Given in the seventh and eighth years' work of the State Course of Study are 45 prefixes, 64 roots, and 33 suffixes,—in all 142 elements or component parts of words. In this book a list of words is furnished to illustrate each element, the average number of words in each list being about eleven, and the total number of different words analyzed, or partially analyzed, is over 1200.

TO ANALYZE A WORD.

1. Name its component parts—root, prefix, and suffix—and give the literal meaning of each.

2. Combine these meanings in a definition, supplying additional words if necessary, to make the sense complete. In exceptional cases, however, the exact literal meanings of the parts cannot be put together in a good definition. One or more of the parts must then be omitted entirely, or represented by words which are not exactly literal.

3. Give an illustration of the use of the word.

(Caution: Carefully distinguish verbs, adjectives and nouns. Do not define adjectives as nouns or verbs, or vice versa. Do not, for illustration, say audible is that which can be heard; but rather say audible means capable of being heard.)

EXAMPLES.

A careful study of the five examples given above will reveal that to analyze words a pupil must—

1. Learn some facts—meanings of the component parts of words.

2. Be careful in putting these facts together to make a sensible definition.

3. Use the dictionary to find the ordinary, or current, use of a word.

4. Gather illustrations. This is not easy, but it should not be neglected, for it is the most practical feature of word analysis. Pupils should help each other, and the teacher may contribute when his help is needed. One good illustration for a difficult word might suffice the entire class.