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VOOZH | about |
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VOOZH | about |
Vocabulary is the set of words we know and use while speaking, reading, writing, and understanding a language. In English, building a good vocabulary helps us communicate clearly and understand ideas more easily.
Understanding vocabulary is important for solving verbal ability questions. Instead of memorizing meanings, it is better to use logical techniques to understand words. The following rules help in identifying the correct meaning of unfamiliar words.
The meaning of a word should never be decided in isolation. Always understand the context of the sentence.
Example: The judge was lenient with the offender.
Here, the context is related to punishment, so lenient means not strict.
Break unfamiliar words into smaller parts to understand their meaning.
Some Common Prefixes:
| Prefix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| anti | against |
| bene | good |
| mal | bad |
| pre | before |
| post | after |
Some Common Suffixes:
| Suffix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -ology | study of |
| -phobia | fear |
| -less | without |
Example: Benevolent = bene (good) + volent (wishing) → kind
Some words look similar but have different meanings. Understanding these differences prevents common mistakes.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Affect Effect | influence (verb) result (noun) |
| Eminent Imminent | famous about to happen |
| Accept Except | receive exclude |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| bio | life | biology, biography |
| psych | mind | psychology |
| anthrop | human | anthropology |
| dem | people | democracy |
| anim | life/soul | animate, animation |
| ego | self | egoist |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| logy | study of | biology |
| gnosis | knowledge, knowing | diagnosis, prognosis |
| soph | wisdom | philosophy |
| scient | to know, knowledge | science |
| cogn | to know | cognition, recognize |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| dict | say | dictate, verdict |
| loqu | speak | eloquent, soliloquy |
| voc | voice | vocal, vocation |
| narr | tell | narrate, narrative |
| scrib / script | write | describe, manuscript |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| vis / vid | see | vision, evident |
| spect | look | inspect, perspective |
| optic | eye | optical, optician |
| scop | watch | microscope, telescope |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| mot / mov | move | motion, promote |
| grad / gress | step | progress, gradual |
| port | carry | transport, export |
| ped | foot | pedestrian, impede |
| vert | turn | reverse, convert |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| chron | time | chronology, chronic |
| temp | time | temporary, temporal |
| prim | first | primary, primitive |
| post | after | postpone, postwar |
| pre | before | predict, preview |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| dyn | power | dynamic, dynamite |
| potent | powerful | potent, omnipotent |
| domin | rule | dominate, domain |
| arch | chief | architect, monarchy |
| tyr | ruler | tyrant, tyranny |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| bene | good | benefit, benevolent |
| mal | bad | malfunction, malicious |
| eu | good / well | euphoria, euthanasia |
| mis | wrong | mistake, misjudge |
| noc | harm | noxious, innocent |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| magn | large | magnify, magnitude |
| mini | small | miniature, minimal |
| multi | many | multiple, multiply |
| uni | one | uniform, unilateral |
| poly | many | polygon, polyglot |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| path | feeling | sympathy, apathy |
| phil | love | philosophy, philanthropist |
| phob | fear | phobia, claustrophobia |
| irasc | anger | irascible |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| geo | earth | geography, geology |
| hydro | water | hydrogen, hydrology |
| thermo | heat | thermometer, thermal |
| astro | star | astronomy, astronaut |
| aero | air | aerospace, aerobic |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| form | shape | reform, transform |
| struct | build | construct, structure |
| morph | form | morphology, amorphous |
| typ | model | prototype, typical |
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| jur | law | justice, jurisdiction |
| civ | citizen | civil, civilization |
| polit | state | politics, policy |
| leg | law | legal, legislature |
Root words help in understanding the meaning of unfamiliar words during exams. By breaking a word into parts, it becomes easier to identify its meaning.
Follow these simple steps:
- Break the word – Divide the word into smaller parts such as prefix, root, and suffix.
- Identify the root meaning – Find the basic meaning of the root word.
- Check prefix or suffix – Prefixes and suffixes modify the meaning of the root.
- Match with sentence context – Finally, understand the meaning based on how the word is used in the sentence.
Example : Indefatigable
- in = not
- de = away
- fatigue = tiredness
Meaning → never tired or having endless energy.
