Word Knowledge
Yesterday I presented a true/false question about Latin and Greek roots.
About 60% of the English Language comes from Latin or Greek roots.
The answer is true. It is interesting that English is considered a Germanic language since so many words in English come from Latin and Greek. Far less words in English are from German roots. As an ASVAB tutor, I place a strong emphasis on the importance of reviewing Latin and Greek roots. When students speak Greek or any of the Romance languages (languages that have their roots in Latin), I tell them they have an advantage in studying vocabulary. The major languages that are considered Romance languages are French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. My book, The ASVAB Tutor’s Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension Study Guide reviews Latin and Greek prefixes, root words, suffixes. I remind my students of the potential studying Latin and Greek roots has on building their vocabulary levels.
