Does Vocabulary Matter Anymore on the SAT & ACT?
At first glance, both the SAT and the ACT seem to have eradicated all of their vocabulary questions. Gone are the SAT questions where you had to choose the most fitting word for the blank in the sentence, and long gone are the old “analogy” questions of my SAT days. (ANALOGIES : SAT :: DODO BIRD : WORLD.) Do students need to bother with vocabulary at all, anymore? YES. Just because the obvious vocabulary questions are gone doesn’t mean that a strong college-bound vocabulary isn’t still helpful. There are still many challenging vocabulary words throughout the tests; the difference is that now the tests are more likely testing your ability to know how a word is being used in context. For example, more and more passages on the Reading section of the tests are coming from older texts from the 1800’s or 1700’s. These older texts often involve a lot…
Roots2Words Affix of the Week: IM-
Ready to improve the depth and breadth of your personal lexicon? Master the common roots, prefixes, and suffixes that so many of our words are based on, and you’ll have the tools to recognize familiar words or decode unfamiliar ones. That’s what Roots2Words is all about! Your Roots2Words Affix of the Week is IM-: IM- is a prefix meaning in, upon. (Prefixes appear at the beginning of words) **EXAMPLES** imbibe (verb) – to drink or take in; to assimilate BREAKDOWN: IM- (in) + BIB- (drink) imminent (adj) – impending or about to happen BREAKDOWN: IM- (in, upon) + MIN- (project) + -ENT (inclined to) immure (verb) – to enclose, confine, or imprison; to build ionto a wall BREAKDOWN: IM- (in) + MUR- (wall) impale (verb) – to pierce with something sharp and pointed BREAKDOWN: IM- (in) + PAL- (stake or post) impeach (verb) – to discredit, call into…
Roots2Words Affix of the Week: -LOGUE
Looking to develop a more masterful vocabulary or just want to understand more of what you read and hear? Learning the common roots, prefixes, and suffixes that so many of our words are based on gives you the tools to recognize familiar words or decode unfamiliar words. That’s what Roots2Words is all about! Your Roots2Words Affix of the Week is -LOGUE: -LOGUE is a suffix meaning speech. (Suffixes appear at the end of words) **EXAMPLES** dialogue (noun) – conversation or discourse between two or more persons (also dialog) BREAKDOWN: DIA- (across, through) + -LOGUE (speech) epilogue (noun) – a short speech spoken directly to the audience at the conclusion of a play; a short concluding section at the end of a text BREAKDOWN: EPI- (in addition) + -LOGUE (speech) ideologue (noun) – someone advocating or driven by a particular ideology BREAKDOWN: IDEA- (the result of mental processes) +…
Roots2Words Affix of the Week: PERI-
Do you often find yourself struggling to understand your own language? Suffer no more! Learn the common roots, prefixes, and suffixes that so many of our words are based on, and you’ll have the tools to recognize familiar words or decode unfamiliar ones. Roots2Words makes mastering English easy! Your Roots2Words Affix of the Week is PERI-: PERI- is a prefix meaning around, about, or near. (Prefixes appear at the beginning of words) **EXAMPLES** periapt (noun) – an amulet or charm worn on a necklace BREAKDOWN: PERI- (around) + APT- (fit, fasten) perigee (noun) – the point in an orbit around a planet such as Earth that is closest that planet; the lowest point BREAKDOWN: PERI- (near) + GE- (earth, derived from Gaia) perihelion (noun) – the point in the orbit of a planet or other body where it is nearest to the sun BREAKDOWN: PERI- (near) + HELIO-…
Roots2Words Affix of the Week: APO-
Are you a lifelong English speaker who sometimes feels like you’re still a beginner in your own language? Learn the common roots, prefixes, and suffixes that so many of our words are based on, and you’ll have the tools to recognize familiar words or decode unfamiliar ones. Roots2Words makes mastering English easy! Your Roots2Words Affix of the Week is APO-: APO- is a prefix meaning from or away. (Prefixes appear at the beginning of words) **EXAMPLES** apocalypse (noun) – global destruction; a disaster or cataclysm BREAKDOWN: APO- (from) + CALYPT- (hide or cover) — apocalyptic means revelatory; relating to or describing an apocalypse apodictic (adj) – undeniably or demonstrably true BREAKDOWN: APO- (from) + DICT- (speak) + -IC (of or pertaining to) apogee (noun) – a point in an orbit around a planet such as Earth that is furthest from that planet; highest point BREAKDOWN: APO- (away) +…
Roots2Words Affix of the Week: -ID
Looking to add a lot more words your personal lexicon or just want to better understand the English language? Learning the common roots, prefixes, and suffixes that so many of our words are based on gives you the tools to recognize familiar words or decode unfamiliar words. That’s the Roots2Words way! Your Roots2Words Affix of the Week is -ID: -ID is a suffix meaning that which is. (Suffixes appear at the end of words) **EXAMPLES** acrid (adj) – irritating to the eyes or nose; sharply stinging or bitter; exceedingly caustic BREAKDOWN: ACR- (sharp or bitter) + -ID (that which is) fervid (adj) – intensely zealous or impassioned; extremely hot; burning BREAKDOWN: FERV- (boil) + -ID (that which is) flaccid (adj) – soft, floppy, or flabby BREAKDOWN: FLACC- (flabby, flap-eared) + -ID (that which is) gravid (adj) – pregnant; heavy with child BREAKDOWN: GRAV- (heavy) + -ID (that which…