Roman military leader Julius Caesar famously wrote, 「All Gaul is divided into three parts.」Like a military general, we can employ the Divide and Conquer strategy.Many English words can also be divided into three parts:
羅馬軍事領袖尤利烏斯·凱撒(Julius Caesar)有一句名言：「整個高盧被分成三個部分。」就像軍事將領一樣，我們可以採取分而治之的戰略。許多英語單詞也可以分為三個部分：
the prefix前綴。the base基詞。the suffix後綴。
Prefixes, bases, and suffixes are the three kinds of roots, or semantic units, found in many words.Although sometimes the words root and base are used the same way, they are not interchangeable.Root is the generic term for any part of a word that holds meaning (Ayers 1986).Prefixes, bases, and suffixes are kinds of roots.
前綴、基詞和後綴是存在於許多單詞中的三種詞根或語義單位。雖然單詞root和base有時用法相同，但它們不能互換。詞根是一個詞的任何有意義的部分的通用術語。前綴、基詞和後綴是詞根的種類。
In terms of a word’s structure, the prefix appears at the beginning of a word, the base in the middle, and the suffix at the end.This umbrella diagram helps illustrate the distinctions between a prefix, base, and suffix: Roots, then, is the umbrella term for the subcategories of prefix, base, and suffix.Notice that the base in this picture is shown as the handle of the umbrella.The base holds up the entire word, providing its essential or 「basic」 meaning.
就單詞的結構而言，前綴出現在單詞的開頭，詞尾出現在中間，後綴出現在末尾。此傘形圖有助於說明前綴、基礎和後綴之間的區別：因此，根是前綴、基礎和後綴的子類別的總稱。請注意，此圖片中的底座顯示為雨傘的手柄。基詞支撐著整個單詞，提供了它的基本或「基本」含義。
What Does a Base Do?基詞是做什麼的？
The root mot is a base that means 「move.」Here are a few more examples of bases:
根mot是一個基詞，意思是「移動」。這裡還有幾個基詞的例子：
tract = 「pull, draw, drag」=「拉、拉、拖」
duc, duct = 「lead」=「導」
port = 「carry」=「攜」
ven, vent = 「come」=「來」
dic, dict = 「speak」=「發言」
voc, vok = 「call」=「呼叫」
viv, vit = 「life」=「生活」
sol, helio = 「sun」=「太陽」
dom = 「house」=「房子」
terra = 「land」=「土地」
aqua, hydro = 「water」=「水」
These bases generate entire words that carry their basic meanings:
這些詞庫生成包含其基本含義的完整單詞：
A motor makes things 「move.」馬達使物體「移動」。
Motion is 「movement.」運動就是「運動」。
A tractor 「pulls」 farm equipment.拖拉機「拖拉」農用設備。
We need good traction to 「pull」 a car through ice or snow.我們需要良好的牽引力才能在冰雪中「拉動」汽車。
When we trace something, we make a 「drawing.」當我們追蹤某物時，我們會畫一張「圖」。
A duct 「leads」 heated air from a furnace to the rooms of the house.一條管道將加熱的空氣從爐子「引」到房子的房間裡。
A porter 「carries」 luggage.搬運工「搬運」行李。
A portable television can be 「carried」 from one room to another.可攜式電視可以從一個房間「攜帶」到另一個房間。
Notice that each of the italicized words in the above list has a meaning directly associated with the meaning of the base itself.In fact, the base duct can even function as a whole word all by itself!And as we noted earlier, these bases carry fundamental, easily understood meanings: move, pull or drag, lead, and carry.
請注意，上面列表中的每個斜體單詞都有一個與基詞本身的含義直接相關的含義。
事實上，基詞duct本身甚至可以作為一個整體發揮作用！正如我們前面提到的，這些底座承載著基本的、容易理解的含義：移動、拖拽、引導和攜帶。
You may have noticed that none of the words in this particular list begins with a prefix.The first semantic unit in these words is the base itself.
您可能已經注意到，這個列表中沒有一個單詞以前綴開頭。這些詞的第一個語義單位是基詞本身。
What Does a Prefix Do?前綴有什麼作用？
When a prefix is attached to the base of a word, the prefix does one of three things: it gives a word direction, negates a word by meaning 「not,」 or intensifies the meaning of a word by adding the notion of 「very.」
當前綴附加在基詞上時，前綴做以下三件事之一：它給出一個詞的方向，通過表示「不」來否定一個詞，或者通過增加「非常」的概念來強化一個詞的意義。
For this reason, we speak of three categories of prefixes:
因此，我們談到三類前綴：
directional prefixes指向前綴。
negative prefixes否定前綴。
intensifying prefixes增強前綴。
Most of the prefixes found in English words—about 25 in all—are derived from Latin.Teaching the meaning of prefixes is especially helpful to young children because a few prefixes are used in a large number of words.Moreover, nine prefixes account for 75 percent of the words that use prefixes .
英語單詞中的大多數前綴-總共約25個-都來自拉丁語。教授前綴的意思對幼兒特別有幫助，因為在大量的單詞中使用了幾個前綴。此外，九個前綴佔使用前綴的詞的75%。
Prefixes appear with such frequency in our vocabularies that students can easily learn some of them just by recalling words they already know.For example, every school has exit signs that point to the way 「out of」 the building.You can use this everyday word to teach that the prefix ex- sometimes means the direction 「out, out of.」Ex- can have an intensifying meaning as well.For example, an exhausted person is 「very」 drained (haust = 「drain」).Another example of an intensifying prefix is the per- in perfection, 「made well」 (fect = 「make, do」).
前綴在我們的詞彙中出現的頻率如此之高，以至於學生只需回憶他們已經知道的單詞就可以很容易地學習其中的一些前綴。例如，每所學校都有出口指示牌，指出「離開」大樓的路。你可以用這個日常用語來告訴我們，前綴ex-有時表示方向「out，out」。Ex-也可以有強化的意思。例如，一個筋疲力盡的人是「非常」耗盡的(haust=「drain」)。另一個強化前綴的例子是Per-in Perfect。
Many students will have seen a band or orchestra conductor wave a baton, leading musicians 「together」 as they play their instruments.You can use this familiar concept to teach that the prefix con- is a directional prefix meaning 「with, together.」
許多學生會看到樂隊或管弦樂隊指揮揮舞指揮棒，帶領音樂家「一起」演奏樂器。
您可以使用這個熟悉的概念來說明前綴con-是一個方向前綴，意思是「With，Together」。
When we tell students to redo an assignment, they know they must go 「back」 and do it 「again.」You can use this school experience to teach that re- is a directional prefix meaning 「back, again.」A student who is unable to come to a birthday party is 「not」 able to do so: un- is a negative prefix.Likewise, in-, im-, and il- are negating prefixes.Consider words like invisible, impossible, and illegal.
當我們告訴學生重做作業時，他們知道他們必須「回去」「再做一次」。你可以利用這次在校經歷來教我們，re-is是一個方向前綴，意思是「後退，再來」。不能來參加生日聚會的學生是「不能」來的：un-是一個否定的前綴。同樣，in-、im-和il-都是否定前綴。把看不見的、不可能的、非法的這些詞考慮一下。
Most of the prefixes students encounter in school texts are directional in nature.This means that they indicate a path of some kind: 「with, together,」 「under,」 「in,」 「out,」 「back, again,」 「away from,」 「out of.」Here are a few examples of the most common directional prefixes:
學生在學校課文中遇到的前綴大多是方向性的。這意味著它們表示某種形式的路徑：「帶著、在一起」、「在下面」、「在裡面」、「在外面」、「在後面、又在後面」、「離開」、「在外面」。以下是幾個最常見的方向前綴的示例：
at-, ad- = 「to, toward, add to」 =去，朝，加」
de- = 「down, off」=「下，離」
dis- = 「apart, in different directions」=「分，歧」
con- = 「with, together」=「與，共」
ex- = 「out」=「外」
pro- = 「forward, ahead」=「前，先」
sub- = 「under, below」=「下，低」
in- = 「in」=「內」
Once students have learned the directional meanings of these prefixes, they can generate a large number of words from even a single base.Here are some tract (「pull, draw, drag」) words with directional prefixes:
一旦學生學會了這些前綴的指向意義，他們就可以從一個基詞上生成大量的單詞。
以下是一些帶有方向前綴的單詞(「Pull，Draw，Drag」)：
Previews of coming attractions 「draw」 us 「to」 the theater.即將到來的景點預告片將我們「吸引」到「劇院」。
The ugly building detracted (「pulled down」) from the beauty of the neighborhood.這座醜陋的建築有損(「推倒」)附近的美景。
Noises in a school hallway are distracting because they 「draw」 our attention 「away」 from the lesson.學校走廊裡的噪音會分散我們的注意力，因為它們會「分散」我們對課程的注意力。
Muscles contract when they 「pull together」 and tighten.當肌肉「拉在一起」並收緊時，肌肉就會收縮。
A dentist extracts a bad tooth by 「pulling」 it 「out.」牙醫把壞牙「拔」出來。
A protracted war is one that is 「drawn forward.」持久戰就是「向前拉」的戰爭。
When we subtract, we 「draw」 the number 「below」 its amount by taking away from it.當我們減法時，我們通過減去「低於」它的數量來「畫」出它的數字。
All of the italicized words above are cognates derived from a single base, tract.Each of these words, furthermore, begins with a directional prefix that indicates the direction of the 「pulling, drawing, or dragging.」
上面所有的斜體單詞都是從一個單一的基幹派生而來的同源詞。此外，這些單詞中的每一個都以指示「拉、畫或拖動」方向的方向前綴開頭。
What Does a Suffix Do?後綴有什麼作用？
If a word has a suffix, it comes at the end of a word.Unlike prefixes and bases, which have fixed and stable meanings, suffixes have meanings that are fluid.The essential function of a suffix is to indicate the part of speech of a particular word.
如果單詞有後綴，它會出現在單詞的末尾。與具有固定和穩定含義的前綴和基詞不同，後綴的含義是可變的。後綴的基本功能是表示特定詞的詞性。
We speak of noun suffixes, adjectival suffixes, and verbal suffixes.We don’t need to teach these grammatical concepts to young children,though.When it comes to understanding what a word means, the suffix is the least important component.By the time students have reflected on the prefix and the base, they usually understand the word well enough to figure it out.
我們說名詞後綴、形容詞後綴和動詞後綴。不過，我們不需要把這些語法概念教給年幼的孩子。說到理解單詞的意思，後綴是最不重要的部分。當學生對前綴和基詞進行反思時，他們通常已經充分理解了這個詞，足以把它弄明白了。
None of us thinks explicitly of parts of speech when we speak or write and, thankfully, it is not the purpose of vocabulary instruction to make our students sound like dictionaries as they talk about a word and its range of meanings.Students do not need to give—and often should not be asked to give—dictionary definitions of words.In fact, it can be counterproductive to lock in the meaning of a word with a single definition since words can change meaning when their contexts change.Instead, we should encourage them to use words in a phrase or sample sentence.This way, they will be providing a linguistic context.
當我們說或寫的時候，我們沒有人明確地考慮詞性，謝天謝地，詞彙教學的目的不是讓我們的學生在談論一個單詞和它的一系列含義時聽起來像字典。學生不需要--通常也不應該被要求--給出詞典中單詞的定義。事實上，用單一的定義來鎖定單詞的含義可能會適得其反，因為單詞可能會隨著上下文的變化而改變含義。相反，我們應該鼓勵他們在短語或例句中使用詞語。這樣，他們將提供一種語言環境。
The ending of a word, therefore, rarely poses a problem for students.If a student has trouble figuring out a new word, the challenging portions will lie in either the prefix or the base.It is unlikely, for example, that a student with age-appropriate English language skills would refer to a portable television (portable is an adjective: 「able to be」 carried) as a porter television (porter is a noun: 「one who」 carries luggage).Once the student identifies the base of these words as meaning 「carry,」 he or she is well equipped to deduce the meaning.
因此，單詞的結尾很少會給學生帶來問題。如果一個學生在理解一個新單詞時有困難，挑戰部分要麼在於前綴，要麼在於基詞。例如，擁有與年齡相稱的英語語言技能的學生不太可能將可攜式電視(便攜是形容詞：「能夠被攜帶」)稱為搬運工電視(搬運工是名詞：「搬運工」是搬運行李的人)。一旦學生確定這些單詞的詞根是「攜帶」的意思，他或她就可以很好地推斷其含義。
For these reasons, the roots approach to vocabulary places an emphasis on prefixes (directional, negative, and intensifying) and bases (the core meaning of the word).Only a few suffixes merit intensive scrutiny.Words of Greek origin, for example, tend to be long and often carry technical meanings.Thus, it can be useful to students to learn that the suffix -ology means 「study of.」By dividing and conquering this suffix, they will be able to think about the base meaning in such words as:
由於這些原因，詞根法強調前綴(定向、否定和強化)和基詞(單詞的核心含義)。
只有幾個後綴值得仔細檢查。例如，起源於希臘語的單詞往往很長，通常帶有技術含義。因此，它可以幫助學生了解後綴-ology的意思是「研究」。通過分而治之，他們將能夠思考如下單詞的基本含義：
Geology is the 「study of」 the earth.地質學是對地球的「研究」。
Theology is the 「study of」 God.神學是對上帝的「研究」。
Hematology is the 「study of」 blood.血液學是對血液的「研究」。
Anthropology is the 「study of」 human cultures.人類學是對人類文化的「研究」。
Some Easy Suffixes一些簡單的後綴。
As we draw their attention to suffixes, we again present them with everyday words, taking examples from what they already know.We teach them a few suffixes that have fixed meanings.Our goal is not to teach them all the suffixes, only to draw their attention to them and teach students how to work with suffixes.Some useful and easy suffixes for this level are:
當我們把他們的注意力吸引到後綴時，我們再一次向他們展示日常詞彙，從他們已經知道的東西中舉出例子。我們教他們一些有固定含義的後綴。我們的目標不是教他們所有的後綴，只是讓他們注意到這些後綴，並教會學生如何使用後綴。此級別的一些有用且簡單的後綴包括：
-er = 「more」=「更多」
-est = 「most」=「最多」
-ful = 「full of」-ful=「滿滿」
-less = 「without, lacking」=「沒有，缺乏」
-able, -ible = 「can, able to」=「可以，能夠」
We explain that when we add the suffixes -er and -est to words like these, we change the meaning of the base word.(These are adjectives, but it is not necessary to get into the technicalities of parts of speech at this stage.)
我們解釋說，當我們給這些詞加上後綴-er和-est時，我們就改變了基詞的意思。(這些都是形容詞，但現階段沒有必要涉及詞性的技術細節。)。
By looking at these suffixes as units with meaning, students quickly learn that they can change the meaning of a word by adding a suffix to a base word, by removing a suffix, or by changing the suffix.In the process, they learn that since a word is made of parts that have meaning, they can figure out the meanings of words by looking for parts.
通過將這些後綴視為有意義的單元，學生很快就會了解到，他們可以通過在基詞上添加後綴、去掉後綴或更改後綴來改變單詞的含義。在這個過程中，他們了解到，因為一個單詞是由有意義的部件組成的，所以他們可以通過查找部件來計算單詞的含義。
Here are some pairs to work with:以下是一些可以使用的配對：
careful小心。careless粗心。
colorful五彩繽紛。colorless無色。
harmful有害。harmless無害。
hopeful充滿希望。hopeless無望。
meaningful意味深長。meaningless無意義。
painful痛楚。painless無痛。
powerful強大。powerless無能為力。
thoughtful深思。thoughtless不假思索。
useful有用。useless無用
All of these activities will help students learn that the same base can produce words of opposite meaning depending on the suffix they attach.This insight reinforces students』 understanding that the meaning of a word is significantly affected by the parts it contains.
所有這些活動都將幫助學生認識到，根據詞尾的不同，相同的詞基可以產生意義相反的單詞。這種洞察力加強了學生的理解，即單詞的意思受其包含的部分的影響很大。
Students are making the cognitive leap that words contain much more than letters and sounds; many are also made up of semantic units—roots.Just as the roots of a tree are essential to the tree’s life, the roots of a word are essential to the word’s meaning.
學生們正在進行認知飛躍，認為單詞包含的不僅僅是字母和聲音；許多單詞也是由語義單位-詞根組成的。正如樹根對於樹的生命是必不可少的一樣，單詞的詞根對於單詞的意義也是必不可少的。
They can talk about the new ideas they are presenting as they create their own vocabulary.Some fun vocabulary might include:
當他們創造自己的詞彙時，他們可以談論他們提出的新想法。
一些有趣的詞彙可能包括：
My dog is unwalkable because he refuses to wear a collar and leash: he 「can not」 be walked.
我的狗不能走路，因為它拒絕戴項圈和皮帶：它「不能」遛狗。
My jacket is unzippable because it only has buttons: it 「can not」 be zipped.
我的夾克拉不上拉鏈，因為它只有紐扣：它「不能」拉上拉鏈。
My bed is unsleepable because the mattress is so lumpy: it 「can not」 be slept in.
我的床睡不著，因為床墊太凹凸不平了：它「睡不著」。
By encouraging our students to create their own vocabulary from word parts, we embolden them to think as they speak and write.They learn that word mastery involves two skills.
通過鼓勵我們的學生從單詞部分創造他們自己的詞彙，我們鼓勵他們在說和寫的時候大膽地思考。他們了解到掌握單詞需要兩項技能。
As lifelong readers and listeners of words, they will always be encountering vocabulary they can 「divide and conquer.」Furthermore, as lifelong speakers and writers, they will benefit from combining and creating roots as they come up with the right word for the right context.But perhaps most importantly, when we ask students to generate vocabulary by using suffixes and prefixes, we are preparing them for the most important part of the Divide and Conquer strategy: zeroing in on the base.
作為詞彙的終生讀者和聽者，他們總是會遇到他們可以「分而治之」的詞彙。此外，作為終身演講者和作家，他們將受益於結合和創造詞根，因為他們能為正確的上下文找到合適的詞。但也許最重要的是，當我們要求學生通過使用後綴和前綴來生成詞彙時，我們是在讓他們為分而治之策略中最重要的部分做好準備：專注於基詞。
Summary摘要。
we have addressed some of the basics of word-root study.
我們討論了詞根研究的一些基礎知識。
We have explained what we mean when we speak of roots, and we have offered some compelling reasons for the Divide and Conquer approach to vocabulary instruction as a way to build students』 active and passive vocabularies.
我們已經解釋了我們所說的詞根是什麼意思，我們已經提出了一些令人信服的理由，說明了分而治之的詞彙教學方法是建立學生主動和被動詞彙的一種方式。
In the next chapter, we will suggest some instructional basics.
在下一章中，我們將建議一些教學基礎知識。
We will offer some strategies on how to divide and conquer words and how to 「talk around」 words in a way that will help students make connections between the new words they are learning and the old or current ones they already know.
我們將提供一些關於如何劃分和徵服單詞以及如何「圍繞」單詞的策略，以幫助學生在他們正在學習的新單詞和他們已經知道的舊單詞或當前單詞之間建立聯繫。
We will provide more sample roots—prefixes, bases, and suffixes—that teachers can use at various levels in elementary and middle school.
我們將提供更多示例詞根-前綴、基詞和後綴-供教師在中小學各級使用。