Focus on Vocabulary: Use Word Parts
Some English words are made up of parts. These parts include base words and prefixes. You can use the parts as clues to a word’s meaning.
A prefix is a word part that is added to the beginning of a word. It changes the meaning of the base word. The chart shows some common prefixes.
| Prefix | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| dis- | opposite | disagree |
| im- | not | impolite |
| pre- | before | preview |
| re- | again; back | review |
How the Strategy Works
When you read, you may come to a word you don’t know. Sometimes you can use word parts to figure out the meaning of an unknown word.
1. Look at the surrounding words for clues to the new word’s meaning.
2. Break the word into parts. Identify word parts you know.
EXAMPLE rearrange → re- + arrange re- again + arrange put in order = rearrange put in order again
3. Think about the meaning of each word part. If you don’t know the base word, look it up in a dictionary.
4. Put the meanings of the word parts together to understand the whole word. Check that the meaning makes sense in the passage.
Use the strategy to figure out the meaning of each underlined word.
Strategy in Action
“ I see the base word named. I know that named means ‘gave a name’ and re- means ‘again.’ So renamed means ‘gave a name again.’ That makes sense.”
REMEMBER Sometimes you can use the meanings of a prefix and a base word to figure out what the whole word means.