Unit 5

Roots & Words

CIRCUM- AROUND

Circumstantial (adj) – Secondary; Incidental; Of little importance

Synonyms: coincidental, conjectural

Antonyms: direct

SAMPLE SENTENCE: When the prosecutor accused the defendant of lying to a police officer, it seemed circumstantial, as the man was on trial for a much more serious charge.

Circumvent (v) – 1. To go around or bypass 2. To avoid (defeat, failure, unpleasantness, etc) by deception or outwitting

Synonyms: detour, evade

Antonyms: allow, assist

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Carlos circumvented the No Texting While Driving law by having his fiancée hold his phone up so he could read it while driving.

CO- / COM – / CON- WITH, TOGETHER

Coalition (n) – A combination or alliance, usually temporary

Synonyms: affiliation

Antonyms: disassociation

SAMPLE SENTENCE: In World War II, Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union joined an unlikely coalition with the United States and the United Kingdom to defeat Nazi Germany.

Concur (v) – 1. To agree; To accord in opinion 2. To occur at the same time

Synonyms: 1. assent, acquiesce 2. coincide

Antonyms: 1. argue, disagree

SAMPLE SENTENCE: When the citizen proposed putting in a stoplight at the dangerous intersection, the entire town committee concurred, and the light was installed within a month.

SCI KNOW

Conscience (n) – The inner sense of knowing what is right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives

Synonyms: principles

Antonyms: immorality

You May Remember: From this unit, CON- means “with,” (as in “unified”) so conscience literally means, “knowing with unity” or “knowing wholly”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: After taking his brother’s final slice of pizza, he went out and bought an extra one to replace it because of his guilty conscience.

Prescience (n) – Foresight, the ability to know or predict things beforehand

Synonym: farsightedness, foreknowledge

Helpful Hints: This word does not have anything to do with the supernatural or seeing the future in a literal sense. It refers to the ability to forecast the future accurately.

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Yuki’s uncanny prescience in the stock market allowed him to earn a pile of money and retire early.

DI- TWO

Dichotomy (n) – 1. Division into two parts, kinds, halves, etc. 2. Division into two mutually exclusive, contradictory groups

Synonyms: 1. split, separation 2. contrast, difference, polarity

SAMPLE SENTENCE: When the group found themselves stranded on the island, they quickly established themselves into a rigid dichotomy of hunters and gatherers.

Digression (n) – 1. The act of deviating or wandering away from the main topic or purpose in speaking or writing 2. A passage or section that deviates from the central theme in speech or writing

Synonyms: straying, deflection, tangent, excusion

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Some people wished his stories were more straightforward, but I enjoy my uncle’s digressions when he speaks, because sometimes his random tangents are the best parts of the story.

E- / EX- OUT FROM, OUT OF

Excise (v) – 1. to cut out from something 2. To charge a tax on something

Synonyms: 1. remove, extract 2. levy

SAMPLE SENTENCE: When the family needed to straighten out their budget, the first things they excised were their nonessential purchases, like trips to fancy restaurants.

Exculpate (v) – To clear from a charge of guilt or blame

Synonyms: acquit, absolve

Antonyms: blame, condemn

SAMPLE SENTENCE: When the guilty party confessed, Max was exculpated and released from prison.

GEO EARTH

Geographer (n) – A person who specializes in the science of the Earth’s surface

You May Remember: From unit 1, -ER means “one who does,” and GRAPH means “write,” so a geographer is literally “One who writes about the Earth”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The geographers from the various cities met at a conference to discuss the effects of climate change on the plant life and soil in their native countries.

Geology (n) – The science of the Earth, specifically its composition and history

Helpful Hints: The difference between a geographer and a geologist: Simply put, geographers examine the surface of the Earth, like a mapmaker. Geographers also study the people and things that inhabit the Earth. A geologist studies what the Earth is made of, such as different minerals, the way the landscape is formed, etc.

You May Remember: From unit 1, -LOGY means “Study of” – thus, Geology is “The study of the Earth”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Because of the college courses she took in geology, she could still identify more than 50 different types of rocks in her neighborhood by sight.

IM- / IN- (2) INTO

Infuse (v) – To introduce, as if by pouring something new in (often followed by into) 2. To inspire (often followed by with) 3. To soak in a liquid in order to extract an ingredient

Synonyms: impart, implant

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The novice novelist couldn’t help but infuse his plot lines with his own personal beliefs and issues, which made his books less enjoyable to read.

Insightful (adj) – Able to notice things well; having a very clear understanding of something

Synonyms: perceptive, astute, discerning

Antonyms: unperceptive, ignorant

Helpful Hints: An insightful analysis of literature reveals your wisdom and understanding about the deeper meaning of the text.

SAMPLE SENTENCE: What made the art teacher so helpful was that her comments were so insightful, and she always knew what the students were trying to portray in their artwork.

PAC- PEACE

Pacifist (n) – A person who is opposed to war or to violence of any kind

Synonyms: objector, peacemaker

Antonyms: warmonger

SAMPLE SENTENCE: After his second tour in the Korean War and the horrors he saw, my grandfather became a pacifist for the rest of his life.

Pacify (v) – To bring to a state of peace or tranquility; to quiet; to calm

Synonyms: soothe, appease, placate

Antonyms: anger, inflame, incense

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Very little could pacify the distraught couple whose home had just been robbed.