English 10 Unit 11: Vocabulary: Roots, Context and Connotation | Notes and practice

Notes

Word parts

Roots carry core meaning: bene (good), mal (bad), chron (time), dict (say), spec (look), ject (throw), path (feeling), phil (love).
Prefixes change meaning: ante- (before), anti- (against), inter- (between), intra- (within), circum- (around), trans- (across).
Suffixes often change the part of speech: -ous, -ify, -ism, -ology, -cracy.

Context and connotation

Context clues: definition, synonym, antonym or contrast, example and inference.
Connotation is a word's emotional color; nuance and intensity separate near-synonyms.

Allusions and relationships

Many words come from myth and literature: narcissistic, tantalize, odyssey, mentor, quixotic, nemesis, Achilles' heel.
Solve analogies by stating the first pair's relationship in a sentence and testing each choice.

Topics in this unit

Each topic has its own short notes and practice.

Practice

Using roots, "retrospective" most likely means:

"The speaker's argument was specious: it sounded convincing at first but fell apart under close inspection." "Specious" means:

Which word has the most positive connotation for someone who spends little money?

A long, difficult road trip full of unexpected adventures could be called a(n):

Choose the pair that matches: SCALPEL : SURGEON ::

"Transatlantic" describes something that:

Free response

Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.

Free-response question

Read this original sentence from a news story: "The council's decision to close the library drew a chorus of protest. Supporters called the plan prudent; critics called it shortsighted and callous, insisting the library was an indispensable lifeline for the town."

(a) Use context and word parts to define "indispensable."

Show the answer and scoring guide

"Indispensable" means absolutely necessary. The prefix "in-" means not, and "dispensable" means able to be done without, so the word means "not able to be done without." The context clue "lifeline" supports this meaning.

Check off the points you earned:

1 point: gives an accurate definition
1 point: explains the prefix or a context clue that supports it

(b) Compare the connotations of "prudent" and "callous" in the passage.

Show the answer and scoring guide

"Prudent" has a positive connotation, suggesting a careful, wise choice. "Callous" has a negative connotation, suggesting the council is cold and uncaring about people's needs. The two words describe the same decision in opposite emotional terms.

Check off the points you earned:

1 point: correctly identifies prudent as positive and callous as negative
1 point: explains how each word shapes the view of the decision

(c) Rewrite the critics' view using a word with stronger negative intensity than "shortsighted," and explain your choice.

Show the answer and scoring guide

"Critics called the plan reckless and callous." "Reckless" is more intense than "shortsighted" because it suggests careless disregard for danger, not just a failure to think ahead.

Check off the points you earned:

1 point: chooses a word with clearly stronger negative intensity
1 point: explains the difference in nuance or intensity