by Donna | Jan 19, 2011
Answer Key:
1. The word was so allusive/elusive; it just wouldn’t come to me.
Hint: Elude and exclude look similar. “I excluded that song from the program because it eluded me.”
2. He made an illusion/allusion/elusion to our previous conversation.
Hint: Allusion related to allude. “What he alluded to is ludicrous.” Means to refer to something.
3. The ride gives you the allusion/illusion that you are on a mountain top.
Hint: Illusion comes from illustrate. A picture….gives you the picture or feeling of something else.
4. I excluded the word from the program because its spelling alluded/eluded me.
Hint: Eluded—excluded. Elude means “not able to grasp.”
5. What did he elude/allude to?
Hint: Allude/allusion—something you refer to. “What he alluded to was ludicrous.”
6. They used Kleenexes to give you the allusion/illusion of fabric.
Hint: Illusion is a facsimile or picture. Related to illustrate.
7. What he alluded/eluded to was ludicrous!
Hint: “What he alluded to was ludicrous.”
8. What was his illusion/allusion to your situation?
Hint: Allude/allusion—referring to something else.
9. Allusion/illusion is related to hallucination.
Hint: Illusion is related to hallucination—pictures that are not there.
10. He made an elusion/allusion to our previous conversation.
Hint: Allusion is to refer to something else; elusion is to be out of your grasp. He referred to the previous conversation…not that he couldn’t grasp it.
by Donna | Jan 17, 2011
Adding to the alluded/eluded and allusive/elusive quandary is the illusion/allusion Wacky Word pair! Again, looking at roots and affixes can be a great help.
Let’s start with allusion—since we had alluded yesterday. (Yes, you read that right—the roots are the same!)
1. Allusion (allude)
a. Related to ludicrous: Hint—“What he alluded to was ludicrous!”
b. Related to allusion—“He made an allusion to our previous conversation.”
c. If you remember the allude/ludicrous (What he alluded to was ludicrous!), you will also remember allusion—allusion is something you allude to.
i. Allude is the verb—“What did he allude to?”
ii. Allusion* is the noun—The thing—“What was his allusion to your situation?”
2. Illusion
a. Related to illustrate—See that root?
i. Illustration is a picture
ii. Illusion is an abstract picture
b. Used to mean a facsimile or something that appears different than it is
i. “The ride gives you the illusion that you are on a mountain.”
ii. “They used Kleenexes to give you the illusion of fabric.”
iii. “Her success is just an illusion.”
c. Illusion is also related to hallucination—seeing things that are not really there!
*Note: A more advanced vocabulary technique that you will learn this year on LL 365 is “illustrated” in suffixes—tion and sion generally signify a word is a noun.
by Donna | Jan 13, 2011
I am putting all of the roots and affixes I want to share (from our CQLA curriculum) together for two days (rather than dividing them up in two entries). Feel free to print them off, give a sheet to each of your kids, tape it on the fridge, work on a root or affix a week…however it can help you or your kids/students.
(a) GEN–birth, race, kind
generous, generate, generation, geneology, gender
b) DIC, DICT, DIT–tell, say, word
dictate, verdict, edict, contradict, predict, diction, indict
(c) SPEC, SPIC, SPIT–look, see
perspective, aspect, spectator, spectacle, suspect
d) SUPER, SUR, SUM–above
surpass, summit, supersede, superstition
(e) TENT, TENS, TEND, TENU–stretch, thin
tension, extend, tendency, tendon, tent, distend
(f) TRANS–across
transfer, transient, transitory, transgress, transport
(g) DOC, DUC, DAC–teach, lead
conduct, document, doctrine, induce, indoctrinate
(h) CO, CON, COM-with, together
company, collaborate, comply, congruent,
(i) VERS, VERT–turn
convert, revert, subvert, divert, diverse, extrovert, versatile
(j) LOC, LOG, LOQU–word, speech
eloquent, logic, apology, monologue, dialogue, prologue
(k) SEN–feel, sense
sensitive, sensation, consent, dissent, assent, sentiment
(l) DE–away, down, off
denounce, defraud, decry, deplete, devoid, defile
(m) NOM, NOUN,
NOWN, NAM, NYM–name, order, rule
anonymous, nominate, renounce, renown, misnomer
(n) CLA, CLO, CLU–shut, close
closet, enclose, disclose, include, conclude, seclude
(o) VO, VOC, VOK, VOW–call
vocal, advocate, vocation, convoke, revoke, avow
(p) MAL–bad
malicious, malady, dismal, malign, malevolent
(q) FRA, FRAC, FRAG—break
fracture, fraction, fragment, fragile, frail, fractious
objective, obsolete, obscure, obstruct, obstinate
(s) SUB—under
submissive, subordinate, sublime, subtle, subversion
(t) AB–from, away
abandon, abhor, abstain, absolve, abstruse, abstract
(u) GRESS, GRAD—step
progress, regress, gradual, digress, degrade, transgress
(v) SEC, SEQU–follow
second, sequel, sequence, consequence, prosecute
(w) PRO–much, for, a lot
prolific, profuse, prodigal, prtracted, prodigy, propensity
(x) QUE, QUIS–ask, seek
inquire, question, request, quest, query, acquire, querulous
(y) SACR, SANCT, SECR—sacred
sacrifice, sanctuary, sanctify, sanction, consecrate
(z) SCRIB, SCRIP–write
scribble, describe, script, prescribe, ascribe, inscribe
(aa) PATHY, PAS, PAT–feeling
apathy, sympathy, empathy, antipathy, passionate
(bb) DIS, DIF–not
disdain, dissuade, dismay, disparate, disparage
(cc) CIRCU–around
circumference, circulation, circumstances, circumvent
(dd) NON, UN, IN, AN, A–no or not
nonviolent, uncooperative, inappreciative, anonymous
(ee) AD–to
adhere, adjective, addict, adverb
(ff) INFRA–below
infrastructure, infraction, infrared, infra-bass
(gg) AMBI—both
ambidextrous, amibguous, ambition, ambivalent
(hh) EPI–on
epidemic, epic, epitomy, episode
by Donna | Jan 13, 2011
“….help kids (and adults!) to tap into what we already know in order to unlock the unknown.”
Back to the idea that students (all of us, really) know a lot more than we think we know. And helping kids (and adults!) to tap into what we already know in order to unlock the unknown.
One of the best tips I can offer for this is to encourage kids constantly to look at any part of anything that they already know. In the case of vocabulary and comprehension, I encourage students to look at what they do know. The beginning of this, of course, is root words and affixes—or even parts of words.
Root words, and sometimes even syllables, have meaning. And we often already know meanings of bits and pieces that we can put together to gain more knowledge. (If you know a foreign language, you will have even more success unlocking unknown words or parts of words since much of our language is taken from other languages.)
How can you use this concept to help you or your students? When you come to an unfamiliar word, don’t assume that you do not know it. Look more closely at the word. (And help your kids to do the same—question them all the time: “What do you know about the ‘aqua’ part of aquamarine?” [Or even, “What do you know about the ‘marine’ part?”)
Discussing words (roots, affixes, etc.) should be a part of our daily discussion with our kids. Even if our kids go to school, we have to look at ourselves as our children’s first teachers. There are so many things that we can teach them casually—homeschoolers or not.
Last week in literature class, our son (Joshua, one of our TFT teachers) asked the students what words they knew that contained the prefix “pro,” meaning “for.” He got the usual answers—pro-life; prolific; pro-football, etc. And then his clever “little brother,” Josiah, said, “’Propane’—means that we are ‘for pain’!” Have fun with vocabulary building—and your kids will not forget it, for sure!
Tomorrow I will give you a list of roots affixes that we use in our language arts books that you can print off for yourself or your students. Happy reading—and comprehending! Smile…
