BASIC WORD STRUCTURE

EXERCISES
The exercises that follow are designed to help you learn the terms presented in the chapter. Writing terms
over and over again is a good way to study this new language. You will find the answers to these exercises
starting on page 24. This makes it easy to check your work. As you check each answer, you not only will
reinforce your understanding of a term but often will gain additional information from the answer.
Each exercise is designed not as a test, but rather as an opportunity for you to learn the material.

A Complete the following sentences.

1. Word beginnings are called ________________________________________________________.
2. Word endings are called ___________________________________________________________.
3. The foundation of a word is known as the _____________________________________________.
4. A letter linking a suffix and a root, or linking two roots, in a term is the
________________________________________________________________________________.
5. The combination of a root and a combining vowel is known as the _________________________.

B Give the meanings of the following combining forms.

1. cardi/o _____________________________ 7. carcin/o ____________________________
2. aden/o ______________________________ 8. cyst/o ______________________________
3. bi/o ________________________________ 9. cyt/o _______________________________
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4. cerebr/o ____________________________ 10. derm/o or dermat/o ___________________
5. cephal/o ____________________________ 11. encephal/o __________________________
6. arthr/o _____________________________ 12. electr/o _____________________________

C Give the meanings of the following suffixes.

1. -oma _______________________________ 5. -scopy ______________________________
2. -al _________________________________ 6. -ic _________________________________
3. -itis ________________________________ 7. -gram ______________________________
4. -logy _______________________________ 8. -opsy _______________________________
 BASIC WORD STRUCTURE

D Using slashes, divide the following terms into parts, and give the meaning of the entire term.
1. cerebral _________________________________________________________________________
2. biopsy __________________________________________________________________________
3. adenitis _________________________________________________________________________
4. cephalic _________________________________________________________________________
5. carcinoma _______________________________________________________________________
6. cystoscopy _______________________________________________________________________
7. electrocardiogram _________________________________________________________________
8. cardiology _______________________________________________________________________
9. electroencephalogram _____________________________________________________________
10. dermatitis _______________________________________________________________________
11. arthroscopy ______________________________________________________________________
12. cytology _________________________________________________________________________

E Give the meanings of the following combining forms.

1. erythr/o ____________________________ 7. nephr/o _____________________________

1 2. enter/o _____________________________ 8. leuk/o ______________________________

3. gastr/o _____________________________ 9. iatr/o _______________________________
4. gnos/o ______________________________ 10. hepat/o _____________________________
5. hemat/o ____________________________ 11. neur/o ______________________________
6. cis/o _______________________________ 12. gynec/o _____________________________

F Complete the medical term, based on its meaning as provided.

1. white blood cell: _________________________cyte
2. inflammation of the stomach: gastr_________________________
3. pertaining to being produced by treatment: _________________________genic
4. study of kidneys: _________________________logy
5. red blood cell: _________________________cyte
6. mass of blood: _________________________oma
7. process of viewing living tissue (using a microscope): bi_________________________
8. pain of nerves: neur_________________________
9. process of visual examination of the eye: _________________________scopy
10. inflammation of the small intestine: _________________________itis
 BASIC WORD STRUCTURE

G Select from the combining forms below to match each English term. Write the correct
combining form in the space provided.
onc/o path/o ren/o sect/o
ophthalm/o psych/o rhin/o thromb/o
oste/o radi/o sarc/o ur/o
English Terms

1. kidney _____________________________ 7. mind _________________________________

2. disease ____________________________ 8. urinary tract ___________________________
3. eye _______________________________ 9. bone _________________________________
4. to cut _____________________________ 10. x-rays ________________________________
5. nose ______________________________ 11. clotting _______________________________
6. flesh ______________________________ 12. tumor ________________________________

H Underline the suffix in each term, and then give the meaning of the term.
1. ophthalmoscopy __________________________________________________________________
2. ophthalmoscope __________________________________________________________________
3. oncology ________________________________________________________________________
4. osteitis __________________________________________________________________________
5. psychosis ________________________________________________________________________
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6. thrombocyte _____________________________________________________________________
7. renal ___________________________________________________________________________
8. nephrectomy _____________________________________________________________________
9. osteotomy _______________________________________________________________________
10. resection ________________________________________________________________________
11. carcinogenic _____________________________________________________________________
12. sarcoma _________________________________________________________________________
 BASIC WORD STRUCTURE

I Match the suffix in Column I with its meaning in Column II. Write the correct meaning in the
space provided.
COLUMN I COLUMN II
Suffix Meaning

1. -algia ___________________________ condition, usually abnormal

blood condition
2. -ion _____________________________
cell
3. -emia ___________________________ disease condition
process of cutting, incision
4. -gram ___________________________ inflammation
5. -scope ___________________________ instrument to visually examine
pain
6. -osis ____________________________ pertaining to producing, produced by, or produced in
process
7. -ectomy _________________________ record
8. -genic ___________________________ excision, removal (resection)

9. -pathy ___________________________
10. -tomy ___________________________
11. -itis _____________________________
12. -cyte ____________________________

1 J Select from the listed terms to complete the following sentences.

arthralgia hematoma iatrogenic
carcinogenic hepatoma (hepatocellular leukemia
cystitis carcinoma) leukocytosis
endocrine enteropathy neuralgia
exocrine
1. When Paul smoked cigarettes, he inhaled a ______________________ substance with each puff.
2. Sally’s sore throat, fever, and chills made her doctor order a white blood cell count. The results,
indicating infection, showed a slight increase in normal cells, a condition called
________________________________________________________________________________.
3. Mr. Smith’s liver enlarged, giving him abdominal pain. His radiologic tests and biopsy revealed a
malignant tumor, or ______________________________________________________________.
4. Mrs. Rose complained of pain in her hip joints, knees, and shoulders each morning. She was told
that she had painful joints, or ______________________________________________________.
5. Dr. Black was trained to treat disorders of the pancreas, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, and pituitary
gland. Thus, he was an expert in the ____________________________________________ glands.
6. Ms. Walsh told her doctor she had pain when urinating. After tests, the doctor’s diagnosis was
inflammation of the urinary bladder, or ______________________________________________.
 BASIC WORD STRUCTURE

7. Elizabeth’s overhead tennis shot hit David in the thigh, producing a large _________________.
His skin looked bruised and was tender.
8. Mr. Bell’s white blood cell count is 10 times higher than normal. Examination of his blood shows
cancerous white blood cells. His diagnosis is __________________________________________.
9. Mr. Kay was resuscitated (revived from potential or apparent death) in the emergency department
after experiencing a heart attack. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken rib as a result of the
physician’s chest compressions. This is an example of a/an _________________________ fracture.
10. After coming back from a trip during which he had eaten unfamiliar foods, Mr. Cameron had a
disease of his intestines called ______________________________________________________.

K Give the meanings of the following prefixes.

1. dia- ________________________________ 8. endo- ______________________________
2. pro- ________________________________ 9. retro- ______________________________
3. aut-, auto- __________________________ 10. trans- ______________________________
4. a-, an- ______________________________ 11. peri- _______________________________
5. hyper- ______________________________ 12. ex-, exo- ____________________________
6. hypo- ______________________________ 13. sub- _______________________________
7. epi- ________________________________ 14. re- _________________________________
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L Underline the prefix in the following terms and give the meaning of the entire term.
1. diagnosis ________________________________________________________________________
2. prognosis ________________________________________________________________________
3. subhepatic _______________________________________________________________________
4. pericardium ______________________________________________________________________
5. hyperglycemia ____________________________________________________________________
6. hypodermic ______________________________________________________________________
7. epigastric ________________________________________________________________________
8. resection ________________________________________________________________________
9. hypoglycemia ____________________________________________________________________
10. anemia __________________________________________________________________________
 BASIC WORD STRUCTURE

M Complete the following terms (describing areas of medicine), based on their meanings as
given.
1. study of the urinary tract: ________________________logy
2. study of women and women’s diseases: ________________________logy
3. study of blood: ________________________logy
4. study of tumors: ________________________logy
5. study of the kidneys: ________________________logy
6. study of nerves: ________________________logy
7. treatment of children: ________________________iatrics
8. study of x-rays in diagnostic imaging: ________________________logy
9. study of the eyes: ________________________logy
10. study of the stomach and intestines: ________________________logy
11. study of glands that secrete hormones: ________________________logy
12. treatment of the mind: ________________________iatry
13. study of disease: ________________________logy
14. study of the heart: ________________________logy
1 N Give the meaning of the underlined word part and then define the term.
1. cerebrovascular accident ___________________________________________________________
2. encephalitis ______________________________________________________________________
3. cystoscope _______________________________________________________________________
4. transhepatic _____________________________________________________________________
5. iatrogenic _______________________________________________________________________
6. hypogastric ______________________________________________________________________
7. endocrine glands __________________________________________________________________
8. nephrectomy _____________________________________________________________________
9. exocrine glands ___________________________________________________________________
10. neuralgia ________________________________________________________________________

O Select from the terms listed below to complete the sentences on the following page.
anemia oncogenic psychiatrist
biopsy oncologist psychologist
diagnosis osteoarthritis thrombocyte
leukemia pathogenic thrombosis
nephrologist prognosis urologist
neuropathy
 BASIC WORD STRUCTURE

1. Pamela Crick is 72 years old and suffers from a degenerative joint disease that is caused by the
wearing away of tissue around her joints. This disease, which literally means “inflammation of
bones and joints,” is ________________________________________________________________ .
2. The __________________________ sample was removed during surgery and sent to a pathologist
to be examined under a microscope for a proper diagnosis.
3. A/An ___________________________ performed surgery to remove Mr. Simon’s cancerous kidney.
4. Ms. Rose has suffered from diabetes with hyperglycemia for many years. This condition can lead to
long-term complications, such as the disease of nerves called diabetic ______________________ .
5. A virus or a bacterium produces disease and is therefore a/an _________________________
organism.
6. Jordan has a disease caused by abnormal hemoglobin in his erythrocytes. The erythrocytes change
shape, collapsing to form sickle-shaped cells that can become clots and stop the flow of blood. His
condition is called sickle cell ________________________________________________________ .
7. Dr. Max Shelby is a physician who treats carcinomas and sarcomas. He is a/an ________________ .
8. Bill had difficulty stopping the bleeding from a cut on his face while shaving. He knew his
medication caused him to have decreased platelets, or a low ______________________________
count, and that probably was the reason his blood was not clotting very well.
9. Dr. Susan Parker told Paul that his condition would improve with treatment in a few weeks. She
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said his __________________________ is excellent and he can expect total recovery.
10. After fleeing the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Mrs. Jones had many problems with
her job, her husband, and her family relationships. She went to see a ______________________,
who prescribed drugs to treat her depression.

P Circle the correct term to complete each sentence.

1. Ms. Brody had a cough and fever. Her doctor instructed her to go to the (pathology, radiology,
hematology) department for a chest x-ray examination.
2. After she gave birth to her fourth child, Ms. Thompson had problems holding her urine (a
condition known as urinary incontinence). She made an appointment with a (gastroenterologist,
pathologist, urologist) to evaluate her condition.
3. Dr. Monroe told a new mother she had lost much blood during delivery of her child. She had
(anemia, leukocytosis, adenitis) and needed a blood transfusion immediately.
4. Mr. Preston was having chest pain during his morning walks. He made an appointment to discuss
his new symptom with a (nephrologist, neurologist, cardiologist).
5. After my skiing accident, Dr. Curtin suggested (cystoscopy, biopsy, arthroscopy) to visually
examine my swollen, painful knee.