Decoding/Word Attack
Structural Analysis:
Prefix + Root + Suffix
4th Grade
Lesson 29
Some longer words are made up of a root or root
words plus a prefix and suffix. Turn to your partner
and see how many prefixes and suffixes you can
remember in 45 seconds.
How many of these did you remember?
un-, dis-, re-, -able, -ly, -ful, -tion
Look at this word and then turn and tell
your partner the affixes in the word:
respectful
Did you notice that the prefix is reand the suffix is –ful?
Now, turn and tell your partner what the root is.
Give a thumbs-up if you recognized the root spect
Now, put together the prefix, root, and suffix to read the word.
Remember that a prefix always forms the first syllable of a word and
that a suffix always forms the last syllable(s) of a word.
Look at this chart. Identify the prefix, suffix, and root
word in each longer word. Decode each word part and
then read the longer word.
Word
Prefix
Root or Root
Word
Suffix
destruction
de-
struct
-tion
recreation
re-
create
-tion
unreliable
un-
rely
-able
dishonestly
dis-
honest
-ly
Independent Practice
Look through your independent book or social studies
book for words that contain a prefix, a root or root
word, and one or more suffixes. Create a chart like the
one on the previous slide to record and analyze the
words you find (find at least 4 words).