Unlocking New Words
Aligned to L.3.4 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
To figure out a new word, use the words around it, or look at its parts like prefixes, suffixes, and roots.
Worked examples
Example 1
In 'unhappy,' the prefix 'un-' means 'not,' so 'unhappy' means 'not happy' — the parts unlock the meaning.
Example 2
In 'misjudge,' the prefix 'mis-' means wrongly, so misjudge means to judge wrongly.
Example 3
A suffix changes a word's job. 'Care' is a thing you do; 'careful' describes a person; 'carefully' describes how something is done.
Practice questions
- Use context to guess a new word's meaning.
- Break a word into a prefix and a root to find its meaning.
- Tell the two meanings of a word like 'bat' and how to know which is used.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Descifrar Palabras Nuevas
Para descubrir una palabra nueva, usa las palabras a su alrededor o mira sus partes, como los prefijos, sufijos y raíces.
Ejemplo 1: En 'infeliz', el prefijo 'in-' significa 'no', así que 'infeliz' significa 'no feliz' — las partes revelan el significado.
Ejemplo 2: En 'malinterpretar', el prefijo 'mal-' significa de forma equivocada, así que malinterpretar es entender mal.
Ejemplo 3: Un sufijo cambia el trabajo de una palabra. 'Cuidado' es algo que haces; 'cuidadoso' describe a una persona; 'cuidadosamente' describe cómo se hace algo.
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