Decoding Using Greek & Latin Root Words

"Pip, stop!" "Let's figure out where these portals go first!" Let's help Pip and Koko understand the word parts above the portals by learning about words with Greek and Latin roots. Greek and Latin root words are the building blocks of many English words we use every day. There are many Greek and Latin root words that we use in English, but today we will focus on four of them: auto, bio, aqua, and bi. First, let's look at the root auto. The root auto means self or same. Automatic, autobiography, and autograph are words that contain auto. Automatic is something that happens by itself. Autobiography is a book about your life, or yourself. Autograph is a signature that someone writes themselves. Now let's look at the root bio. The root bio means life. Words like biology, biography, and biosphere contain the root bio. Biology is the study of life and living organisms. Biography is a book someone writes about another person's life. Biosphere is the area around Earth where life exists. Let's move onto the root, aqua. The root aqua means water. Words like aquarium and aquatic contain the root aqua. An aquarium is a tank of water where marine animals live. Aquatic means something that lives or grows in water. Finally, we have the root bi. The root bi means two. You can find the root bi in words such as bicycle or bilingual. A bicycle is a vehicle with two wheels. Bilingual refers to a person who can speak two different languages. Can you think of any other words that include the root auto, bio, aqua, or bi? If you can, share them in the comments below! "Ok, I feel confident about these portals now Pip! Which one should we go through?" "Let's go through the aqua portal!" While Koko and Pip travel through the aqua portal and see where they end up, let's review. Greek and Latin root words can help you understand many words we use in the English language today. Today we learned about the roots auto, bio, aqua, and bi. Auto means self or same. Bio means life. Aqua means water. And bi means two! "Well. I don't what we were expecting to happen here, we are much bigger than fish!"