Y05W33VC Word Roots — -fract / -frag- (break)

The root -fract / -frag- comes from Latin and carries the core meaning of 'to break'. It appears in words that describe breaking apart, splitting, or dividing something into pieces. Understanding this root helps unlock the meaning of many academic and scientific English words. This module explores six academic words and three further examples built on this root.

Word Families

These three words all use -fract / -frag-. As you read, notice how the meaning 'break' helps explain each word.

fracture

/ˈfræktʃə/

frac‑ture

noun

A fracture is a break or crack in something hard, such as a bone or a rock.

Example: The scientist examined the rock and found a hairline fracture running through its centre.

Synonyms: break, crack, split

Collocations: a hairline fracture, suffer a fracture, fracture the surface

fragment

/ˈfræɡmənt/

frag‑ment

noun

A fragment is a small broken-off or incomplete piece of something larger.

Example: Archaeologists carefully collected every fragment of pottery they found at the site.

Synonyms: piece, shard, chunk

Collocations: a small fragment, a fragment of, broken into fragments

fraction

/ˈfrækʃən/

frac‑tion

noun

A fraction is a small part of a whole, or in mathematics, a number expressed as one part divided by another.

Example: Only a fraction of the ocean floor has been mapped in detail by scientists.

Synonyms: small part, portion, section

Collocations: a small fraction, a fraction of, only a fraction

Academic Vocab

relationship

/rɪˈleɪʃənʃɪp/

re‑la‑tion‑ship

noun

A relationship is a connection between two or more people, groups, or things.

Example: Building a positive relationship with your teacher helps create a supportive learning environment.

Synonyms: connection, bond, link

Collocations: a strong relationship, build a relationship, a positive relationship

respect

/rɪˈspɛkt/

re‑spect

noun

Respect is the feeling of admiration or consideration for someone or something.

Word family: respectful (adj.), respectfully (adv.)

Example: Mutual respect between students and teachers creates a classroom where everyone feels valued.

Synonyms: admiration, consideration, regard

Collocations: show respect, treat with respect, mutual respect

trust

/trʌst/

trust

noun

Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, honesty, or ability of someone or something.

Word family: trustworthy (adj.), trusting (adj.)

Example: A strong team is built on trust, where each member knows the others will fulfil their role.

Synonyms: confidence, faith, belief

Collocations: build trust, earn trust, a sense of trust

cooperation

/kəʊˈɒpəˈreɪʃən/

co‑op‑er‑a‑tion

noun

Cooperation is the process of working together towards a shared goal.

Word family: cooperative (adj.), cooperate (v.)

Example: The project succeeded because of the outstanding cooperation between students, teachers, and families.

Synonyms: teamwork, collaboration, partnership

Collocations: work in cooperation, show cooperation, require cooperation

connection

/kəˈnɛkʃən/

con‑nec‑tion

noun

A connection is a relationship or link between people, ideas, or things.

Word family: connected (adj.), connect (v.)

Example: She drew a connection between the poem and her own experience of moving to a new school.

Synonyms: link, bond, relationship

Collocations: make a connection, a strong connection, the connection between

because of this

/bɪˈkɒz əv ðɪs/

be‑cause of this

phrase

‘Because of this’ is used to introduce the result or consequence of what was just described.

Example: The earthquake fractured several supporting walls; because of this, the building had to be closed.

Synonyms: as a result, therefore, for this reason

Collocations: because of this, the; because of this, students; because of this, the situation

Confusing Words

buy vs by

These two words sound exactly the same but are used very differently.

  • buy — Buy' is a verb meaning to purchase something with money — for example, She decided to buy a new sketchbook to start her art project.
  • by — By' is a preposition with several uses: it can show who did something, a method, or a location — for example, The report was written by a team of scientists, or She sat by the window during the lesson.

Memory rule: A helpful trick: 'buy' contains the letter 'u', which you can link to 'you' — you buy something. If you mean to purchase, use 'buy'. For everything else, use 'by'.