Suffixes Study Guide
A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or function. Understanding suffixes can help you understand the meaning of unfamiliar words and improve your vocabulary.
Common Suffixes
Here are some common suffixes and their meanings:
- -ly: changes an adjective into an adverb (e.g. quick → quickly)
- -ful: indicates full of or characterized by (e.g. cheerful, beautiful)
- -less: without or lacking (e.g. fearless, careless)
- -able, -ible: capable of being (e.g. comfortable, visible)
- -er, -or: one who does (e.g. teacher, actor)
- -est: the most (e.g. tallest, happiest)
Study Tips
Here are some tips for studying suffixes:
- Keep a suffixes list: Write down new suffixes you come across and their meanings to help you remember them.
- Practice with flashcards: Create flashcards with words and their suffixes to test your knowledge.
- Use suffixes in sentences: Practice using words with suffixes in sentences to understand how they change the meaning of the word.
- Read and identify suffixes: When reading, look for words with suffixes and try to identify their meanings based on the suffix.
Examples
Here are some examples of words with suffixes:
- Happy + ly = Happily
- Fear + less = Fearless
- Comfort + able = Comfortable
- Teach + er = Teacher
- Tall + est = Tallest
[Suffixes] Related Worksheets and Study Guides:
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Worksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyThe resources above cover the following skills:
Reading Standards: Foundational Skills
Phonics and Word Recognition
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. [RF.5.3]
Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. [RF.5.3a]