•
figment (noun): a thing that does not exist, something made up
o fig + ment
o Ghosts and monsters are figments of an active imagination.
fac, fact, fec, fic, fas, fea
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•
•
•
•
•
•
fer
•
•
•
fashion
(noun, verb): the form of something, style; to give shape or form
to
o
o
fash
o
o
fact
+ ion
The current fashion is hair worn short.
feasible (adjective): capable of being done
o feas + ible
o The engineer thought that building the bridge across the river
was a feasible project.
feature (noun, verb): the appearance or form of a person or object; to
picture or portray
o feat + ure
o Lisette''s best feature is her eyes.
factory (noun): a place where things are made or built
o fact + ory
o There is a boat factory near the river.
difficult (adjective): hard to do, troublesome, hard to understand
o di + fic + ult
o The test was difficult and I answered only eight of the ten
questions.
fact (noun): something known to be true
It''s a fact that the world is round.
effect (noun): a change caused by something, a result, influence
o e + fect
o The sun''s effect on human skin is known to be harmful.
(adjective): productive, bearing or capable of bearing fruit in large
quantities
o fert + ile
o The land by the river is quite fertile and many crops are grown
there.
refer (verb): to classify within a general category, to send or direct to
another source
o re + fer
o The patient was referred to a physical therapist for additional
treatment.
infer (verb): to come to a conclusion from facts or ideas, to guess
o in + fer
fertile
o
Sometimes a reader has to infer from the facts presented in an
article what the main idea is about.
fid
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•
•
(adjective): hesitant in acting, shy
dif + fid + ent
The diffident student would not speak in front of the class.
fidelity (noun): the quality of being faithful, accuracy
o fid + el + ity
o The fidelity of this video reproduction is quite good.
confide (verb): to trust, to trust another person with a secret
o con + fide
o Joan confided in her friend and told her a secret.
diffident
o
o
flu, fluct, flux
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•
•
•
•
form
•
fluent (adjective):
capable of moving with ease, able to speak another
language
o
o
o
+ ent
The dancer had a fluent body.
Juanita is fluent in several languages.
superfluous (adjective): extra, more than is needed
o super + flu + ous
o Three cherries on my piece of cake is superfluous; I only
needed one.
influence (verb, noun): to have an effect on something; the ability to
affect something indirectly
o in + flu + ence
o It was John''s success as a musician that influenced my decision
to take guitar lessons.
fluid (adjective): capable of flowing, a smooth style, liquid
o flu + id
o The ink my new pen is quite fluid and flows evenly across the
page.
fluctuate (verb): to shift back and forth, to move erratically
o fluctu + ate
o My body temperature has been fluctuating all day -- sometimes
I''m hot and sometimes I''m cold.
flu
(noun): the shape and size of something, the arrangement of
something
o form + at
o The format of this class will be half lecture and half class
participation.
format
•
fract, frag, frai
formulate (verb): to prepare from a set of steps (formula), to devise
o form + ul + ate
o The chemist formulated a new way of making dish detergent.
•
fracture
•
•
(verb, noun): to break, to crack; a broken bone
fract + ure Miguel fractured arm his while skiing.
fragment (noun): a piece broken off, a part of something
o frag + ment
o It bothers me that I can remember only a fragment of the poem
rather than the whole piece.
frail (adjective): easily broken, not strong
o
o
o
frail
Be careful! That chair is frail
G
gen, gin
•
•
•
(adverb): in a general manner, usually, with regard to the whole
not specifics
o gen + er + al + ly
o Generally, Lance leaves work at 5:00 p.m.
gingerly (adverb, adjective): careful
o gin + ger + ly
o Paulette picked up the antique vase gingerly and placed it on
the shelf.
indigenous (adjective): native, having been born in a specific area or
environment
o in + di + gen + ous
o The tomato plant is indigenous to South America.
generally
ge
•
geography (noun): a science
o geo + graph + y
o
gor
•
The geography of New York varies from the sandy shores to
rocky mountains.
categorize (verb): to place
o cate + gor + ize
o
that describes the earth''s surface
things in classes or sets, to classify
The professor asked her students to categorize the plants they
found.
grad, gress, gree
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•
•
grade (noun): a stage in a process, a mark indicating quality
o grade
o Ali hopes to receive a passing grade on his midterm exam.
progress (verb, noun): to move forward; forward movement
o pro + gress
o Mina progressed to the next level in her French language
program.
o There hasn''t been much progress made in getting the house
built -- only the frame is up.
degree (noun): a step or stage in a process, a rank, a level of intensity
o de + gree
o There is a high degree of stress associated with being a police
officer.
graph, graf
•
•
(adjective): written, drawn, vividly shown
graph + ic
Dominic is planning to study graphic art.
graffitti (noun): drawings or writing on a wall
o graph + itti
o Many people find the graffitti on the subway trains disturbing.
graphic
o
o
H
her, hes
•
•
(verb): to stick
ad + here
Paper often adheres to wet surfaces.
hesitate (verb): to hold back a decision, to waver
o hesit + ate
o Don''t hesitate to call me if you need help.
adhere
o
o
J
jac, ject, jet
•
adjacent
o
(adjective): to lie next to
ad + jac + ent
o
•
•
jug, junct, just
•
•
•
You won''t have a long walk between classes because the
engineering building is adjacent to the chemistry laboratories.
jettison (verb): to throw away, to cast off
o jett + ison
o The captain of the sinking ship jettisoned the cargo.
reject (verb): to throw out, unwilling to accept
o re + ject
o David was rejected by two schools before he found a school
that accepted him.
(verb): to change or adapt to fit or match something
ad + just
Jared has to adjust to his new work schedule.
conjugal (adjective): of marriage, marital relationship
o con + jug + al
o One should think seriously before entering a conjugal
relationship.
junction (noun): the place at which two things join
o junct + ion
o Deborah''s house is at the junction of Hill and Maple streets.
adjust
o
o
L
lex, leg
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•
•
(noun): a school for higher learning, a group of people having a
common purpose
o col + lege
o Yolanda is going to college to become a lawyer.
legal (adjective, noun): based on law; conforms to law
o leg + al
o Jared is working as a legal secretary for two lawyers in New
York
o Is it legal to own fireworks in Massachusetts or is there a law
against them?
league (noun): a group of people, an association
o leag + ue
o There are fifty people participating in the bowling league.
college
lect
•
collect
o
(verb): to gather, to bring together
col + lect
o
•
•
loc
The little girl collected wildflowers for her mother.
legible (noun): readible, clear enough to read
o leg + ible
o His handwriting is quite legible.
eligible (adjective): qualified, worthy to be chosen
o e + lig + ible
o Now that Geoffrey is eighteen he is eligible to vote.
locally
•
logic
•
log
•
translucent (adjective): allowing
o trans + luc + ent
o
o
(adverb): nearby, relative to a certain area
loc + al + ly
The vegetables are grown locally.
(noun): the study of reason
log + ic
Simone is taking a class in logic and she is learning about how
to reason.
o
o
luc
some light to shine through
•
o The sheet of paper is translucent when held close to a lightbulb.
illuminate (verb): to provide with light, to make lighter, to make clear
o il + lum + in + ate
o The lamp illuminates the room.
illustrate (verb): to explain by using pictorial examples, to show by using
visual examples
o il + lustr + ate
o Christopher illustrated his idea on piece of paper for everyone to
see.
•
management
•
M
man
o
o
mem
(noun): the act of handling or running something, usually a
business.
+ age + ment
This store is under new management.
man
