Having an extensive vocabulary helps you better express yourself and come across as intelligent and well-read. Being able to speak well will help you climb the ladder at work and improve your personal social skills and relationships. Root words can help you increase your vocabulary because they have a definite meaning and you simply attach them to another word or suffix to convey a new definition and meaning. This instantly increases your vocabulary.
Instructions
1. Pick up a book, newspaper, magazine or anything else with lots of text. Look at all the words. Notice that some words are short, some are long, some are plurals, some have common endings (suffixes) and beginnings (prefixes). You may not know what all the words mean. Find a couple of words you are unsure of. Does any part of the word seem familar? If so, what does it seem like? This may be a root word.
2. Look at the following words: biology, biography, biohazard. What they have in common is the "bio." Bio is a root word which means "life." Now look at the words again. Biology. If you know your suffixes, you know what -logy is "the study of." Thus, biology is the study of life. A biohazard is something that is dangerous to life or life threatening. Biography is a story about one's life.
3. Go to the website provided in the Resources section below, and study the root words and their meanings. Make flash cards with index cards where you have the root on one side and the definition on the other.
4. Try to figure out what a word means by first breaking down the pieces of the word. Root words are often one syllable so if you break down words by syllables you might see the root word hidden in it and be able to figure out what it means. If all else fails look it up in the dictionary.
5. Begin using the root words with other parts of speech and impress friends and family with your increased vocabulary.
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