Morphology &

Etymology

If these words mean nothing to you, then you are not alone.

They will be clear by the end of this presentation.

Morphology = looking at the shapes that make up words

What word can you make?

BIO

AUTO

IC

AL

AUTO+BIO+GRAPH+IC+AL

If you don’t know already what the word AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL means…

BIO

AUTO IC AL

You can start to figure it out by identifying the word parts (“shapes”).

That’s MORPHOLOGY.

IF MORPHOLOGY means looking at (studying) the shapes that make up words, THEN what do you think ETYMOLOGY might mean?

HINT: ETYM means word origin

Etymology = looking at (studying) the origin of words

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL

BIO

AUTO IC AL

AUTO = SELF

BIO = LIFE

GRAPH = WRITING

IC = OF

AL = RELATING TO

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL

LIFE

SELF OF

relating to

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL = RELATING TO WRITING THE LIFE OF THE SELF

OR, RELATING TO THE WRITER’S OWN LIFE

Morphology = looking at the “shape” of words

Etymology = looking at the origin of words

This year, you will become a MORPHOLOGIST and an ETYMOLOGIST, studying the shapes and

origins of words…by mastering over 30 word “roots” (or “origins”)

How many do you know?

AMI/AMOAUDBELLIBENECAPITCARDCARNCHRON

CORDCORPDICTGENGRADGRAPHGRESSLITERA

LOQULYS/LYZMALMANMEMMORIPATHPED

PHONPSYCHSCRIPSENSSOLUSONSPECTTORT

VERSVISVIV