English Language Arts
Grade 7
15 min
Prefixes and suffixes: review
Prefixes and suffixes: review
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify common suffixes and their meanings.
Analyze how suffixes change a word's meaning or part of speech.
Apply spelling rules correctly when adding suffixes to base words.
Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by analyzing their suffixes and base words.
Construct new words by correctly adding suffixes to base words.
Differentiate between derivational and inflectional suffixes.
Ever wonder how a simple ending can completely transform a word? 🤔 Get ready to unlock the secret power of suffixes!
In this lesson, you'll explore how suffixes attach to base words, changing their meaning, part of speech, or grammatical function. Understanding suffixes is a powerful tool for expanding your vocabulary, improving your reading comprehension, and be...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
SuffixA letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to form a new word or a different form of the same word.The suffix "-ful" in "beautiful" changes "beauty" (noun) into an adjective.
Base Word (or Root Word)The main part of a word that carries its primary meaning, to which prefixes and suffixes can be added.In the word "unbelievable," "believe" is the base word.
Derivational SuffixA suffix that changes the meaning of a word or its part of speech, creating a new word.Adding "-ness" to "kind" (adjective) creates "kindness" (noun), changing its part of speech.
Inflectional SuffixA suffix that changes a word's grammatical function (e.g., tense, number, comparison) but does not...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Suffixes Change Part of Speech
Base Word (Noun/Verb/Adjective) + Suffix = New Part of Speech
Many suffixes can transform a word from one part of speech to another. For instance, '-tion' often changes verbs to nouns, '-able' changes verbs to adjectives, and '-ly' changes adjectives to adverbs. Recognizing these changes is key to understanding word function.
Spelling Rule: Dropping the 'e'
Base Word ending in silent 'e' + Suffix starting with a vowel = Drop the 'e'
When adding a suffix that begins with a vowel (like -ing, -able, -ive) to a base word that ends in a silent 'e', you typically drop the 'e' before adding the suffix. For example, 'make' + '-ing' becomes 'making&#...
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Challenging
A student needs to create a noun meaning 'the state of being a friend'. Which combination of a base word and suffix correctly forms this word while following spelling rules?
A.Friend + -ness = Friendness
B.Friend + -ship = Friendship
C.Friend + -tion = Friendtion
D.Friend + -ity = Friendity
Challenging
Which of the following statements provides the most accurate and complete distinction between derivational and inflectional suffixes?
A.Derivational suffixes are always longer than inflectional suffixes, which are usually one or two letters.
B.Derivational suffixes change a word's part of speech or core meaning, creating a new word, while inflectional suffixes only modify a word's grammatical function (like tense or number) without changing its core identity.
C.Inflectional suffixes are added to verbs and derivational suffixes are added to nouns and adjectives.
D.base word can have multiple inflectional suffixes attached, but only one derivational suffix.
Challenging
A scientist invents a machine that can 'quantify' data. Later, she writes a paper on the 'quantifiability' of her results. What transformations occurred between 'quantify' and 'quantifiability'?
A.single inflectional suffix was added to change the tense.
B.The suffix '-able' was added to make an adjective, then the suffix '-ity' was added to make a noun.
C.The suffix '-fy' was removed and replaced with '-fiability'.
D.The suffix '-ity' was added to the verb to create a new, more complex verb.
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