J
ust as a good gardener builds a lovely garden by having its plants maintain strong, healthy roots, you
will see your vocabulary grow by recognizing common roots. Although it is the main part of a word,
a root is not necessarily a complete word. It is the base to which a prefix and/or suffix might be added.
In this chapter, you will become familiar with 20 common roots. Connected to these roots are various suf-
fixes that you have already become acquainted with in Chapter 5. You are on your way toward building a strong
vocabulary by making the connections between these word parts and recognizing their meanings.
CHAPTER
Vocabulary List 3:
Learning Roots
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Becoming familiar with Greek and Latin roots will help you build your
vocabulary by helping you recognize the base of many words.
6
59

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VOCABULARY LIST 3: LEARNING ROOTS
–
61
Choose the word from the Vocabulary List that best fits into the crossword puzzle. You can check your answers
at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions.
1
3
4
2
6
5
789
1211
10

3 confirm
5 incentive
9 able to be heard
10 undercover
13 intentional destruction of
an entire group of people
14 small amount
17 experienced and aware
18 change often
19 constant, continuous
20 drawn out
Down
1 persistent
2 discarded
4 to provoke
6 question, investigate
7 talkative, garrulous
8 statistical characteristics
of human populations
11 hostile, aggressive
12 pathetic quality
15 faithfulness
16 lively, ebullient

agonize (a·ə·n¯z)
root: agon means struggle, contest
(verb)
to suffer intense pain, to struggle over something
As a teacher, I over how to reprimand my
students.

she is one of the most loyal people I know.
fluctuate (flək·chu·a¯t)
root: flux, flu means to flow
(verb)
to move up and down, constantly changing
My weight tends to according to the
seasons.
genocide (jen·ə·s¯d)
root: gen means race or kind
(noun)
the deliberate extermination of an entire group of
people
Mass is an atrocity that many times
happens during civil war.
incognito (in·ko·ne¯ ·to¯)
root: cog, gno means to know
(noun)
disguised, unrecognizable
I had to go to the party in order to
supervise my daughter and her friends.
inducement (in·dus·mənt)
root: duc means lead
(noun)
motive, leading to an action, incentive
As a(n) , they offered free appetizers to
anyone arriving between 9 and 10.
interrogate (in·ter·rə·a¯t)
root: rog means to ask
(verb)
to question