Latin and Greek Roots for Vocabulary: Civil Service Exam Guide

Understanding Latin and Greek roots is one of the most efficient ways to expand your vocabulary for the Civil Service Exam (CSE). Instead of memorizing thousands of individual words, you can learn a few hundred roots, prefixes, and suffixes—and unlock the meaning of countless unfamiliar terms. This skill is especially useful in vocabulary, reading comprehension, and analogy questions, where context and word structure matter more than rote memorization.

This guide explains how Latin and Greek roots work, why they are critical for the Civil Service Exam, and how to study them effectively. By the end, you will be able to break down complex words, infer meanings quickly, and answer vocabulary questions with confidence.

Why Latin and Greek Roots Matter for the Civil Service Exam

Many English words used in formal writing, government documents, law, science, and academic texts come from Latin and Greek. Civil Service Exam passages and questions frequently include these types of words because they test analytical reading skills, not casual conversation.

Key reasons roots are important:

• They help you guess meanings of unfamiliar words

• They improve reading speed and accuracy

• They reduce dependence on memorization

• They strengthen performance in synonyms, antonyms, and context clues

For example, if you know that “bio” means life and “logy” means study, you can immediately understand biology as “the study of life,” even if you’ve never seen the word before.

How English Vocabulary Developed from Latin and Greek

English is a hybrid language. While everyday words often come from Old English (Germanic roots), formal, academic, and professional vocabulary largely comes from Latin and Greek.

• Latin entered English through Roman influence, church texts, law, and later French

• Greek entered through science, philosophy, and medicine

As a result:

• Latin-based words often sound formal or legal

• Greek-based words often relate to science, medicine, or ideas

The Civil Service Exam heavily favors this academic layer of English.

Understanding Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Before diving into examples, it’s important to understand how words are constructed.

• Root: the core meaning of the word

• Prefix: added to the beginning, modifies meaning

• Suffix: added to the end, often changes function or form

Example:
predictable

• pre- = before

• dict = say

• -able = capable of

Meaning: capable of being said or known before it happens.

Common Latin Roots You Must Know

Latin roots appear frequently in Civil Service Exam vocabulary questions.

Latin Roots Related to Thinking and Speaking

• dict / dic – say, speak

  • predict, verdict, contradict

• scrib / script – write

  • describe, manuscript, transcript

• cred – believe

  • credible, credibility, incredulous

Latin Roots Related to Law and Government

• jur / jus – law

  • jurisdiction, justice, jury

• leg – law

  • legal, legislate, legislature

• reg – rule, govern

  • regulate, regime, royal

Latin Roots Related to Movement and Action

• port – carry

  • transport, export, portable

• mit / miss – send

  • transmit, dismiss, permit

• act – do

  • action, react, enact

Common Greek Roots You Must Know

Greek roots are especially common in scientific, philosophical, and abstract terms.

Greek Roots Related to Knowledge and Study

• log / logy – study, word, reason

  • biology, logic, psychology

• soph – wisdom

  • philosophy, sophisticated

• gnos / gno – know

  • diagnosis, prognosis

Greek Roots Related to Life and Nature

• bio – life

  • biography, biology

• geo – earth

  • geography, geology

• therm – heat

  • thermometer, thermal

Greek Roots Related to Measurement and Size

• metr – measure

  • metric, diameter

• micro – small

  • microscope, microeconomics

• macro – large

  • macroeconomics

High-Frequency Prefixes from Latin and Greek

Prefixes often carry direction, time, quantity, or negation, which is extremely helpful in vocabulary questions.

Latin Prefixes

• pre- – before (preview, predict)

• sub- – under (submarine, subordinate)

• inter- – between (international, interact)

• trans- – across (transport, transfer)

• contra- – against (contradict, contrast)

Greek Prefixes

• anti- – against (antibiotic, antisocial)

• auto- – self (automatic, autobiography)

• tele- – distant (telephone, television)

• mono- – one (monologue, monopoly)

• poly- – many (polygon, polyglot)

Essential Suffixes for Meaning and Function

Suffixes help you identify part of speech, which is useful in sentence completion and error recognition.

Common Noun Suffixes

• -tion / -sion – act or process

  • creation, decision

• -ment – result or state

  • development, achievement

• -ity – quality or state

  • ability, responsibility

Common Adjective Suffixes

• -able / -ible – capable of

  • readable, visible

• -ous – full of

  • dangerous, curious

• -ive – having a tendency

  • active, decisive

Common Verb Suffixes

• -ize – make or become

  • modernize, prioritize

• -ate – act upon

  • regulate, activate

How to Use Roots to Guess Word Meaning in Exams

When you encounter an unfamiliar word in the Civil Service Exam, follow this process:

1. Identify the root

2. Look for prefixes and suffixes

3. Combine meanings logically

4. Check context in the sentence

Example:
The policy was implemented to mitigate economic instability.

• mitig = soften

• -ate = act

Meaning: to make less severe. Even without knowing the word, you can infer its meaning.

Common Root-Based Vocabulary Traps in the CSE

The exam may include similar-looking words that confuse test-takers.

• credible vs. credulous

• economic vs. economical

• historical vs. historic

Understanding roots helps distinguish subtle differences.

Example:

• credulous (too willing to believe)

• credible (worthy of belief)

Both share cred, but suffixes change meaning.

Study Strategy for Mastering Latin and Greek Roots

To retain roots effectively, use a structured approach.

Step 1: Learn Roots in Groups

Group roots by theme:

• Law and government

• Science and health

• Thinking and communication

This improves memory retention.

Step 2: Create Word Families

For each root, list 5–10 related words and use them in sentences.

Example: port

• transport

• export

• import

• portable

Step 3: Practice with Context Clues

Read editorials, government notices, and academic articles. Pause and analyze unfamiliar words using roots.

Step 4: Review Daily, Briefly

Short daily reviews (10–15 minutes) are more effective than long weekly sessions.

Sample Practice: Root Analysis

Word: incompatible

• in- = not

• com = together

• pat = feel/suffer

• -ible = capable of

Meaning: not capable of existing together.

This analytical skill is exactly what the Civil Service Exam tests.

Final Tips for Exam Success

• Focus on high-frequency roots, not rare ones

• Practice breaking words apart instead of memorizing definitions

• Use elimination strategies based on root meaning

• Combine root knowledge with context clues

Mastering Latin and Greek roots will not only help you pass the Civil Service Exam—it will permanently improve your English comprehension. With consistent practice, unfamiliar words will become manageable, and complex passages will feel clearer and more approachable.

If you want, I can also provide problem sets with answer keys, printable root lists, or a 30-day root study plan tailored specifically for the Civil Service Exam.

Problem Set 1: Root Meaning Identification

Choose the best meaning of the underlined root.

1. The word jurisdiction contains the root jur, which most nearly means:

A. rule
B. judge
C. law
D. government

2. In the word manuscript, the root scrib/script means:

A. hand
B. read
C. write
D. book

3. The root bio in biography refers to:

A. earth
B. life
C. study
D. person

4. In the word transport, the root port means:

A. send
B. move
C. carry
D. cross

5. The Greek root therm in thermal most nearly means:

A. light
B. energy
C. heat
D. fire

Problem Set 2: Word Meaning by Root Analysis

Choose the best definition based on word structure.

6. Predictable most nearly means:

A. difficult to understand
B. able to be known in advance
C. likely to change
D. spoken clearly

7. Autobiography refers to:

A. a study of ancient cultures
B. a book written about one’s own life
C. a collection of biological data
D. a scientific life study

8. Contradict most nearly means:

A. support strongly
B. repeat information
C. speak indirectly
D. speak against

9. Microscope is an instrument used to:

A. see distant objects
B. measure temperature
C. see small objects
D. observe stars

10. Legislature refers to:

A. a group that enforces laws
B. a group that interprets laws
C. a group that creates laws
D. a group that obeys laws

Problem Set 3: Synonyms and Antonyms Using Roots

Choose the correct answer.

11. Which word is the closest synonym of credible?

A. doubtful
B. believable
C. imaginary
D. confusing

12. Which word is the opposite of legal?

A. legitimate
B. lawful
C. illicit
D. judicial

13. Which word is closest in meaning to portable?

A. permanent
B. movable
C. fragile
D. immobile

14. Which word is the best antonym of progressive?

A. advanced
B. innovative
C. backward
D. dynamic

15. Which word means “many-sided”?

A. monotone
B. polygon
C. monologue
D. telescope

Problem Set 4: Context Clues + Root Knowledge

Choose the best answer.

16.

The committee decided to mitigate the effects of the policy by delaying its implementation.

The word mitigate most nearly means:
A. intensify
B. ignore
C. lessen
D. prevent

17.

His explanation was so verbose that it confused the audience.

The word verbose most nearly means:
A. unclear
B. brief
C. wordy
D. emotional

18.

The witness gave a credible account of the incident.

The word credible most nearly means:
A. emotional
B. believable
C. exaggerated
D. fictional

19.

The scientist conducted a diagnosis before proposing a solution.

The word diagnosis refers to:
A. a final conclusion
B. a random guess
C. an examination to identify a problem
D. a public announcement

20.

The proposal was rejected because it was incompatible with existing regulations.

The word incompatible most nearly means:
A. unrelated
B. capable of change
C. able to work together
D. unable to exist together

Answer Key with Explanations

Problem Set 1

1. C – jur = law

2. C – scrib/script = write

3. B – bio = life

4. C – port = carry

5. C – therm = heat

Problem Set 2

6. B – pre (before) + dict (say)

7. B – auto (self) + bio (life) + graph (write)

8. D – contra (against) + dict (speak)

9. C – micro (small) + scope (see)

10. C – leg (law) + -ature (group/function)

Problem Set 3

11. B – cred = believe

12. C – il- = not lawful

13. B – port = carry

14. C – progress = move forward; opposite is backward

15. B – poly (many) + gon (angles/sides)

Problem Set 4

16. C – mitig = soften

17. C – verb = word; verbose = full of words

18. B – cred = believe

19. C – dia (through) + gnos (know)

20. D – in- (not) + com (together) + pat (feel/suffer)

Civil Service Exam Philippines: Complete Preparation and Passing Guide