Vocabulary Development-3

Objectives
Student will be able to:
  • define and use vocabulary words that contain the Latin roots cap, man, and ped.

Introduction
The larger your vocabulary is, the better you will be able to clearly communicate with others. One way to build your vocabulary is to learn words that relate to one particular theme or that contain a common element. Today, we'll learn some words that contain the Latin roots man, ped, and cap, which mean, respectively, "hand," "foot," and "head."
 
man
ped
cap
 
Read the Word Definition Chart below, which presents words that contain these roots. You'll notice that knowing the root will help you remember the meaning of each word! For example, manacle contains the root man, which means "hand," and the word means "handcuff." 

 

Examples
1.
Based on the context of the following sentence, choose the best meaning of the word capital.

The financial records were of capital importance to the investor.
a.
  fatal
b.   skillful
c.   essential
d.   headed
 

Look again at the definitions in the chart above. Capital is a multiple-meaning word, so context is very important! Although "fatal" can be a definition of capital (as in capital punishment), in this context, the investor is looking for vital information about finances. Therefore, the correct answer is c. essential.


2.
Which vocabulary word from the chart above best completes this sentence?
 
Sheila prefers to drive a car with transmission, rather than having a car that automatically shifts gears.

What is the opposite of an automatic process? Something that is done by hand, or manually. The correct answer here is manual.


Try Together

Now answer these items.

1.
Choose the word that best fits in the blank in this sentence:

The company is involved in the  of cotton thread, which it then sells to clothing factories.
a.
  manipulation
b.   manufacture
c.   capital
d.   pedestal
 
b.   manufacture
 
 


2.
In the box, write a sentence in which you use the word pedestrian.
 
Student responses may vary. Acceptable answers include:
  • The pedestrian made sure to cross the street in the crosswalk.
  • In a city, a pedestrian should use the sidewalks, and not the street.
 

Match each word on the left to its definition on the right.
Vocabulary Words
Definitions
3.
biped
a.
the seat of a government
4.
capital
b.
to cut off the head
5.
decapitate
c.
a two-legged animal
Answer: 3-c, 4-a, 5-b,
 

Please evaluate the student's answers:

Excellent

Good

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Word

Definition

biped:
(n.) an animal that has two feet
(adj.) two-footed; walking on two feet
capital:
(n.) the seat of government in a particular place; an asset or source of profit
(adj.) essential, main, chief; involving loss of life; extremely serious
decapitate: (v.) to kill by cutting off the head
manacle:
(n.) handcuff; shackle
(v.) to handcuff; to restrain
manipulation: (n.) the act of influencing unfairly; the act of changing something to suit one's own purpose; handling with skill
manual:
(n.) a small book of instructions
(adj.) done by hand, as opposed to by a machine