Page 85 - English 8

English for Tourism & Hospitality (108) by Prof. Adel AlSheikh 2020/2021

Root Words in English

Root words in English have their basic roots from Greek and
Latin language. The root words in English are a combination of
basic words and additional prefixes and suffixes. Root words in
English are parts upon which complete words are built.
Let’s take up an example to understand how root words in
English work. Have you heard of the word Philanthropy? It
means love for humanity and refers to various charitable and
welfare acts. It is derived from a combination of two Root Words
in English:
Phil which means Love
Anthrop/anthropy which means Mankind or humans
These two root words combine to give us Philanthropy (Love for
Humanity).
Now we can extend this learning and add some more words
based on the root anthrop:
Misanthrope: Someone who dislikes people or avoids social
situations
Anthropology: Study of Mankind
Anthropologist: The persons who involves in the study of
anthropology
You can see from the above example that root words in English
are a powerful method to learn multiple words at the same time.

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