2018-12-27 TOEFL: word roots, reading vocabulary

Word roots (list 4) - With your partner(s), try to explain the meaning of each root with one or two words.
icon (iconography, iconoclast, iconic) = image/symbol
idio (idiomatic, idiosyncrasy, idiot) = one’s own/unique/special
il/im/in/ir (illegal, impossible, inconsiderate, irresponsible) = not
il/im/in/ir (illuminate, impress, inhale, irradiate) = in
	spelling:
	il before L, ir before R, im before M/B/P, in before everything else
infra/infer (infrastructure, infrared, infrasonic) = under/below (the opposite is “ultra” or “super”)
inter (interview, international, intercept) = between/among
intra/intro (intravenous, introvert) = into/inward (This is the same “tra/tro” comparative form we see in words with “extra” and “retro”.)
ject (interject, eject) = throw/thrust
junct (junction, conjunction, adjunct) = join
kine (kinetic, kinesthetic, telekinesis) = movement (In Latin this root is spelled “cine”.)
lab (labor, collaborate, elaborate) = work
lex/lect (lexical, dyslexia, lecture, dialect) = word/read/speak (This is the same “lect” from “collect”, “select”, and “elect”, from the idea of picking out or selecting words when you speak.)
loc (location, dislocation, relocate) = place
luc (translucent, elucidate) = light
lum (illuminate, lumen) = light
macro (macroeconomics, macroevolution) = big
magni/magna/magnum (magnify, magnificent, magnate) = great (in size or quality)
mal (malpractice, malaria, malicious) = bad (The opposite root is “bene”.)
man/mani/manu (manual, maneuver, manuscript) = hand
mar (marine, maritime) = sea
mega (megabyte, megastructure, megalith) = huge (unit prefix meaning 106)
meta (metamorphosis, metastasis) = change
meta (metaphysics, metacognition, metadata) = beyond/about (Metacognition is thinking about thoughts.)
micro (microscope, microphone, microbe) = small/tiny (unit prefix meaning 10-6)
migr (immigrate, migrant) = move (from one place to another)
mis (misbehave, misnomer) = wrong/incorrect
miss/mit (dismiss, transmit, missile) = send/throw
mono (monochromatic, monotonous, monologue) = one
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1 tonne = 1 metric ton = 1000 kg = 1,000,000 g = 1 megagram
(1 ton = 1 short ton = 2000 lbs = 907 kg)
1 megabyte can be 106 = 1,000,000 bytes, or it can be 220 = 1,048,576 bytes, sometimes “mibibyte”
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Reading Question Types:
- vocabulary (which word has the most similar meaning to one from the text)
- paraphrase (which sentence has the most similar meaning to one from the text)
- inference (what conclusions can you draw from the text)
- reference (what does a pronoun in the text refer to)
- fact (what’s true according to the text)
- negative fact (what’s not true according to the text)
- purpose (why does the author say something)
- sentence insertion (where does a new sentence fit best in a paragraph from the text)
- summarize (what are the three most important supporting ideas from the text)
- organize/categorize (put 5 or 7 answer choices in 2-3 categories)
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Vocabulary questions ask you to choose the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to a highlighted word or phrase in the text.
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Many words have multiple meanings, but you have to choose the one that’s used in the text.
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BREAK
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score
- the number of points you have in a game
- to earn a point in a game
- sheet music for a particular work
- to scratch something hard like glass
- twenty (“Four-score and seven years ago” = 87 years ago)
Often, one or more of the incorrect answer choices will be other definitions of the same word.
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Handout (Cambridge) - This goes through several techniques for identifying the meaning of unfamiliar words.
The first few (through question 24) will almost never be used for vocabulary question words, but might help you with other new vocabulary.
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[body part]ed [noun] = [noun] with [body part]
horned animal = animal with horns
blue-eyed baby = baby with blue eyes
three-legged table = table with three legs
long-stemmed glass = glass with a long stem
hoofed mammal = mammal with hooves
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p. 150 “using examples” - The rest of these clues might be used for vocabulary questions, as well as other unfamiliar words or phrases.
25 - What do you think the wrasse is?
27 - You should be able to identify that mesquite is a drought-resistant plant that is not a kind of grass.
29 - diodes and transistors are some of the tiny devices connected on a single silicon chip
Many meanings can also be identified using word roots.
“carnivore” has something to do with meat (and “vore” means “eat”)
“chronometer” is something that measures time
43 - “benign” is contrasted with “deadly”, so it means at least “nonlethal” (more generally, “harmless”)
45 - “viscous” is contrasted with “low resistance to motion”, so you could conclude that something viscous has high resistance to motion (like, for example, honey compared to water)
47 - A campanile is a bell tower that is not attached to any other building.
48 - An autodactic student only interacts with a teacher when they need help, meaning most of their time is not with a teacher. -> self-taught
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“Using other words” is the most common and sometimes most difficult way to use context clues.
50 - The chanter is the part of the bagpipe used to produce melodies with the fingers. It is probably a pipe because the bag is already mentioned.
52 - The hull is the body of a ship, which provides storage space under the deck.
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What can you figure out about the numbered words even if you don’t understand any of them?
“Because of their similar teeth, [1] and [2] are believed to have evolved from the same ancestral groups as the [3], [4], and other [5].”
- They have teeth and evolved from something, so all of these are animals (that have similar teeth)
- [1] and [2] evolved from the same ancestors as [3], [4], and [5].
- [5] is a group that includes [3] and [4].
Original sentence: “Because of their similar teeth, seals and walruses are believed to have evolved from the same ancestral groups as the weasels, badgers, andother mustelids.”
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Homework: Longman handout