Year 7 · English · Literacy
Greek and Latin roots
Using common roots such as 'tele', 'graph', 'port' and 'aud' to work out the meaning and spelling of unfamiliar words.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to UK year groups by age (Year 1 is the year a child turns 6 in England). They are not mapped to the National Curriculum in England or the curricula of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so check them against your own plans.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Learn the meanings of common Greek and Latin roots.
- Use roots to work out the meanings of unfamiliar words.
- Group words into families by shared roots to support spelling.
Success looks like
- I can explain the meaning of at least eight roots.
- I can break a word into its parts and work out its meaning.
- I can list several words that share a root.
The big idea
Many English words, especially in science and technology, are built from Greek and Latin roots. Knowing a root can help you understand dozens of words.
Greek roots:
- tele (far): telephone, telescope, television
- phon (sound): telephone, microphone, phonics
- graph (write or draw): autograph, paragraph, photograph
- micro (small), scope (look at), bio (life), geo (earth): microscope, biology, geography
Latin roots: port (carry), as in transport and portable; aud (hear), as in audience and audio; vis/vid (see), as in vision and video; aqua (water), as in aquarium; dict (say), as in dictate and predict.
To use roots, break the word into parts, find each meaning, then combine them. 'Telescope' = tele (far) + scope (look at) = an instrument for looking at faraway things. Roots also help with spelling: 'photograph' keeps the 'ph' from the Greek root 'photo' (light).
Worked examples
Breaking a word into roots
What does 'microphone' mean?
- Split it: micro + phone.
- 'Micro' means small; 'phon' means sound.
- Combine: a device that picks up small sounds (and makes them louder).
Answer: A device that picks up sound so it can be amplified or recorded.
Working out an unfamiliar word
What might 'geology' mean? (The ending '-logy' means 'study of'.)
- Split it: geo + logy.
- 'Geo' means earth; '-logy' means study of.
- Combine the meanings.
Answer: The study of the earth, including rocks and landforms.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
What does the root 'port' mean?
carry — 'Port' means carry, as in 'transport' and 'portable'.
Which word contains a root meaning 'hear'?
audible — 'Aud' means hear; 'audible' means able to be heard.
What does 'biography' most likely mean?
a written account of someone's life — 'Bio' (life) + 'graph' (write) = writing about a life.
Which word does NOT belong to the 'vis/vid' (see) family?
audio — 'Audio' comes from 'aud', meaning hear.
A 'telescope' is used to:
look at faraway things — 'Tele' (far) + 'scope' (look at).
Which Greek root in 'autograph' means 'write'? Type it.
graph — 'Graph' means write or draw.
Which root in 'aquarium' means 'water'? Type it.
aqua — 'Aqua' is Latin for water.
The root 'micro' means ____. Type one word.
small — 'Micro' means small, as in 'microscope'.
Watch out for
- Assuming every word with the same letters shares a root. 'Report' shares 'port' (carry), but 'portrait' does not come from the same meaning. Check a dictionary.
- Relying only on roots and ignoring context. Combine root knowledge with the sentence to confirm meaning.
- Thinking roots are only for spelling tests. They are most useful for understanding new words in science, maths and history.
Tips for parents
- When you meet a long word, ask 'Do we know any part of this word?'
- Look up word origins together; many dictionaries list them.
- Build a word-family chart on the fridge and add to it weekly.
Go further
- Invent a new gadget and name it using Greek or Latin roots (for example, an 'aquascope'). Write a definition.
- Find ten words in a science book and break them into roots.
- Play root bingo: call out meanings while players mark matching words on their cards.
About 35 minutes
You'll need
- Index cards
- A dictionary that shows word origins (print or a family member to check with)
- Paper for a word-family chart
Key words
- root
- The core part of a word that carries its main meaning, often from Greek or Latin.
- word family
- A group of words that share a root, such as 'transport', 'portable' and 'export'.
- etymology
- The origin and history of a word.
- morpheme
- The smallest unit of meaning in a word, such as a root, prefix or suffix.
Still tricky?
For parents
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