Greek and Latin Roots — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
The root "vis" means "to throw," so visible means something that can be thrown.
Corrected: The root "vis" means "to see," so visible means something that can be seen.
The root "vis" means "to see," not "to throw." Visible means something that can be seen, which makes sense because "vis" is all about sight and vision.
2. Fix the sentence:
A spectator is someone who builds things because "spec" means to build.
Corrected: A spectator is someone who watches things because "spec" means to look or see.
The root "spec" means "to look or see," not "to build." A spectator watches events like sports games, which is why the word contains the looking-related root "spec."
3. Fix the sentence:
The root "ject" means "to listen," so to inject means to listen carefully.
Corrected: The root "ject" means "to throw," so to inject means to throw or push something in.
The root "ject" means "to throw," not "to listen." Injecting medicine means pushing or throwing it into the body, and the prefix "in-" tells you the direction is inward.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The root "vis" means to see .
The Latin root "vis" means to see. Words like vision (the ability to see), visit (go to see someone), and visible (able to be seen) all come from this root.
2. The root "spec" means to look or observe.
The Latin root "spec" means to look or observe. You see it in words like spectacles (things that help you look), inspect (look into), and spectacular (amazing to look at).
3. The root "ject" means to throw .
The Latin root "ject" means to throw. This root shows up in words like reject (throw back), eject (throw out), and inject (throw in).
4. A project is a plan or task that is thrown forward for others to work on.
The word "project" combines "pro-" (forward) with "ject" (throw). A project is literally an idea thrown forward as a plan for people to work on together.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. How does the root "spec" help you understand the word inspect?
Sample answer: The prefix "in-" means into and "spec" means to look, so inspect means to look into something closely or examine it carefully.
Breaking "inspect" into parts shows "in-" (into) plus "spec" (to look). Together they mean "to look into" something closely, which is exactly what inspecting involves: careful, detailed examination.
2. Use the root "ject" to explain what the word reject means.
Sample answer: The prefix "re-" means back and "ject" means to throw, so reject means to throw something back or refuse to accept it.
The prefix "re-" means back and "ject" means to throw, so reject literally means "to throw back." When you reject an idea, you are pushing it away and refusing to accept it.