Classical RootsLesson 8: Before or After

Roots • PRIMUS <L. first• POST <L. after

premier• First in time or importance• A prime minister or head of

state

primate• An archbishop or bishop who

ranks highest among others• A member of the order of

animals that includes monkeys, apes, and humans

prime• First in rank, first in importance,

first in quality, first in time (a noun) • Chief, most important (adj) • To prepare something or

someone for use or action (v)

primeval• Belonging to the first ages;

ancient

primordial• Primeval; original; fundamental

Practice! Which word means “of ancient

times”?

Premier? Prime? Primeval?

(primeval)

Practice! What word means “the very first”

or “the best”?

primate? primordial? premier?

(premier)

Practice! A high-ranking Catholic official OR a

monkey, ape, or human can be called a …

prime? primate? primordial?

(primate)

posterior• Situated behind or at the back

posterity• Future generations • A person’s descendants

posthumous• Occurring or continuing after

death, especially a work published after an author’s death or a father’s death

Practice! If a musician or author becomes

increasingly famous after death, that can be described as _________success.

posterity? posterior? posthumous?

(posthumous)

Practice! If we are speaking our future

generations, we can use the term …

prime? posterity? posthumous?

(posterity)

Challenge! Networks often look for their best

shows for _________time viewing.

(prime)

Challenge! The English are considered to be

_____________ soccer players.

(premier)

Challenge! Which two words describe the

earliest time of history?

(primeval and primordial)

Challenge! The Diary of Anne Frank is a non-

fiction account which brought the author ____________ awareness of her struggles during WWII.

(posthumous)

Challenge! Some people view survival as

___________ instinct.

(primordial or primeval)

Challenge! What is the __________necessity

after a catastrophic event?

(prime)

Challenge! Students whose last names fall at the

end of the alphabet often are seated in a ___________position in the classroom at the start of the year.

(posterior)

Challenge! People often disagree about which

age is a person’s ________of life.

(prime)

Challenge! The coach’s pregame talk

________(d) the team to play their very best!

(prime)

Challenge! Will our _________be left with a

planet full of plastic bottles and trash?

(posterity)

Challenge! Mementoes that are handed down

from generation to generation are reminders of our…

(posterity)

Challenge! A witness in a trial that is not

_________ could be said to be insignificant.

(prime)

Challenge! If a person wanted to say that

somebody was uncivilized, crude, or without manners, that person could be described as…

(primordial or primeval)

Challenge! The winners of the Super Bowl are

considered the _________football team in America.

(premier)

Challenge! As the oldest plants on earth,

ferns are ___________survivors in domestic gardens.

(primordial)

Challenge! If a singing diva is concerned about

how ____________will think of her, she is concerned about how she will be remembered.

(posterity)

Challenge! The La Brea tar pits contain bones

of ___________animals which date back to 25,000 years ago!

(primeval)

Challenge! All _____________have large-

sized brains.

(primates)