Unit 10

Roots & Words

VIT / VIV LIFE

Convivial (adj) – Friendly, Agreeable

Synonyms: sociable, genial

Antonyms: serious, staid

You May Remember: CON from unit 5 means WITH, so someone convivial is easy to live with

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Even though the workers often became frustrated with one another during the work week, their weekly softball games were always convivial.

Viable (adj) – 1. Capable of living 2. Practicable, Workable, Able to use

Synonyms: 2. possible, workable

Antonyms: 2. unachievable, unreasonable

You May Remember: From unit 8, the suffix ABLE makes this word easier to remember: “ABLE to LIVE”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The president of the company knew that maintaining its online store was costing thousands of dollars a week, so she ended it, hoping to find some more viable ways of selling merchandise.

DUC / DUCT TO LEAD

Abduct (v) – To carry off by force, to kidnap

Synonyms: remove, seize

Antonyms: release

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Posters went up around the neighborhood warning parents about a child who had been abducted from a playground only one town away.

Conducive (adj) – Favorable, Helpful

Synonyms: useful, promotive

Antonyms: hindering, adverse

Helpful Hints: This is almost always used in the phrase “conducive to”

You May Remember: Again, CON (unit 5) makes this word literally mean To Lead Together

SAMPLE SENTENCE: His roommate’s loud music was not conducive to getting a good night’s rest.

AQUA WATER

Aqueduct (n) – An elevated canal used to transport water

You May Remember: We just learned that “DUCT” means to lead, so an aqueduct is a structure that leads water to a different location

SAMPLE SENTENCES: While many ancient Roman structures have crumbled, you can still find standing aqueducts that used to deliver water to distant towns.

Aqueous (adj) – Watery, Water-based

Synonyms: fluid, liquified, serous

Antonyms: solid

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The boy was captivated by the aqueous material that was leaking out of the old battery.

BEN / BENE GOOD

Benefactor (n) – A person who gives a benefit, usually a monetary gift

Synonyms: sponsor, patron

Antonyms: opponent, antagonist

You May Remember: The -OR suffix from our first unit means “One Who Does” and the FAC root from unit 8 means “To Make”- a BENEFACTOR is “One Who Makes Good”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The theater would have had to have closed were it not for a massive financial donation from an anonymous benefactor.

Benign (adj) – 1. Having a pleasant disposition; kind 2. Mild or pleasant

Synonyms: 1. friendly, affactionate, cordial 2. gentle, balmy, temperate

Antonyms: 2. hostile, malignant 2. harsh, unfavorable

Helpful Hints: Medically, you commonly hear this word being used as one of the two main classifications of cancerous tumors; benign tumors are ones that are not harmful.

SAMPLE SENTENCE 1: After his retirement, he slowly stopped being so sarcastic and mean-spirited, and took on a much more benign attitude.

SAMPLE SENTENCE 2: The benign climate of San Fransisco makes a a desirable location to live.

CED / CEDE / CESS YIELD, GO

Concede (v) – To admit; To acknowledge as true; To Yield

Synonyms: accept, surrender, yield

Antonyms: contradict, dispute

You May Remember: CON (again? we see this one all the time…) means “With” so to concede is to “go (along) with something”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: After hearing his opponent’s student council speech, Vivek had to concede that Kelly was an excellent public speaker and would likely win the election.

Intercede (v) – To act on behalf of someone in difficulty; To mediate

Synonyms: intervene, intrude

Antonyms: ignore

You May Remember: From our first unit, INTER- means “Between,” and so to intercede means “to go between,” as in getting between a person and his problems

SAMPLE SENTENCE: After watching her friend get mercilessly teased by the class moron, Alexis had to intercede and stand up for her friend.

CRYPT Hidden

Cryptic (adj) – Mysterious, Ambiguous

Synonyms: murky, perplexing

Antonyms: clear, obvious

You May Remember: The -IC suffix means “Having to do with” so this word literally means “Having to do with the hidden”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Written on the bottom of page 216 of the library book was the cryptic message “You found me, but have you ever really been lost?”

Encrypt (v) – To encode, to make more difficult to understand

Synonyms: codify

Antonyms: decrypt, decipher

You May Remember: In this same unit, we have “EN-” meaning “To put in,” so to encrypt a message is “to put it in hiding”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: To make sure nobody would ever understand his journal entries, he encrypted them by writing with an alphabet of his own creation.

EM- / EN- IN, TO PUT IN

Encompass (v) – 1. To surround 2. To include comprehensively, or thoroughly

Synonyms: 1. enclose, encircle, envelop 2. involve, incorporate, comprise

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The couple was disappointed that their brand-new home was quickly becoming encompassed by new construction sites and not the lovely forest that they had been so attracted to originally.

Envision (v) – To picture mentally, especially concerning future events

Synonyms: anticipate, conceptualize

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The fighter pilot could not envision any way that he could safely return his plane to the base without getting shot down.

PSEUDO- FALSE

Pseudonym (n) – A false name

Synonyms: pen name, alias, nom de plume

SAMPLE SENTENCE: George Orwell, the author of Animal Farm and 1984, was actually writing under a pseudonym; his real name was Eric Blair.

Pseudoscience (n) – A set of theories that have no scientific basis

Helpful Hints: Horoscopes (and astrology in general) are an example of a pseudoscience

SAMPLE SENTENCE: “I don’t care if they say acupuncture is a pseudoscience,” yelled Hank. “My back is killing me, and I’m willing to try ANYTHING!”