

Below is a word family for the root onym (name or word):

word meaning the opposite

word meaning the same thing not having a name

false name meaning the same as

a word with the same sound

word derived from that of a person or placenamelessness

DIRECTIONS: Use one of the following roots to complete a word family in the blank graphic provided.

  • CHRON (time)
  • CIDE(kill, cut down)
  • NEO(new)
  • PATER (father)
  • PATH/PATHY (feeling, suffering)

WORD FAMILY