Building Vocabulary: Commonly Used Roots Revision Puzzle
ROOT: The most basic part of a word after all prefixes and suffixes are removed. The root carries the basic meaning of a word. (e.g. The root of 'basic' is 'bas' which means 'low' / 'at the bottom'. The root of 'contact' is 'tact' which means 'touch'.)
Research indicates that knowledge of only 20 prefix groups and 14 roots can help learners discover the meanings of more than 100,000 words! Many words are made up of prefixes, roots and suffixes, so knowing which ones are most commonly used will significantly increase the size of your vocabulary, making you a better reader, writer and speaker of English!
(When you have finished this exercise, find more practice in the following links:)
Click on the numbers in the crossword to open a hint and text box. Read the hint then enter a root taught in the previous activities called 'Building Vocabulary - Roots - Matching and Revision Quizzes'. (Be careful to spell each root carefully.) When you have finished, click on "Check" to check your answer. If you are stuck, you can click on "Hint" to get a free letter. Click on a number in the grid to see the clue or clues for that number.