Reading Etymologies: Where Words Come From
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Reading Etymologies: Where Words Come From
Etymology worksheet for Grades 7 and 8: read where each word came from, then say whether it was named after a person or a place, blended from two words, or cut short from a longer word. Twelve words such as boycott, tangerine, smog and exam, with an answer key.
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Teach it first
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- Pages
- 2
- Last updated
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Answer key
- Included
- Printing
- Tinted accents, also fine in black and white
- Related curriculum
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Put words in alphabetical order by the first, second, third and later letters, find a word between two guide words, read a dictionary or glossary entry for the meaning that fits, the syllables, the stressed syllable, the pronunciation respelling and the word's origin, find synonyms and antonyms in a thesaurus, and choose the reference that answers a question.
Reviewed by Mr. James Anderson, Teacher and Mr. Michael Sullivan, Teacher. How we check worksheets
How to use this sheet
- Have a real dictionary on hand for at least part of the sheet.
- For ABC order, have the child compare the first letter, then the second only if the first ones match.
- For guide words, have the child say whether the word comes between them in ABC order.
Common mistakes
- Ordering by the first letter only, so "bat" and "ball" are left in any order.
- Thinking a word on a page must be one of the guide words. Guide words are only the first and last words.
- Choosing the first meaning in an entry, not the one that fits the sentence.
