A tree has roots. People have roots too. If you get to the root of a problem, you will solve it. It's the same thing with words. Dig deeply into a big, unfamiliar word and you will understand where it came from.
As readers, especially those reading in a second language, we need to deal with the text as if we were detectives (侦探) looking for information to unlock the unknown. Like any good detective arriving on the crime scene, the first thing to do when meeting a new and difficult word is to judge the situation, to look at everything that is known and see if it helps us to understand what it means.
As you know, prefixes （前缀）and suffixes（后缀） can be added to the beginning or end of words to change the meaning. Know them, and you will have the word building power. But root words are the key. Take time to learn a few of these, put them in your memory, and you will become a master word detective.
Let's look at one common root word used in English. "Alter" from the Latin word means "other". When you meet this root word, you know that the bigger word has something to do with "other". Examine the word "alternate". Can you find the Latin root in it?
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▶ If you and your friend like to eat out. first you pay and the other pays the next time. You are alternating paying. ▶ If you go to the movies on alternate Saturdays, you go on one Saturday, but not the other Saturday. ▶ If you have no alternative, you have no other choice. |
Learn as many root words as possible in the language you are studying. Then use your "rooting for words" skills. Like any new skill, practice and hard work are always paid back.
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