The Greek & Latin Roots of English (12 page)

What Do You Call That Word?

All the terms used to describe the parts of speech in English are derived from Latin roots.

noun
= a word referring to a person, place, thing, state, or quality
(nomen, nominis
= name).

verb
= a word that expresses, action, existence, or occurrence
(verbum, verbi
= word).

adjective
= a word that modifies, or qualifies, a noun
(adjicio-adjicere-adjectum =
add to).

adverb
= a word that modifies or qualifies a verb or adjective.

preposition
= a word placed before a noun to form a phrase that modifies another noun, adjective, or verb
(praepono-proponere-praepositum
= place before).

conjunction
= a connector between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences
(conjun- go-conjungere-conjunctum
= join together).

Gender Differences

Gender is a grammatical category that is used to classify nouns, pronouns, and adjectives (and in some languages, verbs). In the Romance languages, the gender of nouns can be determined by their articles
(the)
. These articles are derived from the masculine and feminine forms of the Latin demonstrative adjective ille,
illa = that

What Does That Mean?

Sometimes an English word will retain its singular and plural Latin endings when it comes into English. For example, the Latin verb
ago-agere
produces agenda, which literally means “the things that are to be done,” while
erro-errare-erratum
(wander, go astray) gives us
erratum
(singular) and
errata
(plural). How are these words used in English?

Anglo-Saxon Suffixes

Not all English suffixes are Greek or Latin in origin. Old English (Anglo-Saxon) has left its mark on the formation of modern English vocabulary as well.

NAME _______________________________________________________

A. What English adjectives are derived from the following Latin nouns? What is the current meaning of each adjective? Use the endings in section I of this chapter. If necessary, consult an unabridged English dictionary.

Examples

B. Which English nouns are derived from the following Latin adjectives? What is the current meaning of each noun? Use the endings in Section II. If necessary, consult an unabridged English dictionary.

Examples

C. The following words have been made up, but they have been given Latin adjectival or noun endings. Identify each as either a noun or an adjective, and give the meaning of the suffix.

D. What English nouns and adjectives are derived from the present stems (second principal part) of the following Latin verbs? What is the current usage of each noun or adjective? Use the endings in Section IV, part A. If necessary, consult an unabridged English dictionary.