Student Question

What are the different aspects of words?

Quick answer:

Words can be categorized by parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. They originate from Anglo-Saxon and Greek or Latin roots, with Anglo-Saxon words making up 70% of English vocabulary, while Greek and Latin roots are common in academic, medical, and legal contexts. Words also vary by frequency, with high-frequency words used daily, such as "I" and "the," and low-frequency words used less often, like "trident" and "kumquat."

PDF

Expert Answers

| Certified Educator

Cite

In English there are PARTS OF SPEECH: nouns, adjective, adverbs, verbs, articles, etc...

There are ANGLO-SAXON WORDS and GREEK & LATIN-ROOT WORDS: Anglo-Saxon words comprise 70% of our vocabulary:"sing," "sang," "sung." Greek and Latin-root words comprise a large portion of the rest. They are the language of academia, medicine, and law ("hemophiliac," "chloroform," etc...)

There are HIGH FREQUENCY and LOW FREQUENCY words. High frequency are words we use daily ("I," "the," "you," "is"). Low frequency words are words we only use occasionally ("trident," "kumquat," "interdenominationalism").

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

Already a member? Log in here.

Approved by eNotes Editorial