Greek and Latin Roots: Working Out Unfamiliar Words — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 9th Grade vocabulary worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet9th Grade · English · VocabularyGreek and Latin Roots: Working Out Unfamiliar Words — Answers
Part A: Roots and meanings
A root is the core of a word that carries its main meaning. Many English words are built from Greek and Latin roots.
- chron
- graph
- port
- dict
- spect
- rupt
- bene
- mal
- carry
- break
- good
- look
- write
- time
- bad
- say
Answer: chron → time; graph → write; port → carry; dict → say; spect → look; rupt → break; bene → good; mal → bad
Part B: Use the root
Use the roots from Part A to choose the meaning of each word in bold.
- Ain order of size
- Bin order of time
- Cin order of importance
- Din alphabetical order
Answer: in order of time
chron = time, so chronological order follows the sequence of time.
- Aa celebration
- Ba failure to work properly
- Ca type of machine
- Da successful test
Answer: a failure to work properly
mal = bad, so a malfunction is when something functions badly.
- Aagree with them
- Bbreak into what they are saying
- Ccarry their message
- Dwrite down their words
Answer: break into what they are saying
inter = between and rupt = break: to break in between.
- Adoes good by giving help or money
- Bwrites biographies
- Cbreaks the rules
- Dlooks after the time
Answer: does good by giving help or money
bene = good and fact = do or make: someone who does good.
- Ashows only new work
- Blooks back over an artist's past work
- Ctravels from city to city
- Dis held outdoors
Answer: looks back over an artist's past work
retro = back and spect = look: looking back.
- Aable to be carried
- Bmade at a port
- Cvery expensive
- Deasy to break
Answer: able to be carried
port = carry and -able = able to be: able to be carried.
Part C: Build the word
Complete each word using a root from Part A (or the clue given).
Answer: biography
auto = self, bio = life, graph = write: autobiography.
Answer: dict
pre = before and dict = say: predict.
Answer: spect
spect = look: spectator.
Answer: port
ex = out and port = carry: exports.
Answer: rupt
e (ex) = out and rupt = break: erupt.
Answer: mal
mal = bad: malicious means intending harm.
Part D: Roots in context
Read the passage, then use roots and context clues to answer.
Answer: A document written by hand (from manu = hand and script = write).
Answer: Something placed in the wrong time period, such as a clock in a story set before clocks existed.
Answer: A person who writes or copies documents by hand; the root scrib means write.
Answer: inspect (look into or examine closely); spectacle (something striking to look at)
- Other correct answers include: respect, perspective, prospect, spectator, suspect, retrospect.
Part E: Your turn
Model answer: Root: dict (say). 1. Contradict: to say the opposite. My brother likes to contradict everything I say. 2. Dictionary: a book that says what words mean. I checked the spelling in a dictionary. 3. Verdict: the decision a jury says at the end of a trial. The jury took two days to reach a verdict.
Success criteria:
- Three real words that contain the chosen root
- An accurate meaning for each word linked to the root
- Each word used correctly in a sentence that shows its meaning
- Accurate spelling
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.