Vocabulary and spelling ( Level V)

Level V

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Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling, Level V
Care has been taken to verify the accuracy of information presented in this book. However, the authors, editors, and
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Trademarks: Some of the product names and company names included in this book have been used for identification
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Cover Image Credits: Scene, © Kathy Collins/CORBIS; coin, art and image provided by Carroll Gibson.
ISBN 978-0-82194-341-0
© 2009 by EMC Publishing, LLC
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St. Paul, MN 55102
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Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Unit 1: Word Study Skills and Research Tools

Lesson 1:Word Study Notebook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Lesson 2:Word Study Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Lesson 3:PAVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Lesson 4:Using Dictionaries and Thesauruses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Time Out for Test Practice: Word Study Skills
and PAVE; Synonyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Unit 2: Word Parts and Determining Meaning

Lesson 5:Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lesson 6:Words with Multiple Meanings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Lesson 7:Connotation and Denotation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Lesson 8:Context Clues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Time Out for Test Practice: Defining Word Parts;
Using Context Clues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Unit 3: Word Origins and Language

Lesson 9: Word Origins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Lesson 10:Place Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Lesson 11:Word Families from Greek and Latin Roots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Lesson 12:English Words from French. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Lesson 13:English Words from Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Lesson 14:English Words from Asian Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Lesson 15:English around the World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Lesson 16:Informal and Archaic Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Lesson 17:Academic Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Time Out for Test Practice: Borrowed Words; Word Parts
from Greek and Latin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Unit 4: Spelling and Word Classification

Lesson 18:Categorizing and Classifying Vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Lesson 19:Semantic Mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Lesson 20:Spelling Rules and Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Lesson 21:More Spelling Patterns—Plurals, ei/ie, ceed/sede/cede . . . . . . 47
Lesson 22:Spelling Patterns with Affixes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Time Out for Test Practice: Spelling with Affixes;
Using Spelling Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

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Unit 5: Clarifying Meaning

Lesson 23:Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Lesson 24:Commonly Confused Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Lesson 25:Using Mnemonic Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Lesson 26:Word Meanings in Synonyms, Antonyms,
Homophones, and Homographs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Time Out for Test Practice: Commonly Confused Words;
Words with Multiple Meanings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Unit 6: Word Use and Standardized Test Preparation

Lesson 27:Literal and Figurative Meanings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Lesson 28:Idioms, Metaphors, and Similes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Lesson 29:Allusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Lesson 30:Language in the Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Lesson 31:Standardized Test Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Lesson 32:Expanding and Applying Your Word Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . 74
Time Out for Test Practice: Idioms and Figures of Speech;
Analogies; Sentence Completion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

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Introduction
The Exceeding the Standards resource books provide in-depth language arts instruction to enrich
students’ skills development beyond the level of meeting the standards. Exceeding the Standards:
Vocabulary & Spelling offers meaningful ways to incorporate word study into the language arts
classroom.
Vocabulary & Spelling presents thirty-two lessons, designed to be used weekly, that cover a broad
range of topics from etymology to context clues to spelling patterns. These lessons are aligned with
the units of the Mirrors & Windows: Connecting with Literature program and may be used alone or as
supplements to the Vocabulary & Spelling workshops in the Student Edition. Each lesson incorporates
words from selections in the corresponding unit of the textbook. By using these lessons in
conjunction with the literature program, you will help your students become better readers, writers,
speakers, and spellers.
Each lesson in Vocabulary & Spelling includes the following components:
• A Word of the Week, selected from the corresponding textbook unit, highlights a word that
students may find particularly meaningful or interesting.
• Grammar instruction on one or more topics is followed by a Try It Yourself section that allows
students to practice what they are learning.
• Just For Fun activities encourage students to play with words, reminding them that language can be
fun and interesting.
• Tip boxes in the margin throughout the lesson clarify definitions, offer additional information, and

give helpful suggestions.
• A Time Out for Test Practice at the end of each unit provides students with the opportunity to
assess what they have learned and to practice test-taking skills by answering sample standardized
test questions in a multiple-choice format.
It is essential that vocabulary instruction include a variety of strategies to develop students’
word-study skills. Lessons in Vocabulary & Spelling provide many different ways of exploring and
studying words, word parts, semantic families, and spelling patterns and rules. Activating students’
prior knowledge of words and of essential concepts related to words helps students make associations
between new terms and words they already know.
The activities in Vocabulary & Spelling will help you actively engage students in working with
words. As their curiosity about word exploration grows, your students will become increasingly
confident in their ability to attack, learn, and experiment with new words.

Related Program Resources

For more vocabulary and spelling instruction, including charts of common prefixes, suffixes, and
word roots, refer to the Mirrors & Windows Student Edition Language Arts Handbook, Section 2:
Vocabulary & Spelling. Additional vocabulary development activities integrated with the literature
selections are included in the Meeting the Standards unit resource books and in Differentiated
Instruction for English Language Learners.

Teaching Tips

Word study encompasses not only vocabulary and spelling, but also the strategies language users
employ to unlock meanings and internalize spellings. Effective instruction in word study gives students
tools for learning new vocabulary and spelling independently in the long term. The following teaching
tips can help you ensure that your students get the most from the lessons in Vocabulary & Spelling.

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Teach Word Attack Strategies
There are a number of strategies good readers employ when they are confronted with an unfamiliar
word. These strategies include:
• using the context as a clue
• gleaning hints from pictures, charts, graphs, and other text support
• examining word parts: prefixes, suffixes, and roots
• combing through memories for associations with the word
• consulting dictionaries and other reference materials
• asking an authority, such as a teacher or other expert in the field
For many of us, these strategies have become second nature, and we are hardly conscious of using
them. To students, however, they are not so obvious; strategic word decoding takes place mostly
internally and silently, word attack strategies are largely invisible, and uninitiated students may never
witness them in action. Research suggests that students need explicit instruction in these strategies to
become proficient readers and effective writers. The lessons in Vocabulary & Spelling provide such
explicit instruction.
Create a Word-Rich Environment
The essential backdrop to an effective word study program is a classroom where words are clearly
valued. The following are some ideas for creating such a classroom.
• Word Wall Post a variety of vocabulary words and/or words of the week in your classroom to

provide students with repetition and recycling of the terms you want them to internalize. Use it
as the basis of word games such as bingo, Jeopardy, and twenty questions, as well as collaborative
storytelling.
• Class Dictionary Have students keep a class dictionary by taking turns entering words studied in
class, providing definitions, illustrating terms, writing contextual sentences, and searching for realworld uses of the words.
• Classroom Library Provide a broad range of reading materials, giving students time for sustained
silent reading, and modeling avid reading yourself, to build students’ vocabularies.
• Word Processing Language Tools Encourage students to make use of language features built into
word processing programs, such as dictionaries and thesauruses.
• Online Word Games Schedule time for your students to learn new vocabulary with online word
games and other technology tools.
• Language Mentor Share your own interest in words by drawing students’ attention to interesting
words in the news or in pop culture and by modeling how you approach words that are new to you.
Foster Curiosity
The key to incorporating meaningful word study into your language arts classroom is to encourage
dialogue with your students about how words create meaning. Your own curiosity about language
is infectious and will encourage your students to become inquisitive “word detectives” motivated to
solve the mystery of word meanings.
About Spelling “Rules”
Some students benefit from memorizing what are sometimes called spelling rules; others are
frustrated by the number of exceptions to each rule. To reflect the prevalence of exceptions, the term
spelling pattern has been used instead of spelling rule in this resource. In addition to introducing
students to spelling patterns, you can help them become stronger spellers by following the same
teaching tips mentioned above: modeling the use of strategies, creating a word-rich classroom, and
fostering curiosity.

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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 1

Word Study Notebook
Understand the Concept
Keeping a word study notebook is a convenient way to log new words,
their meanings and their spellings, as well as prefixes, suffixes, word
roots, and other concepts. You can use your word study notebook to
write down words that you have trouble remembering how to spell.
You may even want to set part of your notebook aside for vocabulary
play in your own writing.
When you record a new word in your notebook, include its
definition, pronunciation, and origins, along with an example sentence
or drawing to help you remember it.
Here is a sample page from a word study notebook.
Word: miasma (pl. miasmas or miasmata)
Pronunciation: \m8 az> m@\
Origins: New Latin, from Greek word miainein, “to pollute”
Definition: Unhealthy, polluting vapor or fog
Sentence: The miasma of tobacco smoke in that coffee

shop makes me ill.

Word of the Week
avaricious (<a v@ >ri sh@s) adj.,
greedy, especially for wealth
Many observers thought that
the financial crisis of 2008 was
the result of avaricious stock
brokers, bankers, and insurance
executives.
Avaricious is the adjectival form of
the noun avarice and is ultimately
derived from the Latin word ave–re,
which means to crave. One of
the most well-known avaricious
characters in literature is Ebenezer
Scrooge, from Charles Dickens’s
1843 classic A Christmas Carol.
People who are willing to injure
others to gain or maintain wealth
are characterized as avaricious.
Sometimes the word avaricious
is used to imply that a person
has an obsession with money.
Other times it is used to suggest
that a person’s focus on wealth
verges on madness. Synonyms
of avaricious include greedy,
covetous, and rapacious.

As you learn more and
more words, you will also
become a better speaker and
a better writer, able to express
yourself more easily and vividly.

Tip

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Think about how you
want to use your word
study notebook. Then, take some
time to organize it. For example,
you may divide it into different
sections—one section for new
vocabulary you encounter, one for
common prefixes, suffixes, and
word roots, one for words that you

often have trouble spelling, and
one for fun words and word facts.

Tip

Try It Yourself
Browse through a magazine or newspaper until you find a word that is
unfamiliar to you. Use the space below to create your own word study
notebook entry for the unfamiliar word. To find the correct definition
and pronunciation, consult a dictionary. Hint: You don’t need to write
down all the definitions of the the word—just the one that seems to fit
the way it was used in the original sentence.
Word:
Definition:
Pronunciation:
Origins:

Here’s one item to get
you started on the “Fun
Word Facts” section of your word
study notebook:

Tip

One of the longest place
names in the world is probably
that of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch, a town in
northern Wales. It is called Llanfair
or Llanfair PG for short.

Every week, review the
entries in your word study
notebook. Try to incorporate
these words into your speech and
writing.

Tip

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Example sentence:

Just for Fun
Who or what is a doomster? What does it mean to commit verbicide?
You might not encounter or use such quirky words very often, but it is
fun to know their meanings. Create entries for the following words, or
peruse your dictionary for other odd words to add to your word study
notebook.
doomster
verbicide
geophagy
izzard
stygian

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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 2

Word Study Skills
Understand the Concept
When reading, you will often encounter words that are new to you. It
can be tempting to skip over them and keep going, but if that’s your
only strategy, you’ll probably end up missing a lot of what you read!
You will better understand and enjoy what you read if you follow these
simple strategies for decoding unfamiliar words.

Use Context Clues
When you encounter an unfamiliar word, you can figure out what it
means by looking at the context, or the words around it.
example

Word of the Week
inquiry (in kwir> @) n.,
investigation into a matter of
public interest
He launched the inquiry because
he believed the senator was lying.
The word inquiry stems from the
Latin word quaerere, which means

“seek.” Other words that share this
Latin base include inquire, inquest,
question, and inquisitive.

It was a good replica because it was almost identical to
the original painting.

You may not know what replica means, but from the clues in the
surrounding text, you can probably guess that a replica is a copy or
imitation of something else.

Use Text Support
Look for pictures, diagrams, charts, sidebars, and other features that
help explain or support ideas in the text. These items may help illustrate
unfamiliar terms. Read the following passage from a medical textbook.
Healthy joints are capable of rotation; that is, turning around an
axis. Types of rotation movements include supination, pronation,
eversion, and inversion. Supination allows the palm of the hand
to turn up. Pronation allows it to turn down. See Figure 23.10.

Text support is commonly
found in magazine
and newspaper articles and is
especially necessary in educational
material, such as textbooks.
Text support includes pictures,
diagrams, charts, captions, section
headings, and sidebars. A sidebar
is a short text piece that is found
alongside the main story.

Tip

Look for Familiar Word Parts
Examine the unfamiliar word. You may find that it contains a familiar
prefix, suffix, or word root that provides a clue to its meaning. For
example, if you know that kilo is Latin for “one thousand,” you can figure
out the meanings of such words as kilowatt, kilometer, and kilogram.

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A prefix is a word part
found at the beginning of a
word; a suffix is found at the end.
Prefixes and suffixes add meaning
to a base word or root. A word
root is a word part that is not a
prefix or suffix and contains more
of the core meaning of the word.

Tip

Use a Dictionary
Sometimes, the fastest way to find out the meaning of an unfamiliar
word is to look in the dictionary. However, keep in mind that many
words have more than one meaning. Be ready to combine some of the
other strategies with this one in order to figure out which definition is
the right one.
Consider the following sentence:
The company had invested heavily in emergent technologies.

The dictionary offers several possible definitions for the word emergent:

Just for Fun

1.
2.
3.
4.

arising unexpectedly; calling for prompt attention
rising out of or as if out of a fluid
arising as a natural or logical consequence
newly formed or standing out

Look up the following words in
a dictionary. Then, on your own
paper, draw a picture for each one
that would help a reader better

understand the word’s meaning.

Because there are four possibilities, you must decide which best fits in this
particular context. The fourth definition is the one that works best here.

saber
box kite
narwhal
piccolo
coping saw
ankh

EXERCISE A

Try It Yourself
Use context clues to estimate the meaning of the underlined word.
The county fair was incredibly prosaic, so we spent our time
trying to find something that would entertain us or seem even
the least bit exciting.

1. What do you think prosaic means?
2. What information in the passage helped you guess the meaning of
the word?
EXERCISE B

In your notebook, explain how the illustrations in Figure 23.10 help you
to understand the meanings of unfamiliar terms.
EXERCISE C

Use your knowledge of word parts to define each of the following words

in your notebook. You may refer to page 1041 of your student textbook
for examples of common word parts.
1. egocentrism
2. scalding

3. unperturbed
4. falteringly

5. inaudible

EXERCISE D

Read the following sentences. Look up each underlined word in the
dictionary and write down the definition that best fits the way the word
is used in the sentence.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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He brought a relic back from his travels.
Sasha didn’t want to rifle through her sister’s suitcase.
Hanna was going out to cull the flock.
Hakeem was excited by the torrent of well-wishers.

The crowd was surprised by how stout the old man proved to be.
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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 3

PAVE
Understand the Concept
PAVE is a good way to help yourself remember the meaning of a new
word. PAVE stands for Predict, Associate, Verify, and Evaluate. When
you encounter an unfamiliar word, first copy the sentence in which the
word appears. Then follow the steps below:
Predict

Try to predict the word’s meaning based on the context
and on your prior knowledge of the word or its parts. Write
down your prediction.

Associate Write a sentence of your own using the word. Associating
the word with a sentence will help you remember the
meaning of the word.
Verify

Next, check the meaning of the word by using a dictionary

or by asking your teacher. A dictionary may offer multiple
meanings for the same word. If you use a dictionary, select
and write down the most appropriate definition.

Evaluate

Finally, evaluate the sentence you wrote using the word.
Does it do a good job of capturing the meaning of the word?
Rewrite the sentence if necessary. If you wish, draw an
image that will help you remember the word.

Use PAVE to learn the underlined words in the sentences below.
1. The sea air was redolent of salt and dead fish.
Predict
Associate
Verify
Evaluate

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callously (ka> l@s l7) adv.,
insensitively; uncaringly
She handled the situation rather
callously, so I don’t know if I can
forgive her.
The word callously comes from
the Latin word callosus, meaning
“thick-skinned,” or callum,
meaning “hard skin.” One can
literally have a callus on his or

her hands from working too hard,
but figuratively, the word callous
means “unfeeling.”

Just for Fun

Try It Yourself

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Word of the Week

Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

Flip through a dictionary and find
a word you’ve never seen before.
Be sure you understand what it
means; then, write a paragraph
with the word hidden somewhere
in it. Exchange paragraphs with a
partner. Your partner must, first of
all, guess which word you were
“hiding,” and secondly, use PAVE to
figure out the meaning of the word.

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Use context clues to
predict the meaning of an
unfamiliar word. Context clues
are words and phrases in the
surrounding text that hint at the
meaning of a word.

Tip

Comparison clues help show
the meaning of a word or idea
by restating it in a different way
or by giving examples. Question
2 contains a comparison clue.
Contrast clues help show the
meaning of a word through giving
its opposite, or antonym. Contrast
clues may use words such as but,
however, although, or yet. Question
5 contains a contrast clue.

2. Subatomic physics is beyond the ken of the average person—it is
just not a subject most people know anything about.
Predict
Associate
Verify
Evaluate
3. Bob did not have time to collect his thoughts, so his acceptance

speech was rather desultory.
Predict
Associate
Verify
Evaluate

You do not need to stop
reading every time you
run across an unfamiliar word.
Usually, you can still get the gist of
the passage and continue on.

Tip

4. Punk rockers attempted to subvert mainstream rock-and-roll
music, which they believed had become cheesy and overly
commercial.
Predict
Associate

After using PAVE to
discover the meaning of
a new word, try to use that new
word in your everyday speech as
often as possible over a threeday period. This might make your
friends look at you strangely, but
it will help you feel comfortable
using the word and better
understand its meaning.

Tip

Verify
Evaluate
5. Foreign policy was not the president’s forte, but she relied on her
ambassadors and other experienced advisors to help compensate
for her weak point.
Predict
Associate
Verify
Evaluate

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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 4

Using Dictionaries and Thesauruses

Understand the Concept
The most important resources for word study are the dictionary and
the thesaurus. Many different kinds of dictionaries and thesauruses (or
thesauri) can be found in the reference section of your library.

Using a Dictionary
Standard dictionaries of English provide the spelling, pronunciation,
definitions, and other information about most words you will
encounter in your reading and listening.

Try It Yourself

Word of the Week
eccentric (ik sen> trik) adj.,
odd or unusual in behavior or
appearance
Everyone knew Mrs. Garish
because of her wacky house and
eccentric clothes.
The word eccentric comes from
the Greek ex, meaning “out of,”
and kentron, meaning “center.”
Synonyms include the words
quirky, oddball, and bizarre.
Antonyms include conformist,
traditionalist, and dull.

EXERCISE A

Use a dictionary to find the origins, or etymology, of each of the

following words. Then explain each word’s origins (being sure to define
any abbreviations) and make note of when the word entered English.
1. cryptic
2. gregarious
3. sheriff
4. shtick
5. curfew
The dictionary also provides information about how a word is generally
used. A usage label may tell you, for example, that a word is slang—
that is, used only in informal language—or that it is only used in a
certain dialect (such as British English). If a word or a definition of a
word is no longer in common usage, it will be labeled as archaic; if it is
no longer used at all, it will be labeled obsolete (obs.).
dor • ky adj. (1983) slang : foolishly stupid
tel • ly n. [by shortening and altering] (1939) dial chiefly
Brit : television
dowsabel n. [Dowsabel, fem. name] (ca. 1652) obs. : sweetheart

Read the notes at the
front of your dictionary
for explanations of the different
symbols, abbreviations, and usage
labels.

Tip

Just for Fun
Some words have quite wacky
origins. Find a dictionary of word
origins at your local library or on

the Internet, and browse until you
find some particularly interesting
entries. Copy down five words,
along with their etymology, in your
word study notebook.

Some words, such as ain’t, may be labeled nonstandard, meaning they
are considered incorrect in standard, fomal English. If the usage of a
word is controversial, there may be a longer explanation in the form of
a usage note.

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When using a thesaurus
be sure you choose a
synonym that fits the context of
your sentence and that has the
right connotations, or shades
of meaning. Also, beware of

choosing a word just because it
sounds impressive. Sometimes
the right word is the simpler one.

Tip

The notorious bard
e. e. cummings . . .
The illustrious versifier
e. e. cummings . . .
The well-known poet
e. e. cummings . . .

In addition to synonyms,
the thesaurus provides
antonyms for most words.
Antonyms for strange include
regular, conventional, run-of-themill, usual, and ordinary.

Try It Yourself
EXERCISE B

Find a standard dictionary and use it to complete the following
scavenger hunt. Be prepared to share your answers with the class.
1. Find a word that has more than one entry. How many entries are
given for this word? What is the part of speech given for each word?
2. Find an entry in the dictionary that includes a list of synonyms.
Copy down the main entry and synonyms.
3. Find a word or definition of a word that is labeled as archaic or
obsolete.

4. Find a word or definition that is labeled slang.
5. Find a dictionary entry that includes a usage note.

Using a Thesaurus
A thesaurus, a reference book that contains lists of synonyms and
antonyms, is a useful companion to the dictionary. The thesaurus is
especially helpful when you can’t think of the exact word to convey
your meaning, or when you want to enliven your writing by using a
variety of words. For example, suppose you had written the following
sentence about poet e. e. cummings:
Modern poet e. e. cummings was famous for his strange use of
punctuation.

Tip

You decide that strange is not exactly the right word. Looking it up
in the thesaurus, you find many synonyms, including odd, unusual,
extraordinary, uncommon, eccentric, unconventional, and bizarre. Your
revised sentence might read as follows:
Modern poet e. e. cummings was famous for his unconventional
use of punctuation.

Review Language Arts
Handbook 2.4, Using
a Dictionary, on page 1046
of the student textbook. The
diagram identifies the parts of a
dictionary entry and will help you
locate the main entry of a word,
its pronunciation, etymology,

definition(s), example phrases,
synonyms, other forms, and its
part-of-speech label.

Tip

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Try It Yourself
EXERCISE C

In the sentences below, replace the overused word great with a
more precise and appropriate synonym. Write your answers in your
notebook.
1.
2.
3.
4.

We had a great time at the party.
The great mountain loomed up before the climbers.
Sammy Sosa is a great baseball player.
Lisa’s weekend was going great until she remembered she had a
test on Monday.
5. The senator lay awake all night worrying about the great
decision she would have to make the next day.

Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

Time Out for Test Practice
Word Study Skills and PAVE
_____ 1. The dictionary entry for the word
alcove contains the notation n. after
the pronunciation key. What does the
n. stand for in this entry?
A. noun
B. Norway
C. nonstandard
D. no-longer-in-use
E. None of the above
_____ 2. The dictionary entry for the word
alcove contains the following: [F
alcôve, fr. Sp alcoba, fr. Ar al-qubba
the arch]. What information is listed
within the brackets?
A. the part-of-speech label
B. the pronunciation of the word
C. the origins of the word
D. other forms of the word

E. the definition of the word
_____ 3. Which of the following statements
is correct based on the information
provided in questions 1 and 2?
A. The word alcove is from the
French word alcôve.
B. The first recorded use of alcove
occurred in Spain.
C. The Arabic word al-qubba means
“the arch.”
D. All of the above
E. Only A and C
_____ 4. What does it mean if a word is
labeled nonstandard in a dictionary?
A. It means it is considered incorrect
in standard, formal English.
B. It means it is considered archaic
and is not commonly used today.
C. It means it is considered a false
statement or used as propaganda.
D. It means it is mainly used as an
irregular verb.
E. All of the above

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_____ 5. Which of the following is an example
of an obsolete word?

A. ya’ll
B. bear
C. jargon
D. jargogle
E. All of the above
_____ 6. You would use a thesaurus when
A. you want to find the definition of
a word.
B. you want to find an antonym of a
word.
C. you want to know a word’s
etymology.
D. you want to find example phrases
for a word.
E. All of the above
_____ 7. For what does the acronym PAVE
stand?
A. Present, Attack, Verify, Essay
B. Perceive, Analyze, Verify,
Elaborate
C. Predict, Associate, Verify,
Evaluate
E. Plan, Assign, Verify, Explain
_____ 8. When you check the definition of an
unknown word using a dictionary,
which step in the PAVE process are
you performing?
A. the first
B. the second
C. the third

D. the fourth
E. None of the above

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_____ 9. In the PAVE process, after you
have verified the definition of the
unknown word, your next step would
be to
A. connect to the word using a
sentence of your own creation.
B. determine if the sentence you
wrote using the word does a good
job of capturing its meaning.
C. use your prior knowledge to
define the word to the best of your
ability.
D. use context clues to determine
whether your definition was
correct.
E. None of the above

Synonyms

In the following questions, select the best replacement for each
underlined word.
_____ 1. His unconventional use of
punctuation, combined with his
strange habit of writing in all
lowercase letters, makes his poetry
unusual and incredible.
A. perplexing
B. peculiar
C. mysterious
D. exotic
_____ 2. He rose from obscurity to become
one of the greatest and most favorite
president of the United States.
A. beloved
B. darling
C. supreme
D. reviled
_____ 3. Abraham Lincoln was a potent
speaker.
A. weak
B. vigorous
C. controlling
D. commanding

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_____ 4. With his athletic leadership,
Abraham Lincoln succeeded in
freeing the slaves and keeping the
Union together.
A. strong
B. muscular
C. strapping
D. feeble
_____ 5. If I could encounter any person from
history, I would choose Abraham
Lincoln.
A. detect
B. meet
C. accost
D. confront
_____ 6. It is favorable that we know so much
about him.
A. benign
B. propitious
C. disastrous
D. fortunate

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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 5

Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
Understand the Concept
One way to figure out the meaning of a word is to break it down into its
parts. The parts of a word are called morphemes. Each part contains a
chunk of meaning. For example, the word prediction can be broken down
into three morphemes: the prefix pre-, meaning “before,” the word root
dict, meaning “say,” and the suffix -ion, meaning “action or process.”
Together, these morphemes make a word that means “the action of
telling about something before it happens.” You can probably think of
many other words that contain the morphemes pre-, dict, and -ion.
There are four main types of word parts: prefixes, suffixes, word
roots, and base words. A prefix is a letter or group of letters added to
the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
example

un- (unnecessary, unavailable, uneasy)

A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to
change its meaning.
example

-ify (purify, magnify, glorify)

A word root is a word part that contains more meaning than a prefix or
suffix. Most word roots cannot stand on their own as words, but must
combine with other word roots, prefixes, or suffixes.

example

spect (spectator, spectacle, perspective, respect)

Word of the Week
eloquent (el> @ kw@nt) adj.,
marked by forceful and fluent
expression; vividly or movingly
expressive
The speaker’s eloquent words
left everyone feeling moved and
inspired.
Eloquent contains the Latin word
root loqu (also spelled locut),
meaning “to speak.” This root
is found in the words elocution,
meaning the art of public
speaking, loquacious, an adjective
meaning excessively talkative, and
circumlocution, the act of talking
in circles to confuse listeners or
evade an issue.
Eloquent can be used to
describe other kinds of expression,
such as writing, acting, singing,
and visual art, as well as speech.
For example, one may refer to an
“eloquent writer” or an “eloquent
performance.”

A base word is a word in its own right to which a prefix or suffix may
be added to change its meaning.
example

read (reread, reader, unreadable)

Page 1041 of your student textbook contains charts of common
prefixes, suffixes, and word roots, and their meanings. Study these
charts before you complete the following exercise.

Try It Yourself
EXERCISE A

In your notebook, list five words that contain each of the following
word parts.

Some word parts are
known as combining
forms. This means that they
have characteristics of both
affixes (prefixes or suffixes) and
roots. One example is the word
part -ology. It may appear to be
a simple suffix, but it actually
combines the word root log plus
the suffix -y.

Tip

example dict, word root meaning “say”

predict, diction, dictionary, dictator, dictation
1.
2.
3.
4.

dis-, prefix meaning “not”
trans-, prefix meaning “across”
cred, word root meaning “believe; trust”
scrib, word root meaning “write”

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Morphemes can be
bound or free. Prefixes,
suffixes, and most word roots
are called bound morphemes
because they cannot stand on
their own as words. Base words

are called free morphemes
because they can stand on
their own. The word workshop,
for example, contains two free
morphemes, work and shop. The
word worker contains one free
morpheme, work, and one bound
morpheme, the suffix -er.

Tip

5. -ment, suffix meaning “action or process; state or quality; product
or thing”
EXERCISE B

In your notebook, break each of the following words down into its
morphemes, or word parts. Tell whether each part is a prefix, suffix,
word root, or base word. Also, give the meaning of each word part,
as found in your Charts of Common Word Parts. Finally, using the
dictionary and your knowledge of the word parts, write a definition of
the word.
example

transgress

Word Part

trans / gress
Type

prefix
word root

trans
gress

Meaning
“across; beyond”
“go”

Definition: To transgress means to go beyond what is permitted or what
is legal.

The opposite of extrovert
is introvert. There is even
such a thing as an ambivert,
which means “one who has
characteristics of both an extrovert
and an introvert.” (Ambi- is a prefix
meaning “both.”)

Tip

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

extrovert

omnipresent
illegible
revitalize
disastrous

Just for Fun
Play a dice game with word parts! Divide the class into teams. Each
team should have two dice. Label the sides of one die with the following
prefixes:
re-, in-, con-, pro-,
trans-, deLabel each side of the other die with the following word roots:
quest, fer, form, voke, verse, duce

As you learn more
prefixes, suffixes, and
word roots, write them down in
your word study notebook, along
with a definition and example.

Tip

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Then, when all teams are ready, start rolling the dice to form new
words. For example, rolling re- and duce will give you the word reduce.
Whoever comes up with the most real words in the least amount of

time wins the game. You may set a time limit of three minutes. If you
like this game, make up your own version with different prefixes,
suffixes, and word roots.

Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

© EMC Publishing, LLC

4/15/09 12:41:09 PM


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 6

Words with Multiple Meanings
Understand the Concept
Many words in the English language have more than one meaning. For
example, consider the word bluff. It has at least six different meanings
and can be used as an adjective, noun, or verb.
bluff adj. 1 : rising steeply with a broad front 2 : goodnaturedly frank and outspoken

1

bluff n. a high steep bank or cliff

2

bluff v. to deceive or frighten by pretending to have strength
or confidence once does not really have

3

bluff n. 1 a : an act or instance of bluffing b : the practice of
bluffing 2 : one who bluffs

4

If you run across a word that does not seem to make sense in context,
consider whether that word may have another meaning that would
make sense. Can the word be used as more than one part of speech, for
example, as either a noun or a verb? Does it have a broader meaning
than the one that came to your mind? For example, read the following
passage from James Joyce’s short story “Araby”:
North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at
the hour when the Christian Brothers’ School set the boys free.
An uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end,
detached from its neighbors . . .

The most common meaning for blind is “lacking the sense of sight.”
However, that meaning obviously does not apply here. Consulting a
dictionary, you might find that the word blind can also be an adjective
meaning “having only one opening or outlet.”

EXERCISE A

1. Choose two definitions of the word bluff and write a sentence
illustrating each meaning in your notebook.
2. Look up the word blind in your dictionary. How many definitions
are there for blind as an adjective? For blind as a verb? What is

one meaning for blind as a noun? Write your answers in your
notebook.

0001-0077_Gr10_vocab&spelling-L1-32.indd 13

inclination (in kl@ n6> sh@n) n.,
tendency to do something
Since the townspeople knew
he was guilty, they had little
inclination to help the man.
The word inclination has multiple
meanings. It can mean a “natural
disposition or character,” “an act or
the action of bending or inclining,”
“a deviation from the true vertical
or horizontal,” and, as in the
sentence above, “a tendency to a
particular aspect, state, character,
or action.”

Words that have
completely different,
unrelated meanings, but are
spelled the same, are sometimes
called homographs. By this
definition, bluff (a cliff) and
bluff (to deceive) can be called
homographs. However, the
words that we typically think of as
homographs are also pronounced

differently and stem from
completely different roots.

Tip

Keep in mind that some
words not only have
multiple meanings, but also have
different pronunciations. Be sure
you know how to pronounce
the word before you use it in
conversation.

Tip

Try It Yourself

© EMC Publishing, LLC

Word of the Week

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In general, all words gain
their different senses of
meaning by being used over a
period of time.

Tip

EXERCISE B

In the following activity, you will see the same word used in several
different sentences. Write down the meaning that applies to each
sentence in your notebook.
example

There are several ways in
which words gain multiple
meanings. Over time, a word may

Tip

• acquire a broader meaning
• gain several narrow or
specialized meanings
• gain positive or negative
connotations
• come to be used as a different
part of speech (a noun, for
example, may gain another
meaning as a verb)

I did not want to hamper his investigation.
The dog would steal dirty socks from the hamper.
Definition 1: to interfere with the operation of
Definition 2: a large basket usually with a cover for storing materials
(usually laundry)
1. Art looked out the window and saw a cardinal perched on the
fence.
One of the cardinal rules of business is “The customer is always
right.”
2. The criminal was charged with fencing stolen car stereos.
Aaron had to practice fencing for his role as the sword-slashing
D’Artagnan in the school production of The Three Musketeers.
3. In Act 2, scene 2 of Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo and Juliet
wax eloquent on the subject of love.
The moon waxes and wanes.
4. Mr. Jacobs took out a loan from the bank because he needed some
capital to start up a new business.
Capital punishment is illegal in some states.
5. It was evident from the stranger’s proud bearing that she was a
powerful woman.
We stopped for a moment to gain our bearings, then resumed our
hike.
The wheel bearings in my car began to squeal.

Just for Fun
How do you suppose habit came to mean both an addiction and the
headgear worn by Catholic nuns? Think of a word with multiple
meanings, such as seal, pupil, watch, cardinal, or moor. Then draw two
or more illustrations, each representing a different meaning of that
word. Next, explain how the meanings are related—or not related. For

example, incense came from the Latin word encendere, meaning “to
set on fire.” From there it came to mean “something burned to release
a fragrance” or “to make someone burning mad.” On the other hand,
the three meanings of the word moor are not related. They stem from
different roots.

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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 7

Connotation and Denotation
Understand the Concept
A denotation of a word is its dictionary definition. A word’s
connotations are all the associations it has in addition to its literal
meaning. Connotations may be positive, negative, or neutral. For
example, the words vintage and old both mean something that has been
around for a long time. Old is rather neutral. An old car could be worn

and beat-up, or it could be a shined-up classic. Obsolete is negative. It
connotes something that is no longer useful or acceptable. Vintage, a
word that comes from wine-making, connotes something that, like a
fine wine, has become more valuable with age.
negative

That computer is obsolete; you should get a newer
model.

neutral

There was an old car parked outside the house.

positive

That boutique sells vintage clothes.

Word of the Week
erratic (i ra> tik) adj., having no
fixed purpose
His actions have become more
and more erratic and now I don’t
know what to do.
The word erratic has a fairly
neutral connotation, while
some of its synonyms, such as
bizarre, oddball, and weird, have
negative ones. Other synonyms
with more positive connotations
include eccentric, singular, and

changeable.

It is important to be aware of a word’s connotations as well as its
denotations. Your word choice may imply a certain meaning that you
did not intend to convey, so it is important to choose your words wisely.

Just for Fun

Try It Yourself
Circle the word or words that would best describe each of the following
people, objects, or situations. Explain your answers. You may use a
dictionary to help you.
1. A child who innocently asks a lot of questions might be described
as which of the following?
curious inquisitive nosy snoopy
2. A politician who has accepted a bribe might be described as which
of the following?

Look through a dictionary or
thesaurus until you find a group
of synonyms that have different
connotations. Put these words in
order from positive to negative,
with more neutral words in the
middle. You might start with a
word like silly, fake, or flighty.
vintage, antique, timeworn, old,
antiquated, obsolete, worn-out

crooked villainous corrupt devious

3. Which word would you use to respectfully describe people in a
nursing home?
elderly vintage aged old

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Some words start out
as neutral or positive,
but gain negative connotations
over time. For example, the word
gossip once meant a godparent
(from God-sibb, meaning related
through God). Over time, it gained
the meaning of one who spreads
stories about people, perhaps
because godparents were often
distant relatives who were only
seen once in a great while. During
their infrequent visits, they would

likely spend a long time chitchatting and sharing the latest
news about family members.
Similarly, the word hussy once
was a neutral word meaning
“housewife” before it took on the
negative connotations it has today.

Tip

4. You think your dad is far too tight with his money. Which word
would you use to describe him?
thrifty frugal miserly conservative
5. Which word would you use to describe a friend whom you admire
for having a different style?
strange different unique quirky
6. Which word could you use to describe a young child who
doesn’t tell the truth?
liar perjurer fibber fabricator
7. Which word best describes a delicious meal in a fancy restaurant?
exquisite fine delicate admirable
8. Which word best describes an honest businessperson?
merchant dealer trader trafficker

A connotation is an
emotional association or
implication attached to a word or
expression.

Tip

9. You read in the newspaper of someone who has committed a
terrible crime. Which word would probably be used to describe
this person?
mean nasty contemptible obnoxious

Writers and speakers
should be aware of
the connotations as well as the
denotations of the words they use.

Tip

10. Someone has taken your lunch money. You laid it on the desk in
front of you and turned to reach for your backpack, and it was
gone. Which word would best describe what happened to the
money?
smuggled pilfered filched embezzled

The dictionary will often explain the differences in connotations between
words with a similar meaning. For example, if you look up the word
shrewd, you may find a description of the differences between shrewd,
sagacious, perspicacious, and astute. All of these words mean “having
good judgment.” However, they have more subtle shades of meaning,
or connotations. Shrewd suggests one who has a sharp eye and is clever
and wily, while sagacious suggests one who has a far-seeing wisdom.
Perspicacious and astute have different shades of meaning as well.

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Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

LESSON 8

Context Clues
Understand the Concept

When you encounter an unfamiliar word in your reading, you can often
use the context, or the words and sentences around it, to figure out the
meaning of the word.

Try It Yourself

Read the following passage from a letter written by Samuel Clemens
(Mark Twain). The letter was written in 1901, in response to an
invitation in which Clemens was asked to travel to Missouri. Use
context clues to guess the meaning of the underlined vocabulary words.
Invitations which a brisk young fellow should get, and which
would transport him with joy, are delayed and impeded and
obstructed until they are fifty years overdue when they reach him.

When I was a boy in Missouri I was always on the lookout
for invitations but they always miscarried and went wandering
through the aisles of time; and now they are arriving when I am
old and rheumatic and can’t travel and must lose my chance.
I have lost a world of delight through this matter of delaying
invitations. Fifty years ago I would have gone eagerly across the
world to help celebrate anything that might turn up. It would
have made no difference to me what it was, so that I was there
and allowed a chance to make a noise.
The whole scheme of things is turned wrong end to. Life
should begin with age and its privileges and accumulations,
and end with youth and its capacity to splendidly enjoy such
advantages. As things are now, when in youth a dollar would
bring a hundred pleasures, you can’t have it. When you are old,
you get it and there is nothing worth buying with it then.
It’s an epitome of life. The first half of it consists of the
capacity to enjoy without the chance; the last half consists of the
chance without the capacity.
I am admonished in many ways that time is pushing me
inexorably along. I am approaching the threshold of age; in
1977 I shall be 142. This is no time to be flitting about the
earth. I must cease from the activities proper to youth and begin

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Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

Word of the Week

reticent (re> t@ s@nt)
adj., inclined to be silent or
uncommunicative in speech
The cautious new student was
reticent, but I was determined to
get him to talk to me.
Based on the context clues in the
sample sentence, a reader might
guess that reticent means “quiet”
or “reserved.” The word reticent
comes from the Latin re- and
tace–re, which means “to be silent”

Just for Fun
Provide some “context” for an
unfamiliar word! Browse through a
dictionary and locate a word that is
unfamiliar to you. Write the word
in the center of a blank white
sheet of paper. Add information
about the word all around it.
Include antonyms, synonyms,
sentences using the word
(some may be clippings from a
newspaper or magazine, some
may be your own examples),
and images that will help you
remember the word’s meaning.

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While reading, pay
attention to expressions
that show comparison, such as
like, similarly, and in the same
way and expressions that show
contrast, such as but, in contrast,
unlike, and on the other hand.
These expressions can provide
clues to an unfamiliar word. Read
the examples below and use
context clues to figure out the
meanings of the words renowned,
scribe, and sedentary.

Tip

Mark Twain, like most renowned
scribes, was often asked to speak
at special events.
Twain was a great traveler in
his youth, but became more
sedentary in his old age.

to take on the dignities and gravities and inertia proper to that

season of honorable senility which is on its way and imminent
as indicated above.

1. transport
2. impeded
3. obstructed
4. miscarried
5. rheumatic
6. scheme
7. accumulations
8. capacity

Sometimes a closer look
at the passage containing
the unfamiliar word will uncover
clues that reveal its meaning.
For example, Clemens’s habit
of repeating an idea might help
you figure out the meanings of
the second and third underlined
words. Looking at word parts
can also provide clues as to the
meaning of words.

Tip

9. epitome
10. admonished
11. threshold
12. flitting

13. gravities
14. inertia
15. imminent

18

LEVEL V, UNIT 2

0001-0077_Gr10_vocab&spelling-L1-32.indd 18

Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

© EMC Publishing, LLC

4/15/09 12:41:12 PM


Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: __________________

Time Out for Test Practice
Defining Word Parts
Use your knowledge of word parts when answering the following questions.
For each question, select the answer that best completes each sentence.
_____ 1. The prefix semi-, as in the word
semicircle, means __________.
A. between
B. half
C. partial
D. complete

_____ 7. The word root cred, as in the word
incredulous, means __________.
A. hard
B. believe
C. equal
D. break

_____ 2. The prefix dis-, as in the word
disadvantaged, means __________.
A. miss
B. not
C. again
D. wrongly

_____ 8. The word root aud, as in the word
inaudible, means __________.
A. see
B. smell
C. touch
D. hear

_____ 3. The prefix re-, as in the word
reconvene, means __________.
A. over
B. not
C. under
D. again

_____ 9. The word root urb, as in the
words urban and suburban, means

__________.
A. city
B. country
C. people
D. outside

_____ 4. The suffix -less, as in the word
hapless, means __________.
A. made of
B. full of
C. action or process
D. without
_____ 5. The suffix -able or -ible, as in the
words arguable and irritable, means
__________.
A. capable of
B. finished
C. characterized by
D. possessing the qualities of
_____ 6. The suffix -ic, as in the word acidic,
means __________.
A. without
B. in favor of
C. having characteristics of
D. act, process

© EMC Publishing, LLC

0001-0077_Gr10_vocab&spelling-L1-32.indd 19

_____ 10. The word root pop, as in the word
populace, means __________.
A. beverage
B. voice
C. people
D. move
_____ 11. The word root (combining form)
auto, as in the word autonomous,
means __________.
A. car
B. hear
C. self
D. join
_____ 12. The word root (combining form)
mono, as in the word monotone,
means __________.
A. self
B. dull
C. low
D. one

Exceeding the Standards: Vocabulary & Spelling

LEVEL V, UNIT 2

19

4/15/09 12:41:12 PM