Add Suffixes Beginning with Vowels

We can use prefixes and suffixes to change the meaning of some words.  

We call the original word a root word.

Prefixes go at the start of words. 

For example: un + kind = unkind. 

The prefix un means not.  When we add it to the root word kind we create its opposite.

Suffixes go at the end of words.

For example: cheer + ful = cheerful

The suffix ful turns a noun (naming word) into an adjective (describing word).

In this activity, we will look at the use of suffixes that begin with a vowel (ing, en, er, ed) to words that have more than one syllable.  

The root words we are working with today all have an unstressed final syllable.  This means that, when you say this out loud, the emphasis is not on the final syllable of the word.  

You can listen to the following words by clicking below.  Listen carefully and try to notice the unstressed final syllable.

garden

limit

offer

Because these words have an unstressed final syllable, we do not have to change the root word before we add a suffix.

For example: limit (verb) becomes limited (adjective). 

Did you spot that the root word is unchanged?

Here are some examples of words that use these prefixes that we will practise in this activity:

gardening

gardener

limiting

limited

offering

You can listen to them here:

You can break the words up into the prefix and the root to help you to spell them:

garden ing

garden er

limit ing

limit ed

offer ing

Use Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check to practise spellings a few times before we begin the activities.