You can increase your vocabulary without memorizing a lot of words. Words are composed of word parts: prefixes, suffixes and roots. A knowledge of these word parts and their meanings can help you to unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words. Most modern English words are derived from Anglo-Saxon (Old English), Latin and Greek. Build your vocabulary by mastering basic word parts. Learning 30 key word parts can help you unlock the meaning of over 10,000 words. Learning 50 key word parts can help you unlock the meaning of over 100,000 words.