Precise words + root clues
Choose vocabulary for exact meaning, then use morphology and context together when a word is unfamiliar.
Learning intention
- I can replace vague words with more precise ones.
- I can identify when a specialist term suits the field and audience.
- I can use Greek or Latin roots as clues.
- I can check a root-based inference against context.
Board model: vague → precise
The animal moved. → The falcon glided across the valley.
The water disappeared. → The water evaporated.
Ask: what new exact information does each replacement add?
Root clues
- phon → sound
- bio → life
- geo → earth
- therm → heat
- aud → hear
- vis/vid → see
- tract → pull/drag
- scrib/script → write
Routine: root → whole word → context → check.
Technical vocabulary
Compare water changing to gas with evaporation, or animal’s natural home with habitat. Specialist words are useful when they remove ambiguity and the audience can understand them.
Common traps
- “Longer means more precise.”
- “The root gives the full definition.”
- “A picture clue overrides the sentence.”
- “All words sharing a root mean the same thing.”
Exit ticket
Improve: The machine moved the water. Then explain one technical word using either a root clue or context clue.