English Language Arts
Grade 3
15 min
Determine the meaning of a word with -ly or -ness
Determine the meaning of a word with -ly or -ness
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify the suffixes -ly and -ness at the end of a word.
Explain that the suffix -ly often means 'in a way' and describes an action.
Explain that the suffix -ness means 'the state of being' and names a quality or feeling.
Identify the base word by removing the suffix.
Determine the meaning of a new word by combining the meaning of the base word and the suffix.
Use words ending in -ly and -ness correctly in their own sentences.
Have you ever felt full of happiness or watched a turtle move slowly? 🤔 Let's learn about the two special word endings that help us say that!
In this lesson, we will explore two powerful suffixes: -ly and -ness. A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning. Lea...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
SuffixA word part added to the END of a base word that changes the word's meaning.In the word 'quickly', the suffix is '-ly'.
Base WordThe main word that a suffix is added to. It has its own meaning.In the word 'kindness', the base word is 'kind'.
AdjectiveA word that describes a person, place, or thing (a noun).The 'soft' pillow. 'Soft' is the adjective.
AdverbA word that describes an action (a verb). It often tells HOW something is done.She spoke 'softly'. 'Softly' is the adverb.
NounA word for a person, place, thing, or idea.The 'sadness' was easy to see. 'Sadness' is a noun for a feeling.
Suffix -lyA suffix that usually means 'in a certain way'. It o...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The -ly Rule
Adjective + -ly = Adverb
Add -ly to a describing word (adjective) to explain HOW an action is done. For example, to change 'quick' to 'quickly' to describe how someone runs.
The -ness Rule
Adjective + -ness = Noun
Add -ness to a describing word (adjective) to turn it into a thing or an idea (a noun). For example, to change 'sad' to 'sadness' to name the feeling.
The 'Y to I' Spelling Rule
If the base word ends in 'y', change the 'y' to 'i' before adding -ly or -ness.
This is a spelling rule for words like 'happy' or 'silly'. 'Happy' becomes 'happily' or 'happiness'.
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Challenging
Read these two sentences:
1. The music was loud.
2. The band played loudly.
How does adding `-ly` to `loud` change its job in the sentence?
A.It changes the word from describing the band to describing the music.
B.It changes the word from describing a thing (music) to describing an action (played).
C.It makes the word mean 'not loud'.
D.It does not change the meaning or the job of the word.
Challenging
Read these two sentences:
1. The child was shy.
2. The child's shyness made it hard for her to make friends.
How does adding `-ness` to `shy` change its job in the sentence?
A.It changes the word from an action to a thing.
B.It makes the word describe how the child made friends.
C.It changes the word to mean 'in a shy way'.
D.It changes the word from describing a person to naming the quality that person has.
Challenging
The base word is `gentle`. Which sentence needs the `-ly` form, and which needs the `-ness` form?
A.He showed great `gently`. The cat purred `gentleness`.
B.He showed great `gentleness`. The cat purred `gently`.
C.He showed great `gently`. The cat purred `gently`.
D.He showed great `gentleness`. The cat purred `gentleness`.
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Determine the meaning of a word with -ly or -ness is a Grade 3 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
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Determine the meaning of a word with -ly or -ness
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