Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: The Origins of Common Words
The Origins of Common Words
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the study of the origin of words called?
- A. Lexicology
- B. Etymology ✓
- C. Morphology
- D. Phonetics
Why: Etymology is the study of the origin and historical development of words.
Q2. Which language is the source of many English words related to law and government?
- A. Latin ✓
- B. Greek
- C. French
- D. German
Why: Latin has contributed many words related to law, government, and science.
Q3. What does the word 'serendipity' mean?
- A. A planned discovery
- B. A lucky discovery ✓
- C. A scientific discovery
- D. A historical discovery
Why: The word 'serendipity' refers to the occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
Q4. Which of the following words has its origin in the Greek word 'tele' meaning 'far'?
- A. Telephone
- B. Television
- C. Telepathy
- D. All of the above ✓
Why: The Greek prefix 'tele' meaning 'far' is the origin of words like telephone, television, and telepathy.
Q5. What is the origin of the word 'bureau'?
- A. French ✓
- B. Italian
- C. Spanish
- D. German
Why: The word 'bureau' comes from French, originally referring to a desk or office.
Module 2
Module 2: Tracing Word Roots in Latin
Tracing Word Roots in Latin
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the Latin root for the word 'father'
- A. pater ✓
- B. mater
- C. filius
- D. dominus
Why: 'Pater' is the Latin word for father, while 'mater' means mother, 'filius' means son, and 'dominus' means lord.
Q2. Which Latin word means 'to speak'
- A. loqui ✓
- B. scribere
- C. legere
- D. videre
Why: 'Loqui' means to speak, 'scribere' means to write, 'legere' means to read, and 'videre' means to see.
Q3. What is the Latin root for the word 'book'
- A. liber ✓
- B. scriptum
- C. pagina
- D. codex
Why: 'Liber' is the Latin word for book, while 'scriptum' means written, 'pagina' means page, and 'codex' refers to a book or code.
Q4. Which Latin root means 'to see'
- A. videre ✓
- B. audire
- C. legere
- D. loqui
Why: 'Videre' means to see, 'audire' means to hear, 'legere' means to read, and 'loqui' means to speak.
Q5. What does the Latin word 'domus' mean
- A. house ✓
- B. city
- C. country
- D. king
Why: 'Domus' means house, 'urbs' means city, 'terra' means country, and 'rex' means king.
Module 3
Module 3: Greek Contributions to English
Greek Contributions to English
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the Greek word for "knowledge" that is the root of the word "philosophy"?
- A. "gnosis" ✓
- B. "phos"
- C. "logos"
- D. "bios"
Why: The word "philosophy" comes from the Greek words "philo-" meaning "love" and "-gnosia" meaning "knowledge".
Q2. Which Greek letter is used in the English word "alpha"?
- A. Beta
- B. Gamma
- C. Delta
- D. Alpha ✓
Why: The word "alpha" is derived directly from the first letter of the Greek alphabet, which is also called "alpha".
Q3. What does the Greek word "theos" mean?
- A. Water
- B. God ✓
- C. Life
- D. Fire
Why: The Greek word "theos" means "god," and it is the root of many English words like "theology."
Q4. The word "democracy" comes from two Greek words. What are they?
- A. "demos" and "kratos" ✓
- B. "demos" and "archon"
- C. " demos" and "polis"
- D. " demos" and "nomos"
Why: The word "democracy" is derived from the Greek words "demos" meaning "people" and "kratos" meaning "power" or "rule."
Q5. What is the Greek origin of the word "triumph"?
- A. "tri" and "phos"
- B. "tri" and "phoros" ✓
- C. "tri" and "phoros"
- D. "tri" and "phos"
Why: The word "triumph" comes from the Greek "tri" meaning "three" and "phoros" meaning "bearing" or "carrying."
Module 4
Module 4: Old English and Its Influence
Old English and Its Influence
Knowledge check
Q1. What language influenced the development of Old English?
- A. Latin
- B. Germanic languages ✓
- C. Greek
- D. Arabic
Why: Old English was primarily influenced by Germanic languages, which were spoken by the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes who migrated to Britain.
Q2. Which of the following is a characteristic of Old English?
- A. Use of the Latin alphabet ✓
- B. Use of the Cyrillic alphabet
- C. Use of the Arabic alphabet
- D. Use of the Greek alphabet
Why: Old English used the Latin alphabet, which was adopted after the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons.
Q3. What is the term for the period of English between the 5th and 12th centuries?
- A. Middle English
- B. Early Modern English
- C. Old English ✓
- D. Modern English
Why: Old English refers to the period of English from the 5th to the 12th century, before the Norman Conquest.
Q4. Which of the following words is of Old English origin?
- A. Internet
- B. Computer
- C. House ✓
- D. Television
Why: The word 'house' is of Old English origin, derived from the word 'hūs'.
Q5. What event significantly influenced the transition from Old English to Middle English?
- A. The Norman Conquest ✓
- B. The Viking invasions
- C. The Roman invasion
- D. The Anglo-Saxon migration
Why: The Norman Conquest in 1066 introduced a large number of French words into the English language, marking the beginning of the transition from Old English to Middle English.
Module 5
Module 5: The Role of French in English
The Role of French in English
Knowledge check
Q1. Which language has had the most influence on English vocabulary?
- A. Latin
- B. French ✓
- C. German
- D. Spanish
Why: French has had a significant influence on English vocabulary, especially after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Q2. Which of the following words is of French origin?
- A. House
- B. Foot
- C. Cuisine ✓
- D. Tree
Why: The word 'cuisine' comes from French, meaning the art of cooking.
Q3. What event significantly increased the influence of French on English?
- A. The Viking Invasions
- B. The Norman Conquest ✓
- C. The Renaissance
- D. The Industrial Revolution
Why: The Norman Conquest in 1066 brought French-speaking Normans to England, greatly influencing the English language.
Q4. Which of the following is NOT a French loanword in English?
- A. Bread ✓
- B. Dance
- C. Music
- D. War
Why: 'Bread' is an old English word and not a French loanword.
Q5. Which French word means 'to eat' and is the origin of the English word 'dine'?
- A. Manger ✓
- B. Diner
- C. Diner
- D. Diner
Why: The French word 'manger' means 'to eat' and is the origin of the English word 'dine'.
Module 6
Module 6: Modern Word Creations and Borrowings
Modern Word Creations and Borrowings
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the term for creating new words by combining parts of existing words?
- A. Borrowing
- B. Compounding ✓
- C. Derivation
- D. Borrowing
Why: Compounding is the process of creating new words by combining two or more existing words or parts of words.
Q2. Which of the following is an example of a borrowed word from French into English?
- A. Book
- B. Table ✓
- C. Tree
- D. House
Why: The word 'table' was borrowed from French into English, while the other words are of Old English origin.
Q3. What is the process called when a word is adopted from another language?
- A. Compounding
- B. Borrowing ✓
- C. Derivation
- D. Coining
Why: Borrowing refers to the process of adopting a word from another language into one's own language.
Q4. Which of the following is a modern coinage?
- A. Dog
- B. Internet ✓
- C. Tree
- D. House
Why: 'Internet' is a modern coinage, created in the 20th century to describe a global network of computers.
Q5. What is the term for creating new words by adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words?
- A. Compounding
- B. Borrowing
- C. Derivation ✓
- D. Coining
Why: Derivation is the process of creating new words by adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words.
Module 7
Module 7: Exploring Word Families and Derivations
Exploring Word Families and Derivations
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the root word of `unhappy`?
- A. un
- B. happy ✓
- C. hap
- D. unh
Why: The root word is `happy` because `un` is a prefix that means `not`.
Q2. Which of the following is a suffix that means `one who does`?
- A. -ist ✓
- B. -ing
- C. -ment
- D. -ness
Why: The suffix `-ist` is commonly used to denote a person who performs an action, such as `artist` or `pianist`.
Q3. What is the base word for `happiness`?
- A. happy ✓
- B. happi
- C. happ
- D. happines
Why: The base word is `happy`, and `ness` is a suffix that turns an adjective into a noun.
Q4. Which of the following is a prefix meaning `not`?
- A. re-
- B. un- ✓
- C. pre-
- D. dis-
Why: The prefix `un-` is commonly used to negate the meaning of a word, such as in `unhappy` or `unusual`.
Q5. What is the root of the word `disagree`?
- A. dis
- B. agree ✓
- C. agre
- D. disagre
Why: The root is `agree`, and `dis-` is a prefix meaning `not` or `opposite of`.