Your Vocab Secret Weapon

Updated: June 2, 2008

Learn how to break down words and figure out ones you've never seen before. What's the secret? Greek and Latin roots. Here's how they work: Think about television and telephone. They have "tele" in common-- a Latin root meaning far. (Tele + vision = far sight; tele + phone = far sound.) Know that, and you can figure out that a telephoto lens helps you take pictures from far away.