Determine the meaning of a word with a suffix: review

Key Notes :

What is a Suffix?

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word. Adding a suffix changes the meaning of the word.

For example:

  • Happy (base word) + -ness (suffix) = Happiness (new word)
Suffix Spotlight: ‘-ful’, ‘-less’, ‘-er’, ‘-or’, ‘-ly’, ‘-ness’
-ful: Means “full of

“Helpful: full of help
Careful: full of care
Wonderful: full of wonder
-less: Means “without”

Careless: without care
Fearless: without fear
Hopeless: without hope
-er / -or: Means “one who”

Teacher: one who teaches
Actor: one who acts
Painter: one who paints
-ly: Means “in a way”

Quickly: in a quick way
Slowly: in a slow way
Sadly: in a sad way

-ness: Means “the state of”

  • Kindness: the state of being kind
  • Happiness: the state of being happy
  • Sadness: the state of being sad
Practice Time!

Instructions: Read the sentence and underline the word with a suffix. Then, write what you think the word means.

  1. The cat jumped quickly over the fence. Meaning: ____________________
  2. The little girl showes kindness to the lost puppy. Meaning: ____________________
  3. The careful driver looked both ways. Meaning: ____________________
  4. My brother is a painter. Meaning: ____________________
  5. The hopeless team lost the game. Meaning: ____________________
Summary

Today, we reviewed what suffixes are and how they change the meanings of words. By understanding common suffixes like -ful, -less, -er, -or, -ly, and -ness, you can figure out the meaning of many new words!

Let’s practice!