How to build a rich vocabulary
Building a rich vocabulary is one of the best ways of becoimg a better reader.The more words you recognize,the more easily you can read.
Of corse, you will always meet some unknown words in your reading.If necessary,you can look up such words in your dictionary.But you can sometimes determine the meaning of an unknown word by recognizing the meaning of its parts, by examining its structure.
You probably already know that many English words are built up from the parts: a prefix,a root,and a suffix.If you know the meaning of a good many prefixes, roots, and suffixes, you can often determine the meaning of some unknown words.
A prefix is a word or particle that comes before the main part of a word and helps determine the meaning of the word.
Example: dishonest=dis(prefix meaning not or the opposite of)+honest(main part).Someone who is dishonest is not honest.
The root is the main part of the word,the part that carries the basic meaning:
Exmaple：produce=pro(prefix sometimes meaning forward)+duce(Latin root meanig bring,take,or lead).To produce something is to bring it forward.
A suffix is a wood or particle that comes after the main part or root of a word and helps determine the meaning of the word.
Example: readable=read(root)+able(suffix meaning here able or fit).A book that is readable is able or fit to be read.
Knowing the meaning of prefixes and suffixes helps you determine the meaning of words and thus to build a richer vocabulary.But knowing the meanning of a prefix or a suffix is not very helpful unless you also know the meaning of the root to which the prefix or suffix is attached.
Many words which we use every day are actually compound words. You know, for example, that foot and ball are two commonly used English words,and you also recognize footballas one word combining the two.There are many such combinations--key and hole, watch and tower, break and fast, class and room and many others.
The words television and photograph are also compound words.The English language has borrowed many roots from other languages(mostly Latin and Greek)to use as combining forms.In English,many of these combining forms, such as tele and photo, are known not as words by themselves, like foot and ball, but only as parts of compound words.
(From the chapter,I know that the root is so much important.)
But everything just is saying much more easy than taking action,we should building all things day by day.
[ 此帖被草七七在2011-09-28 12:35重新编辑 ]
