By Jorge Meza
Vocabulary
Root word (base word) –
a word with no prefixes or suffixes
A root word can stand on its own as a word, but you can make new words
from it by adding (beginnings) prefixes and (endings) suffixes.
Affixes a group of letters in front of a word or at the end of a word used to change
the meaning of that word
Prefix –
a group of letters in front of a word that change the meaning of the word
Suffix –
a group of letters at the end of a word that change the meaning of the word
What is a suffix?
A suffix is a word ending that changes the meaning of the root word.
A word part that is added to the end of a root word.
A group of letters added to the end of a word to form a new word.
Common Suffixes
Pre-test.
Take out a sheet of paper and write the meaning of the suffixes.
You have two minutes.
able
less
full
ible
er
ly
ist
ness
or
cian
able
-able - “able to, capable of"
I have a portable laptop.
enjoy + able= enjoyable
adore + able = adorable
avoid + able= avoidable
ible
-ible - "able to, capable of"
Your writing is not legible.
flex + ible= flexible
digest + ible = digestible
reverse + ible = reversible
ful
ful - "full of"
All of Mr. Meza’s students are wonderful!
harm + ful= harmful
regret+ ful= regretful
beauty+ ful= beautiful
er
er - "one who …"
You need to train hard if you want to be a great fighter.
present+ er= presenter
babysit+ er= babysitter
announce+ er= announcer
destroy+ er= destroyer
or
or - "one who…"
Velda is so smart that someday she can be a doctor.
act+ or= actor
create+ or= creator
calculate+ or= calculator
educate+ or= educator
ist
ist- "one who…"
One day, you too can be a professional pianist
if you practice often.
active + ist= activist
adventure+ ist= adventurist
biology=+ist=biologist
less
less- "without"
Superman was powerless when Lex Luthor held
kryptonite close to him.
head+ less= headless
home+ less= homeless
taste+ less= tasteless
ly
ly– "tells how or how often something is done"
Why are you behaving so badly?
brief+ ly= briefly
clear+ ly= clearly
automatic+ ly= automatically
week+ ly= weekly
ness
ness- "expresses quality or state of"
The panda in the movie was full of
awesomeness!
anxious+ ness= anxiousness
kind+ ness= kindness
good+ ness= goodness
cian
cian- " having a specific skill"
Someday I would like to become a magician.
politic+ cian= politician
music+ cian= musician
mathematics+ cian= mathematician
More common Suffixes
en = made of; wooden; silken
ess = female; goddess; poetess
et, ette = small; midget; booklet;
logy = study of; biology; nanotechnology
Common Suffixes
Post-test.
Turn your paper over and rewrite the meaning of the suffixes.
You have two minutes.
full
ible
able
er
ist
or
less
ly
ness
cian
Suffix Activity
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/match/dragflip.asp?filename=kderittesuffix
http://www.quia.com/mc/830636.html
The End