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!