English Language Arts
Grade 8
15 min
Words with -able and -ible
Words with -able and -ible
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify the suffixes -able and -ible in various words.
Differentiate between words that correctly use -able and those that use -ible based on common linguistic patterns.
Apply established rules and common exceptions to determine the appropriate suffix (-able or -ible) for unfamiliar words.
Analyze the impact of -able and -ible on the meaning and grammatical function of base words.
Construct grammatically correct sentences using words ending in -able and -ible.
Evaluate the correct spelling of words containing -able and -ible in written texts.
Ever wondered why some words are 'readable' but others are 'audible'? 🤔 Let's unlock the secrets behind these tricky suffixes!
In this lesson, you'll learn the patterns and rules that...
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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 to change the word's grammatical function or meaning.In 'enjoyable', '-able' is the suffix added to the base word 'enjoy'.
Base Word/Root WordThe main part of a word to which prefixes and suffixes can be added; it carries the primary meaning.In 'understandable', 'understand' is the base word.
AdjectiveA word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, providing more information about it.In 'The story was incredible', 'incredible' is an adjective describing 'story'.
-ableA common suffix meaning 'capable of being,' 'worthy of,' or 'tending to.' It is often used with compl...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Rule 1: The Complete Verb Test (for -able)
If the base word is a complete, stand-alone English verb, it typically takes the suffix -able.
When you can remove -able and the remaining part is a full, recognizable verb that makes sense on its own, -able is usually the correct choice. This often applies to words of Anglo-Saxon origin (e.g., 'read' + 'able' = 'readable').
Rule 2: Latin Roots & Incomplete Bases (for -ible)
If the base word is not a complete English word on its own, or if it's a Latin root that requires a vowel before the suffix, it often takes -ible.
Many -ible words derive from Latin roots that aren't standalone English words (e.g., 'aud' from 'audire' -> 'audible'). Also, if the root en...
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Challenging
A common but flawed rule of thumb is: 'If you can hear 'ate' in the verb, use -able.' (e.g., separate -> separable). Which word demonstrates a critical flaw in this rule?
A.Debatable
B.Relatable
C.Combustible
D.Navigable
Challenging
A student writes: 'The evidence was admissable in court because it was verifible by three independent sources.' Synthesize the rules from the tutorial to identify and correct the errors.
A.Change 'admissable' to 'admissible'; 'verifible' is correct.
B.Change 'admissable' to 'admissible' and 'verifible' to 'verifiable'.
C.Change 'verifible' to 'verifiable'; 'admissable' is correct.
D.The sentence is grammatically and orthographically correct as written.
Challenging
Construct the strongest argument for why 'audible' is spelled with -ible and 'applaudable' is spelled with -able, citing concepts from the tutorial.
A.Pronunciation is the key; 'audible' sounds more natural with an 'i', while 'applaudable' flows better with an 'a'.
B.Both are exceptions. 'Audible' should be 'audable' and 'applaudable' should be 'applaudible'.
C.'Audible' is a more common word, and common words often use -ible.
D.'Audible' derives from the Latin root 'aud-', which is not a complete English word (Rule 2), whereas 'applaud' is a complete English verb, making it a clear case for the Complete Verb Test (Rule 1).
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