Essential Word Roots: Graph, Gram, Scribe, and Script

Prepare for the TOEFL Exam by learning these words that contain the Latin root scrib ("write") and the Greek roots graph ("write/writing") and gram ("written thing").
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. autograph
    a person's own signature
    Wherever they went, townspeople surrounded them, asking for autographs as if they were movie stars. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
  2. bibliography
    a list of writings with time and place of publication
    And yet they contain only highlights from a bibliography that comprises poetry, translations, and a lot more wonderful fiction and nonfiction. Washington Post (Oct 3, 2016)
  3. biography
    an account of the series of events making up a person's life
    I began reading their biographies to find out what, if anything, in their lives had influenced their music. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography
  4. calligraphy
    beautiful handwriting
    The exhibition will showcase different styles of calligraphy and illumination. US News (Jun 21, 2016)
  5. describe
    give a statement representing something
    I’d discovered that the way the sun shines in the fall is exactly like writers describe it in books. The First Rule of Punk
  6. description
    the act of depicting something
    The game program provided you with a simple written description of your surroundings, then asked what you wanted to do next. Ready Player One: A Novel
  7. diagram
    a drawing intended to explain how something works
    I stared as if it were a diagram in a book I was trying to understand. The Name of the Wind
  8. grammar
    the branch of linguistics that deals with sentence structure
    They laid the foundations for formal grammar by dividing all Greek words into classes—nouns, verbs, conjunctions, and so on. Circumference
  9. graphic
    written or drawn or engraved
    “The pictorial, graphic element is not part of the design of the cheerleader’s uniform; it’s superimposed on it,” she said. New York Times (Oct 31, 2016)
  10. inscribe
    carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
    There are names inscribed on the bronze panels, dozens of names. Allegiant
  11. manuscript
    handwritten book or document
    Her personal library contained thousands of rare manuscripts. The Story of Music
  12. paragraph
    one of several distinct subdivisions of a text
    I wonder about things like the sounds and scents that surrounded Thoreau as he wrote each sentence and paragraph. The Adoration of Jenna Fox
  13. scribble
    write down quickly without much attention to detail
    Dad took the clipboard and scribbled his name. Black Swan Green
  14. scribe
    someone employed to make written copies of documents
    But the pens were worth the effort, and during the next few days Egypt was full of scribes practicing the ancient art of hieroglyphic writing. The Egypt Game
  15. script
    a written version of a play or other dramatic composition
    Mr. Wells said he was inspired to work on the contest by something that happened when he was starting out as a script writer. New York Times (Jan 22, 2012)
  16. scripture
    any writing that is regarded as sacred by a religious group
    I became better at memorizing scriptures, talking into a microphone, and standing before the congregation to lead prayer. Betty Before X
  17. telegram
    message sent by a device that communicates over a wire
    I knew she was hoping that there’d be a telegram, telling us that all was well and he’d see us for sure on the twentieth. Homesick
  18. telegraph
    apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire
    The telegraph gave way to telephones, which stepped aside for cellphones. Slate (Sep 1, 2016)
  19. transcribe
    write out, as from speech or notes
    Hastily procuring pen and ink, he bade Sir Walter sing it over again while he transcribed the words to paper. Bender, Millicent Schwab
  20. transcript
    a written record of dictated or recorded speech
    We received transcripts of my session as well as those of some of the other children interviewed. Three Little Words: A Memoir
Created on Thu Sep 09 17:27:14 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Sep 14 11:33:12 EDT 2021)

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