Greek Roots PHON, TELE, and SCOPE

Combine phon (sound), tele (far), and scope (look at) to decode technology words.

Greek roots snap together like building blocks, and technology names show this best. 'Phon' means sound or voice. 'Tele' means far or at a distance. 'Scope' comes from 'skopein', to look at or examine. Put them together: a telephone carries sound from far away. A telescope lets you look at what is far away. A microscope lets you look at what is very small (micro means small). Phonics is the study of letter sounds; a symphony is sounds together (sym means together); a megaphone makes a sound big (mega means great).

Now decode a word you might not know: 'periscope'. Peri means around, as in perimeter, so a periscope is a tool for looking around, which is exactly what submarines use to see above water. The method is always the same: name each part, translate it, and connect the meanings in a sensible order.

• 1PHON means sound, TELE means far, SCOPE means look at.
• 2Greek parts combine: tele + scope = telescope.
• 3Translate each part, then join the meanings sensibly.