RIC-20239 Primary Grammar and Word Study Year 4 – Understanding and choosing words

Focus
Suffixes ed, er and ing.
Definition
Understanding and
choosing words
• A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end
of a base word to change its meaning and form a new
word.
Explanation
• Generally, when a suffix is added to a base word, the
spelling of both stays the same. There are a number of
rules, however, when adding a suffix beginning with a
vowel, such as ing, ed and er.
• The final consonant must be doubled before adding
the suffix to words of one syllable with a short vowel
followed by a consonant.
Example:
hop – hopped, run – running
This rule also applies to words of two or more
syllables, provided the accent falls on the last
syllable.
Example:
forget – forgotten
Exceptions are bus, gas and words that end in w.
• Consonants are not doubled after a long or double
vowel,
Example:
clean – cleaning, sleep – soaking
• In words ending in a silent e, the e is usually dropped.
Example:
hope – hoping, please – pleasing, tune – tuning
• Words ending in ac or ic, add a k before the suffix,
Example:
panic – panicked, mimic – mimicking,
picnic – picnicker
• Words that ends in y, change the y to an i before
adding the suffix (e.g. easy–easiest), unless a vowel
comes before it (e.g. play–played) or the suffix is ing
(e.g. carrying, hurrying).
• There are some exceptions to these rules.
• Knowing the meanings of common suffixes may assist
students to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words. A
sound knowledge of suffixes will also help students spell
correctly and develop their vocabulary. An understanding
of suffixes can also help students identify which part of
speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) the word belongs to.
Worksheet information
• By completing this worksheet, students should discover
for themselves at least one of the rules regarding adding
these suffixes to certain base words.
Suffixes
• Read the introduction and check for student
understanding. Allow students to look at the text in their
own time and underline words which have a base that
changes spelling when the suffix is added. Provide
dictionaries for student reference if necessary. Students
then complete the wordsearch, locating new words
created from the base words by the addition of suffixes.
• In Question 3, students write one rule they observed.
• As a follow-up activity, ask students to share some
of the rules they have discovered. Write the correct
rules on a chart to put up in the classroom for student
reference.
• Teachers could choose to follow this activity with a more
in-depth study of the rules pertaining to adding certain
suffixes to certain words as listed above.
• It is important that students realise there are exceptions
to most of these rules. They should be encouraged to
identify exceptions and to share them with the class.
Ideas for further practise
• and are online
interactive activities where students can practise adding
these suffixes.
• Send students on a ‘suffix hunt’ around the classroom
to try to find words that have changed spelling once a
suffix has been added.
• At http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/
grammar4.htm# students can practise adding ed and
ing to words in the fishing game.
Answers
1. winner (double n), announcer (silent e is dropped),
winner (double n), cried (y changed to i), excited
(silent e is dropped), confused (silent e is dropped),
happier (y changed to i), picnicking (k added before
ing), tail-waggers (double g).
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2. cry-cried, marry-married, win-winning,
move-moving, play-played, try-tried, wag-wagging,
hurry-hurrying, dig-digging
q e e m o v i n g w
l p l a y e d i m a
n p t r i e d n i g
h u r r y i n g o g
u t w i n n i n g i
c r i e d t r e s n
n a q d i g g i n g
3. Teacher check
Primary grammar and word study 48
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