Helpful Roots

Root	What It Means	Example
aco(u)	to hear, hearing	acoustic
act, ag	to act, to do, to drive	active, agent
agog(ue), agogy	to lead, leader, guiding, inducing	demagogue
agon, agonist	struggle, content	agony, antagonist
alg, algesia, algia	pain	analgesic
am, amat	to love	amiable, amorous
ambul	to walk	circumambulate, amble
andro, andry	male	android, androgynous
anim	mind, feeling, life	animate
anthrop	man, human being	philanthropy, anthropology
aqu	water	aquatic, aquarium
arch	first, ancient, rule	archaic, archive
aud	to hear, hearing, aloud	audible, audience
aug, auct, auth, aux	to increase, to create	augment, author, auxiliary
auto	of, by, for, or in oneself	autobiography, autocrat, autodidact
bene, bon	good	bonus, benefit
brac, brachi	the arm	brachiate, bracelet
cant, cent	to sing	canticle, chant, recant, incantation
cap, capt, cep, cept	box, to take, contain, seize	capture, receipt, capacious
capit, capt, cipit	head, chief	capital, precipitate, chapter, capitulate
carn	flesh	carnal, incarnate, carnivore
caus, cuse	to cause	causal, excuse, accuse
ced, cede, ceed, cess	to yield, to go	cede, accessible, necessary
cern, cert, cret, crim	to separate, to distinguish	discern, uncertain
chrom, chromat	color	chromatic, polychromatic
chron	time	synchronous, chronicle
cid, cide	to kill	regicide, suicide, genocide
cis, cise	to cut	excise, scissors
cog, cogit	to think	cognitive, cogent
coll	glue, to stick together	colloquy, collage
corp, cors	body	corporeal, corpulent
cosm	universe, order	cosmic, cosmopolitan
creant, cred, creed	to believe, to trust	credence, credit, incredible
cruc, crus	cross, significant	crux, crusade, crucial
de, div	concerning God or deities	divine, deity
dic, dict, diction	to say, speech, word	dictate, indicate, edict, benediction
doc, doct, dog, dox	to teach, learning	doctrine, dogma, orthodox
dom	house, master	domestic, dominate
equ, qui	equal, even	equate, adequate, equinox
esthe, esthesia	to feel, sensation	anesthesia, esthetics
fid, fidel	faith, trust	fidelity, confidence, infidel
fin, finite	end, purpose	infinite, definite
flu, fluor, flux, fluv	to flow	affluence, fluid, superfluous
for, fort	strong	fortress, enforce, comfort
fract, frag, frang, fring	to shatter	fracture, fragment, fragile, refract
gen, gon	birth, race, kind	genetic, gonad, congenital, gender
ger, gest	to carry, to produce	gestate, gesture, digest
grad, grade, gress	to step, a degree or grade	gradual, degree, progress
gram, graph	a written record, to write	telegram, autograph
grat	pleasing, thankful	gratitude, congratulate, ingratiate
greg	society, group	aggregate, gregarious
gynec, gyn, gynist	female	gynecologist, misogyny
hier, hieratic	holy, sacred	hierarchy, hieroglyphic
hol	whole	holistic, hologram
hydr, hydro	water, liquid	hydraulics, hydrant
ideo	idea, philosophy	ideology, idol, ideal
idi, idio	personal, private	idiosyncratic, idiom
iso	equal, similar	isometric, isotope
ject, jet	to throw	eject, inject, jettison, projectile
jud, jur, just	right, law	jury, judgment, judicious, injury, perjury
jug, junct	a link, to join	juncture, conjunction, conjugate
kine, kinesia, kinesis	movement, energy	kinetic, cinema
lat, late, lation	to bear, to carry	collate, correlate, legislate, translate
lect, leg, lig	to choose, to read	legible, intelligent, dialect, collect
lev, lieve, life	to lift, light in weight	alleviate, elevator, relief
lign, line	line	delineate, lineage
locut, loqu, loquy	to speak, speech	locution, circumlocution, eloquent, ventriloquist
log, logue, logy, lexico	speech, word, study of	logic, lecture, analogy
luc, lumin, lux	light, to shine	illuminate, lucent, luminary, elucidate
macro	large	macrocosm
mal	bad	malady, malcontent, malefactor
medi, meso, mid	in the middle of	intermediate, mediocre, medium
micro	small	microscope
mis	hate	misanthrope, misogyny
mor, mort	death	mortal, mortician, mortify
neg	to deny	negate, neglect, renege
neo	new	neologism, neonate
noct, nox	night	nocturnal, equinox
nom, num	law	nomad, economy, astronomy
od, odia	smell	odor, odious
opt, optic	eye, vision	panopticon, optics,
ov, ovul	egg, egg-shaped	oval, ovulate
par, pare	equal	pair, parity, peer, compare
part, patri	father	patriot, patronage, patriarch, paternal
path, pathic, pathy	emotion, suffering	pathological, pathetic, sympathy, empathy
pel, puls	to drive, driven	pulse, compulsion, expel, impulse
phil, philia	love, fondness for	philosophy, philanthropy, philander, philology
phob, phobo	fear	phobia
plaud, plaus, plod, plos	to make a loud noise	applaud, explode
plen, plet	to fill, full	plentiful, plethora, replenish
prim, prin	first	primary, primate, premier
pur, purg	to clear of guilt, to get rid of something unwanted	purge, pure, expurgate, purgatory
quest, quir, quisit	to ask	request, inquest, question, acquire, conquer
qui, quil, quit	rest	quiet, quit, acquiesce, acquit
rad, radic	root	radical, eradicate
rati, reas	to think, calculate	rate, ratify, rational, reasonable
rect, reg, rig	to rule or guide, proper, straight	rectify, regal, region, regulate, rigorous
rupt	to break, to sever	rupture, abrupt, disrupt, corrupt, interrupt
salu, salv	safety, health	salubrious, salvage, salutary
scrib, scribe, script	to write, something written	circumscribe, ascribe, describe, inscribe, prescribe
secut, sequ	to follow, to ensue	sequence, consequence, execute, consecutive
sen, senil	old, old age	senior, senator, senescence
ser, sor	a series, attachment	serial, desert, assert
solute, solv	to release, to loosen, to free	dissolve, absolute, insoluble
soph, sophy	wisdom	philosophy, sophisticated
spec, spect, spic	to look, to see	aspect, specific, spectator, spectrum, specimen
spir, spire	to breathe, breath, spirit	aspire, expire, conspire, transpire
stant, stat, stit	to stand, to stay, to state	assistant, consistent, constant, status, stance, destiny
stru, struct	to build, a building or pattern	destructive, instruct, obstruct, structural
tact, tang, teg, ting	to touch	tactile, taste, tangible, contact, contingent
temper, tempor, temp	time, balance	temporize, temporary, contemplate, temperature
ten, tain, tent, tin	to hold	tenable, tenacious, tenet, contain, detain
tend, tens	to stretch	extend, distend, tension, tendril
top, tope, topy	place	topic, topology, utopia
tract, treat	to draw, to extend, to attract	extract, treatise, contract, retreat, subtract
trib, tribe, trit	to rub, to wear down	tribulation, trite, attrition
trop, tropic, tropy	to turn, a change or turn	trope, tropic, entropy
troub, turb	confusion, whirling	disturb, perturb, turbine, turbulence
vac, van, vast, void	empty, desolate	vacuum, vacant, vanity, devastate, avoid
vail, val	to be strong, to be worthy	valiant, valor, validate, valence
ver, veri	true	veracious, verdict, verify
vit, viv	life, to live	vital, survive, viable, vivify
voc, vok, vow	voice, to call or summon	vocalize, vociferous, avow, equivocate
vol	will, desire, wish	volition, volunteer, involuntary
vor, vorous, vour	to eat, to swallow	voracious, carnivorous
xene, xeno, xeny	foreign	xenophobe, xenogamy
zoa, zo, zoo, zoon	life, living	zoo, zodiac, metazoan

Helpful Prefixes and Suffixes

Prefix or Suffix	What It Means	Example
a, an	not, without	apathy, analgesic
ab, abs	away, from, separated	abdicate, abort
ac, ad	to, toward	acclaim, accrete, adhere, adjoin
ambi, amphi	both, around	ambiguous, ambidextrous, ambiance
ante, anter	before, prior, in front of	antebellum, antechamber, anterior, antique
ap, apo	away from, detached	apology, apostate, apostle
cata, cat, cath	downwards, against, contrary to	cataclysm, catapult, catharsis
circum	around	circumscribe, circumspect, circumference
co, com, con	with, together	cohabitation, comfort, collude, colloquy
contra	against	contradict, contrast
de	down from, reverse, remove, out of, derived from	decapitate, declare, deface, delegate, delineate
di, dif, dis	separation	disable, dispute, decrease, divert
dys	bad, difficult	dysentery, dysphoria
ec, ecto, ex	outside of, external, away from	eclectic, ecstasy, excursion, excuse, explode
em, en, ent	in, into, within	encourage, endemic, embryo, embargo, enchant
epi	over, above, around	epilogue, epitome, epidemic
eu, ev	well, good	euphoria, eulogy, euphemism
hyper	more, beyond normal, excessive	hyperkinetic, hypersonic
hypo	less, under, below	hypochondria, hypothesis
in, im, em, en	in, on, amongst, within	incarnate, insert, inspire, instruct, immolate, employ, enchant
in, im	not	immeasurable, improper, inadequate
men, ment	result, means of or product of an action	instrument, ailment, compartment, entanglement
meta, meth	after, along with, transfer, changed	metabolism, metaphor, metaphysics, method
mis	worse, badly	mischief, misadventure, mistake
ob, of, op	toward, against, face-to-face	object, obnoxious, occupy, oppose
par, para	beside, near, faulty	paradox, parasite, parody
per	through, thoroughly	perceive, permit, perpetrate, persuade
peri	around, near, beside	perimeter, peripheral
pre	before, in front of	precept, precede, prediction, predominant, pregnant
pro	earlier, before, forward	proclivity, pronounce, propose
re	back, backwards	recant, recount, recur
se	aside, away	secede, seclude, sever
syl, sym, syn	united, together with, same	synonym, sympathy, syllogism
tra, trans	beyond, across, through	transact, traverse, transport
un	not	unable, undeniable, undone

Okay, now what do you do with these lists?

First: make them into flashcards. Any example word you don’t know should be added to your word flashcards.

Second: memorize them.

Third: use them in the following exercises. Your flashcards should look like this:

Front:

Back:

The back of your flashcards should include a definition for each root, example words, and a word-grouping.

Remember the Target Model?

Studying word flashcards will help you expand the “know well” circle. However, you can gain a lot of points with less certain knowledge. If you know you need a “positive” word in a Sentence Completion, you can eliminate any “negative” words in the answer choices. Say you need a word that has something to do with the human body. Well, you can look for the root corp; if any answer choice contains that root, there’s a very good chance that’s your word. You may not be able to define it, but “barely know” can equal a point on the SAT. This is where knowledge of word parts (and of foreign languages) will give you an advantage. Word parts expand the outer circles of the target.