ATI TEAS ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE USAGE REVIEW – VOCABULARY
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VOCABULARY – Slides with Notes
QUIZ QUESTIONS LISTED AT END OF REVIEW
Vocabulary questions on this part of the TEAS deal with figuring out the meaning of the word based on synonyms, context clues, tone, and your knowledge of roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
UNDERSTANDING SYNONYMS
Synonyms are two words with similar meanings. You may be asked to find a synonym for a certain word or to figure out the meaning of a word in a sentence that provides a synonym for the unknown word.
UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT CLUES
These questions are similar to those in the reading section, but you may be given as little as a single sentence rather than a longer passage. You will need to use that limited context to figure out the meaning of a word. Look at the surrounding context for the word you are given. Figure out the setting in which the word is used. If the word is part of a series, the other words in the series can provide valuable clues. Review the section on homographs in the chapter on spelling. Questions in this section may use homograph to test whether you are paying attention to context. You should also consider the tone of the passage; it may give you a clue about the meaning of an unknown word.
UNDERSTANDING WORD ORIGINS
You may also be asked questions about root words, prefixes, and suffixes. A root word is the base form of a word. Affixes are the parts we attach to modify the meaning of the root word. A prefix is attached before the root and a suffix is attached after the root. You should spend some time becoming familiar with common affixes used in the medical profession. Here is a list of common roots to get you started.
- Abdomin: Abdomen
- Acous: Hearing
- Aden: Gland
- Adip: Fat
- Adrena: Adrenal
- Aero: Gas
- Andr: Male
- Angi: Vessel
- Anter: Front
- Aort: Artery
- Arthr: Joint
- Audi: Hearing
- Bio: Life
- Bronch: Bronchus
- Carcin: Cancer
- Cardi: Heart
- Cerebr: Cerebrum
- Chol: Bile
- Chondr: Cartilage
- Col: Colon
- Cor: Pupil
- Crani: Cranium
- Cutane: Skin
- Cyst: Bladder
- Cyt: Cell
- Dactyl: Finger or toe
- Derma: Skin
- Dors: Back or posterior
- Encephal: Brain
- Enter: Intestine
- Esophag: Esophagus
- Esthesi: Sensation
- Faci: Face
- Fibr: Fiber
- Gastr: Stomach
- Gynec: Female
- Hemat/hemo: Blood
- Hepat: Liver
- Hist: Tissue
- Hyster/metr: Uterus
- Intestin: Intestine
- Kerat: Hard
- Lapar: Abdomen
- Laryng: Larynx
- Lipo: Fat
- Lymph: Lymph
- Mamm/mast: Breast
- My: Muscle
- Myel: Spinal Cord
- Nasal: Nose
- Necr: Death
- Nephr: Kidney
- Neur: Nerve
- Ocul/ophthalm: Eye
- Opt/optic: Seeing or sight
- Or: Mouth
- Orchid: Testicle or testis
- Oste: Bone
- Ot: Ear
- Ovari: Ovary
- Ox/oxy: Oxygen
- Pancreat: Pancreas
- Path: Disease
- Pector: Chest
- Ped/Pod: Foot
- Pelv: Pelvis
- Pharmac/o: Drug
- Phleb: Vein
- Pneum: Air or lung
- Prostat: Prostate gland
- Pulmon: Lung
- Ren: Kidney
- Sept: Infection
- Somat: Body
- Stern: Breastbone, sternum
- Tendin: Tendon
- Test: Testicle or testis
- Thorac: Thorax/chest
- Thromb: Clot
- Thyr: Thyroid gland
- Vas: Duct/vessel
- Ven: Vein
- Ventr: Front of body
Many medical terms are formed by combining one or more roots with a prefix and/or suffix, so you need to know the common affixes as well. Here is a list of common prefixes.
| Prefix | Prefix meaning | Example Term | Meaning |
| a-/an-/ar- | Not, without | Amnesia | No memory |
| Anti- | Against | Antipsychotic | A mind-altering medicine |
| Dys- | Bad or difficult | Dysentery | Abnormal condition of intestines |
| Endo- | In, within | Endoscopy | Visual examination inside the body |
| Epi- | Over, around | Epidural | On or around the dura matter |
| Exo-/extra- | Outside | Exoskeleton | External skeleton |
| Hyper- | Beyond normal, high | Hypertension | High blood pressure |
| Hypo- | Low, under | Hypoglycemia | Low blood sugar |
| Inter- | Between | Interarticular | Between joints |
| Intra- | Within | Intravenous | In a vein |
| Macro- | Large, long | Macroglossia | Having an enlarged tongue |
| Mal- | Bad | Malaise | General sense of being unwell |
| Micro- | Small | Microscope | Instrument for viewing small objects |
| Neo- | New | Neoplasm | Abnormal new growth of tissue |
| Per- | Through | Percutaneous | Through the skin |
| Peri- | Around, surrounding | Pericardium | Tissue surrounding the heart |
| Poly- | Many, much | Polydactyly | Condition of too many fingers or toes |
| Post- | After | Postmortem | After death |
| Pre- | Before | Prenatal | Before birth |
| Sub- | Below, under | Subcutaneous | Under the skin |
| Super-/Supra- | Above | Supraorbital | Above the eye socket |
| Tachy- | Rapid | Tachycardia | Fast heartbeat |
| Trans- | Across, through | Translucent | Allowing light to shine through |
| Un- | Not | Unformed | Not formed |
Here is a list of common suffixes used in medical terminology
| Suffix | Suffix meaning | Example Term | Meaning |
| -ac/-al/-ar/-ary | Pertaining to | Cardiac | Pertaining to the heart |
| -algia | Pain | Myalgia | Muscle pain |
| -ase | Enzyme | Lipase | Enzyme that digests fats |
| -asthenia | Weakness | Neurasthenia | Weakness of nerves |
| -crine | To secrete | Endocrine | Related to the glands |
| -cyte | Cell | Leukocyte | White blood cell |
| -dynia | Pain | Gastrodynia | Stomach pain |
| -ectomy/-tomy | Surgical removal | Tonsillectomy | Removal of tonsils |
| -emia | Blood | Anemia | Deficiency of red blood cells |
| -gnosis | Knowledge | Prognosis | Prediction for future |
| -gram | Picture or record | Cardiogram | Record of heart activity |
| -ia/-ism | State or condition | Tachycardia | Condition of a rapid heart rate |
| -ic | Pertaining to | Therapeutic | Pertaining to treatment |
| -ist | One who specializes in | Gynecologist | Specialist in women’s reproduction |
| -it is | Inflammation | Sinusitis | Inflammation of sinus tissues |
| -lysis | Breakdown, separate | Paralysis | Loss of ability to move or feel |
| -lpsy | Attack or seizure | Epilepsy | Neurological seizure disorder |
| -ole/-ule | Small | Molecule | Smallest unit of a compound |
| -ology | The study of | Biology | The study of living things |
| -oma | Tumor | Blastoma | Cancer of precursor cells |
| -osis | Condition | Ankylosis | Abnormal joint stiffening |
| -pathy | Disease | Neuropathy | Relating to a nerve disorder |
| -penia | Deficiency | Osteopenia | Low bone mineral density |
| -poiesis | Formation | Hematopoiesis | Formation of blood cellular components |
| -rrhage | Excess fluid | Hemorrhage | Excessive bleeding |
| -stasis | Stopping, controlling | Homeostasis | Equilibrium |
ATI TEAS ENGLISH & LANGUAGE USAGE Vocabulary
Quiz for ATI TEAS ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE USAGE REVIEW SERIES |