Task C: Working with words
Summary
Ask any lecturer - there is nothing more off-putting than to read an assignment that is full of spelling errors. While computer spell checkers are of great assistance, you need to be aware of their limitations. Learning to spell correctly is a long-term project and you should use your studies as an opportunity to identify and remedy your spelling difficulties. Medical terminology is another challenging area.
You will learn:
Common spelling errors
This spelling list contains a bank of words that your tutors have identified as being troublesome to many students. Print yourself a copy, and take time to learn all the words (be sure to know their meanings). You will be tested on them. There are sometimes choices for the spelling of many words, so follow the spelling preferred by UNE School of Health.
As part of the list you will see two groups that cause particular difficulties because they are either homophones (they sound the same) or they are commonly confused words (see below). You have to learn the correct usage of these words as well as their spelling. Choose the words you feel you may be unsure of and click the link for an explanation of the common errors made by students.
Homophones (words that sound the same)
its / it's
led / lead
practice / practise
their / there / they're
to / too / two
weight / wait
whether / weather
which / witch
your / you're
Commonly confused words/spelling
accept / except
advice / advise
affect / effect
belief / believe
conscious / conscience
dependant / dependent
eligible / illegible
empathy / empathise
emphasis / emphasise
liaise / liaison
lose / loose
maintain / maintenance
occur / occurred
personal / personnel
predominant / predominate
separate / separately
were / where
Now that you have some information about the spelling of these words, practise your skills using this crossword.
Please note: Crossword needs Java installed.
Medical terminology
This topic will help you to gain confidence in recognising and pronouncing medical terms correctly in your study and work as a health care professional.
Most medical terms are a combination of two or more parts. By analysing each of these parts, accurate meaning can generally be found for even the most complex and lengthy medical terms. For example, cardiomyopathy:
You can see from this analysis that the meaning of cardiomyopathy is 'disease of the heart muscle '. It is made up of three parts: the prefix (cardio), the root (myo) and the suffix (pathy). To find the meaning of a medical word, you need to know the meaning of each part of the word.
Activity
You already have some knowledge of word parts. Use your knowledge to help you to complete the following exercises. Look at the word parts in the left column and select their meaning from the drop down box on the right. Use the feedback to find the correct answer.
Exercise 1
Find the meaning of the following prefixes:
Exercise 2
Find the meaning of the following roots:
Exercise 3
Find the meaning of the following suffixes:
There are no rules that specify that all words must have a prefix, a root and a suffix, or that words cannot contain more than one of each. For example, osteoarthritis:
osteo ('bone') = a root
arthr ('joint') = a root
itis ('inflammation') = a suffix
Now you are ready to put it all together. Look at the example above: osteo-arthr-itis
| Word parts: | osteo |
arthr |
itis |
| Meaning of parts: | bone |
joint |
inflammation |
Therefore, from the meanings of the parts we can know that osteoarthritis means 'inflammation of the bone joints'.
Activity
Work out the meanings of the medical terms below by following these steps:
- Identify the word parts and write them in the table.
- Beneath each word part, write its meaning.
- Check your answer.
- Then, in the scratch pad, write a possible definition of the medical term.
- See if your answer is similar by clicking the answer button.
Exercise 1
Medical term: cardiomegaly
Exercise 2
Medical term: cholecystecotomy
Exercise 3
Medical term: arthritis
Exercise 4
Medical term: hyperthermia
Exercise 5
Medical term: tachycardia
More info
Pronouncing medical terms
It is important for you to be able to pronounce medical terms with a degree of confidence. Acceptable pronunciation of some words can vary from place to place. Provided you concentrate on Australian or British English pronunciation, you can remain confident in your pronunciation. Remember, practise makes perfect.