Focus on Vocabulary: Use Word Parts
Some English words are made up of meaningful parts, including base words and suffixes. A base word makes sense alone, with no other parts attached to it. A suffix is a word part that comes at the end of a word. It changes the meaning of a word or how the word is used.
Sometimes you can put two or more smaller words together to form a compound word.
EXAMPLES
The suffix -ly means “in a certain way.”
| base word slow | + | suffix -ly | = | slowly |
Slowly means “in a way that is slow.”
Everything is a compound word.
| base word every | + | base word thing | = | compound word everything |
Everything means “all things that exist.”
How the Strategy Works
When you read, you may come to a word that you don’t know. Look for word part clues to help you define the word.
1. Look at words nearby for clues to the word’s meaning.
2. Break down the word into meaningful parts.
3. Think about the meaning of each part.
4. Put the meanings together to define the whole word.
5. See if the meaning makes sense.
Follow the strategy to define each underlined word.
Strategy in Action
“ I see meaningful parts in sunset. The sun is an object in the sky. Set means ‘to go down.’ A sunset is when the sun seems to go down. That meaning makes sense.”
REMEMBER Sometimes you can use word part clues to figure out the meaning of a whole word.